Joshua 24:14-16
Choose Whom You will Serve
14Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15But ifit is unpleasingin your sightto servethe LORD,then choosefor yourselvesthis daywhomyou will serve,whether thegodsyour fathersservedbeyondthe Euphrates,orthe godsof the Amoritesin whoselandyouare living.As for meand my house,we will servethe LORD!”16The people replied, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!…
This year part of my pursuit is plunging forward into the realization of the passions of my heart. Lord, you placed these desires in my heart and N.O.W. (New-Beginnings is Our Witness) is the time for a full fruition manifestation of these passions to be visibly, tangibly, and audibly realized in this earthly realm of my existence as it is reflected in your heavenly plane of residence. Father, I commit to delight in you with the knowledge that you bring to past the desires of my heart – those desires are perfectly aligned with your perfected will for my life, legacy, inheritance, and footprint. Father, I know you bless me and my seed for you said it and it is done. Thank you. Amen Indeed!
Theme: Free Indeed in 2023: Prayer, Pursuit, Passion, and Mental Health & Wellness Matters!
Father, I won’t let go until you bless me! Like Jacob who you blessed in the morning to rename him Israel; he wrestled with you until you blessed him. I remain – Where, O Death, is Your Victory?
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
…57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.Berean Standard Bible · Download
A Daily Prayer
The daily prayer from Daily Encouragement Net
“A Prayer For Holding On”
January 16, 2023
Father, in this ever-changing society where transition beckons us daily, You are the Changeless One. As we hold tightly to the hope we profess we will not be swayed to the right nor to the left. And we hold to this hope because You are faithful to Your Word and Your divine character. Though the heavens are silent at times and the world continues to slide into decadence and intolerance toward true Christians we remain faithful. We will hold on a little while longer and shine as lights in this dark world so that we can influence as many as possible. As we hold unswervingly to the hope we profess we will not give up due to weariness, weakness, or a wayward heart, for Your unchanging truth makes the triumph sure. We joyfully have enlisted as a soldier in Your Christian army and choose to be led by Your grace divine. Amen. This is the prayer that is prepared each weekday for the daily encouragement devotional from Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Psalm 37 The Message Version
37 1-2 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings
and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.
3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God,
get in on the best.
5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
he’ll do whatever needs to be done:
He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day
and stamp you with approval at high noon.
7 Quiet down before God,
be prayerful before him.
Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder,
who elbow their way to the top.
8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
God-investors will soon own the store.
10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
you’ll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
relishing a huge bonanza.
12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
obsessed with doing them in.
But God isn’t losing any sleep; to him
they’re a joke with no punch line.
14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
pull back on their bows with a flourish.
They’re out to beat up on the harmless,
or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
slapstick figures in a moral circus.
16-17 Less is more and more is less.
One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
For the wicked are moral weaklings
but the righteous are God-strong.
18-19 God keeps track of the decent folk;
what they do won’t soon be forgotten.
In hard times, they’ll hold their heads high;
when the shelves are bare, they’ll be full.
20 God-despisers have had it;
God’s enemies are finished—
Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,
vanished like smoke in thin air.
21-22 Wicked borrows and never returns;
Righteous gives and gives.
Generous gets it all in the end;
Stingy is cut off at the pass.
23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God;
his path blazed by God, he’s happy.
If he stumbles, he’s not down for long;
God has a grip on his hand.
25-26 I once was young, now I’m a graybeard—
not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
or his kids out roaming the streets.
Every day he’s out giving and lending,
his children making him proud.
27-28 Turn your back on evil,
work for the good and don’t quit.
God loves this kind of thing,
never turns away from his friends.
28-29 Live this way and you’ve got it made,
but bad eggs will be tossed out.
The good get planted on good land
and put down healthy roots.
30-31 Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,
rolls virtue around on his tongue.
His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins;
his feet are as sure as a cat’s.
32-33 Wicked sets a watch for Righteous,
he’s out for the kill.
God, alert, is also on watch—
Wicked won’t hurt a hair of his head.
34 Wait passionately for God,
don’t leave the path.
He’ll give you your place in the sun
while you watch the wicked lose it.
35-36 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,
croaking pretentious nonsense.
The next time I looked there was nothing—
a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.
37-38 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,
scrutinize the straight life;
There’s a future
in strenuous wholeness.
But the willful will soon be discarded;
insolent souls are on a dead-end street.
39-40 The spacious, free life is from God,
it’s also protected and safe.
God-strengthened, we’re delivered from evil—
when we run to him, he saves us.
THIS DAY I CONTINUE TO HOLD ON UNTIL YOU BLESS ME AND I BELIEVE IT IS DONE – SO BE IT!
Lyrics
They say this mountain can’t be moved
They say these chains will never break
But they don’t know You like we do
There is power in Your name
We’ve heard that there is no way through
We’ve heard the tide will never change
They haven’t seen what You can do
There is power in Your name
So much power in Your name
Move the unmovable
Break the unbreakable
God we believe
God we believe for it
From the impossible
We’ll see a miracle
God we believe
God we believe for it
We know that hope is never lost (oh)
For there is still an empty grave
God we believe no matter what
There is power in Your name
So much power in Your name
Move the unmovable
Break the unbreakable
God we believe
God we believe for it
From the impossible
We’ll see a miracle
God we believe
God we believe for it (hey)
You are the way
When there seems to be no way
We trust in You
God You have the final say, yeah
You are the way
When there seems to be no way (yes You are)
We trust in You
God You have the final say
(You are the final say)
Move the unmovable
Break the unbreakable
God we believe
God we believe for it
From the impossible
We’ll see a miracle
God we believe
God we believe for it
God we believe
God we believe for it
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Cece Winans / Dwan Hill / Kyle Lee / Mitch Wong
Believe For It lyrics © Amplified Administration, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
WORDS For this season as we build upon or are in continuum of our first project to be SALT and Light:
1.14.23 1:37 PM EST – What not to embody in our pursuit of living free and free INDEED.
Vapid – not stimulating or challenging – God shares that he has a great and mighty things for us to have that goes beyond what we can ask or think. Therefore, we must diligently press onward for that prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus with a ruthless focus to not back down and quit!
Insipid – lacking flavor – sound familiar when we have loss our flavor we are thrown out and useless.
Insolent – rudely being disrespectful; full of arrogance and haughtiness – God blesses those who come to him humbly, repentant, and authentic.
Pretentious – Faker that is full of hot air. Someone who wants to be an agent of change for a person’s life, culture, environment, and their entire outcome. One who pretends to be more important than they are and posses more clout than they actually do. Beware of the wolf in sheep clothing who comes to seduce, steal, and slaughter.
Braggard – Show off and one who boasts about what they have done. Prideful displaying their self-importance to all within their reach (eyesight and earshot). God truly warns against those who are puffed up in pride as this behavior leads to ones downfall and destruction.
Watch and Pray – Be the Watchperson! Also, realize God is a Waymaker!
The enemy’s only mission is to steal, kill, and destroy like a venomous snake/serpent that slithered before Eve in the Garden to destroy the establishment that God ordained; beware lest we/you/I fall into divers temptations. We must WATCH & Pray. We must be aware of our environment. We must not fall asleep. We must not be seduced by the sweetness offerings that sin entices us to yield into. That is why we pray daily and continuously. Before the battles, God’s praise team went forth to usher in the anointing that led to victory so in the same sense we must amp up our personal Praise and Worship relationship with our God. It is time to gird up our hearts. Sound the alarm with a trumpet and other musical instruments. Use our voices to proclaim God is good and great and His glory is revealed for all humanity to be amazed and in awe.
The entire chapter 43 of Isaiah depicts how God assures Jacob that He has his back and makes a way for him to obtain victory and plenty. Truly God’s word affirms that we who are called by His name for His purpose is released and revealed for blessings this day, year, season, and in our lifetime. God does what He says according to his unfailing word of truth! Not only for us BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY for our seed (children, legacy, inheritance, footprint, and sphere of influence). To God be ALL GLORY amen indeed!
Isaiah 43:16-21 The Message Version
16-21 This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sunbaked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–17 — King James Version (KJV 1900)
16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing.
Ezekiel 33:7-9 The Message Version
7-9 “You, son of man, are the watchman. I’ve made you a watchman for Israel. The minute you hear a message from me, warn them. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked man, wicked woman, you’re on the fast track to death!’ and you don’t speak up and warn the wicked to change their ways, the wicked will die unwarned in their sins and I’ll hold you responsible for their bloodshed. But if you warn the wicked to change their ways and they don’t do it, they’ll die in their sins well-warned and at least you will have saved your own life.
Matthew 26:41 The Message Version
40-41 When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
God’s Directive in this Season to be free and free INDEED!
James 1 The Message Version
1 I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello!
Faith Under Pressure
2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
9-11 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.
12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.
13-15 Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
16-18 So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.
Act on What You Hear
19-21 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
25 But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
26-27 Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
God is the WAYMAKER!
Way Maker Artist: Darlene Zschech & William McDowell Choirs: Sounds of Unity, Lee University Singers, Evangelical Singers (EVS) Album: REVERE https://revere.lnk.to/WayMakerYT Written By: Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu Recorded Live at Lee University Video Director: Jeff Salyer —————————————-—————————————-— Connect with REVERE Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/revere_live/ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/Revere-Live-… We’ve been singing it, we’ve heard it in different versions, but the amazing thing about the song, Way Maker, is that it was born in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, written by Sinach. The father has given Jesus the nations as his inheritance, and this is never more powerfully demonstrated than when every tribe and language gather before him in worship. This version of Way Maker features worship leader and the pastor of Deeper Fellowship Church, William McDowell, and Darlene Zschech, who is also the pastor of HopeUC. The timeless vocal of Darlene along with exhortations from William about what God is doing in the nations will hopefully leave you inspired and in awe of the Miracle Worker. Our hope with the REVERE version of Way Maker is to gently help steer the church away from a production culture where the emphasis can, mistakenly, become a love for worship, to a reverential culture where the focus is, clearly and firmly, a love for Christ. —————————————-—————————————-— Lyrics You are here, moving in our midst I worship You I worship You You are here, working in this place I worship You I worship You You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper Light in the darkness, my God That is who You are You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper Light in the darkness, my God That is who You are You are here, touching every heart I worship You I worship You You are here, healing every heart I worship You I worship You You are here, turning lives around I worship You I worship You You are here, mending every heart I worship You I worship You That is who You are That is who You are That is who You are That is who You are Even when I don’t see it, You’re working Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working You never stop, You never stop working You never stop, You never stop working —————————————-—————————————-— Written By: Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu © 2016 Sinach (adm at CapitolCMGPublishing.com, excluding the UK & Europe which is adm by Integrity Music) CCLI # 7115744 #waymaker #darlenezschech #williammcdowell #soundsofunity #sinach #way #maker #reverelive #revereunscripted #thatiswhoyouare #worship #worshipmusic #christian #christianmusic #gospel #gospelmusic #thatiswhoyouare
It is important to stay focused and vigilant while holding on to God’s word so you can be released to receive and realize the promise hoped for. With that said part of this strategy is a constant prayer life before the Lord, regardless of the trials and tribulations faced. Sometimes we just have to cry out in song Lord I got to find you I am in need of a word and I can only get it if I am before your throne. I am singing this song that always helps when wanting to be ushered into the throne room behind the veil into the holy of holies. Let’s worship the Lord!
The season is now for us to stand strong and seek God while He can be found. There is an urgency and God is providing for His people who come to Him. I believe it is done and will see God’s glory manifested in our lives in our lifetime. God’s word on the matter is He anoints us to view his awesomeness!
Acts 2:14-21 The Voice Version
Peter: Men of Judea and all who are staying here in Jerusalem, listen. I want you to understand: 15 these people aren’t drunk as you may think. Look, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this isn’t drunkenness; this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. 17 Hear what God says!
In the last days,
I will offer My Spirit to humanity as a libation.
Your children will boldly speak the word of the Lord.
Young warriors will see visions,
and your elders will dream dreams.
18 Yes, in those days I shall offer My Spirit to all servants,
both male and female, and they will boldly speak My word.
19 And in the heaven above and on the earth below,
I shall give signs of impending judgment: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will become a void of darkness,
and the moon will become blood.
Then the great and dreadful day of the Lord will arrive,
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be liberated into God’s freedom and peace.[a]
To further strengthen our faith let’s check out some others who have laid a foundation by sharing their own testimony of how they obtained victory and are overcomers.
Who are some trendsetters that can provide a design on how we can become Released and Realized into our personal FREE Indeed in 2023 reality?
Below are some that provide keys on how to get to the next level living to truly live our best life ever here on earth as it reflects in heaven.
God you have provided us some examples of those who have laid a foundation to how we can be Released and Realized into our personal blessings! The first and most important decision we can make to personally become released and realized into a life of liberty and promised hoped for is to become personally acquainted with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Below gives a few pictorial media images of why it’s important to bridge the Gap between God and Man so that we can have in our lifetime on this planet the BEST LIFE EVER! The choice is yours and the offer has been made and the door is open for you to come in and fellowship with God. What is your answer? ~ Selah & Shalom. Love you always and enjoy your journey Miriam aka Essence of Myrrh Proverbs 3:5-8.
Jesus – Jesus is our Redeemer and the one God promised would bring salvation for all mankind. He is our ultimate guide and brings clarity on how to be free indeed. The Holy Spirit resident that is our gift from God allows our eyes of understanding to be opened and ears to hear the Shepherd’s voice. Additionally, Jesus is God’s word of promise and shines light that dispels any hidden agenda that is the secret plot laid in darkness.
John 1:1 Amplified Bible
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself.Read full chapter
Footnotes
- John 1:1 In John the Apostle’s vision (Rev 19), he sees Christ returning as Warrior-Messiah-King, and “…His name is called The Word of God…and LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:13, 16).
- John 1:1 In this phrase, “God” appears first in the Greek word order, emphasizing the fact that “the Word” (Christ) was God—so “God Himself.”
John 14:6-7 The Message Version
6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
John 8:12The Message Version
12 Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”
Luke 4:14-21 The Voice Version
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him. 15 He would regularly go into their synagogues and teach. His teaching earned Him the respect and admiration of everyone who heard Him.
16 He eventually came to His hometown, Nazareth, and did there what He had done elsewhere in Galilee—entered the synagogue and stood up to read from the Hebrew Scriptures.
17 The synagogue attendant gave Him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and Jesus unrolled it to the place where Isaiah had written these words:
18 The Spirit of the Lord the Eternal One is on Me.
Why? Because the Eternal designated Me
to be His representative to the poor, to preach good news to them.
Luke’s audience doesn’t divide the world into sacred vs. secular or religious vs. political. For them, life is integrated. And for them, these “religious” words from Isaiah have a powerful and “political” meaning: because they see themselves as oppressed by the Roman occupation, Jesus’ words suggest that His “good news” describes a powerful change about to come—a change that will rescue the people from their oppression. His fellow Jews have long been waiting for a savior to free them from Roman oppression. Jesus tells them their hopes are about to be fulfilled. But then, just as people speak well of Jesus, He lets them know their expectations aren’t in line with God’s plans. He tells them not to expect God to fit into their boxes and suggests the unthinkable: that God cares for the Gentiles, the very people who are oppressing them! They aren’t too pleased by this.
He sent Me to tell those who are held captive that they can now be set free,
and to tell the blind that they can now see.
He sent Me to liberate those held down by oppression.
19 In short, the Spirit is upon Me to proclaim that now is the time;
this is the jubilee season of the Eternal One’s grace.[a]
20 Jesus rolled up the scroll and returned it to the synagogue attendant. Then He sat down, as a teacher would do, and all in the synagogue focused their attention on Jesus, waiting for Him to speak. 21 He told them that these words from the Hebrew Scriptures were being fulfilled then and there, in their hearing.
John 14 The Voice Version
Ultimately Peter is telling the truth. He is more than willing to lay down his life. But none of His disciples understand the magnitude of the persecution and hatred that is about to be unleashed.
Even Peter, Jesus’ dear Peter, is afraid. He protests any inference to Jesus’ impending departure. Each of the twelve would do the same. Jesus calms their fears over and over again with stories, metaphors, and outright promises, saying, “I will never abandon you like orphans; I will return to be with you” (14:18).
14 Jesus: Don’t get lost in despair; believe in God, and keep on believing in Me. 2 My Father’s home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival. 3 I will be there to greet you personally and welcome you home, where we will be together. 4 You know where I am going and how to get there.
Thomas: 5 Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the path?
Jesus: 6 I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him.
Philip: 8 Lord, all I am asking is that You show us the Father.
Jesus (to Philip): 9 I have lived with you all this time, and you still don’t know who I am? If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. How can you keep asking to see the Father? 10 Don’t you believe Me when I say I abide in the Father and the Father dwells in Me? I’m not making this up as I go along. The Father has given Me these truths that I have been speaking to you, and He empowers all My actions. 11 Accept these truths: I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. If you have trouble believing based on My words, believe because of the things I have done. 12 I tell you the truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father. 13 Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory from the Son. 14 Let Me say it again: if you ask for anything in My name, I will do it. 15 If you love Me, obey the commandments I have given you. 16 I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, who will remain constantly with you. 17 The world does not recognize the Spirit of truth, because it does not know the Spirit and is unable to receive Him. But you do know the Spirit because He lives with you, and He will dwell in you. 18 I will never abandon you like orphans; I will return to be with you. 19 In a little while, the world will not see Me; but I will not vanish completely from your sight. Because I live, you will also live. 20 At that time, you will know that I am in the Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The one who loves Me will do the things I have commanded. My Father loves everyone who loves Me; and I will love you and reveal My heart, will, and nature to you.
God becomes flesh and lives among humanity, not just to have a transaction with people and ultimately die, but to continue to be with them and to send His Spirit to be present with believers. So God calls His Spirit-indwelled people to something greater, something more significant: they are here as redeeming forces on this earth; their time here is about reclaiming the things He has created. Believing God has created the entire cosmos and that it is restored in Jesus, the believer’s work here through the Spirit is to say, “This belongs to God,” and to help point out the beauty of creation to everyone. And most of all, to live in it themselves by the power of the Holy Spirit who plants the teachings of the Lord in their hearts.
The Other Judas: 22 Lord, why will You reveal Yourself to us, but not to the world?
Jesus: 23 Anyone who loves Me will listen to My voice and obey. The Father will love him, and We will draw close to him and make a dwelling place within him. 24 The one who does not love Me ignores My message, which is not from Me, but from the Father who sent Me.
25 I have spoken these words while I am here with you. 26 The Father is sending a great Helper, the Holy Spirit, in My name to teach you everything and to remind you of all I have said to you. 27 My peace is the legacy I leave to you. I don’t give gifts like those of this world. Do not let your heart be troubled or fearful. 28 You were listening when I said, “I will go away, but I will also return to be with you.” If you love Me, celebrate the fact that I am going to be with the Father because He is far greater than I am. 29 I have told you all these things in advance so that your faith will grow as these things come to pass. 30 I am almost finished speaking to you. The one who rules the world is stepping forward, and he has no part in Me; 31 but to demonstrate to the cosmos My love for the Father, I will do just as He commands. Stand up. It is time for us to leave this place.
Abigail – Temptation lurks to wipe out a household when we are in bed with a viper, BUT GOD has a way to bring corrective action into a crisis management situation. Through an intimate knowledge and relationship of God for her life, Abigail was able to position herself as the intercessor, insightful messenger, and inspired woman of virtue. She embodies the characteristics of how to think and act when your livelihood, household, and life’s legacy is facing a pending annihilation. There is power in one who positions with a posture of poise and prophetic insight.
1 Samuel 25 The Voice Version
25 At last, Samuel died, and all of the people of Israel gathered to mourn him. They buried him at his home in Ramah on the border of Benjamin and Ephraim. Once the mourning period was over, David and his men went down to the wilderness of Paran[a] (the desert area far to the south).
2 A certain man in Maon owned property in Carmel, a town south of Hebron near the Dead Sea. This man was very rich: he owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. It was sheepshearing time in Carmel, which was celebrated with feasting and generosity. 3 This rich man’s name was Nabal, which means “foolish,” and his wife was Abigail, which means “my father is joy.” She was smart and beautiful, but he was mean-spirited and bad-tempered, an embarrassment to his Calebite tribe.
4 From his hiding place in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 so David gathered 10 young men to send to Nabal asking for gifts.
David (to the young men): Go up to Carmel in Judah, to Nabal, and greet him in my name: 6 “Live long. Peace be to you, your entire household, and all you possess. 7 I hear that it is time to shear the sheep. I want you to know that your shepherds have been among us in the wilderness, and not only did we not harm them, but not an animal was taken during their time among us in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men; they will tell you this is true. Please return our kindness and look on my young men with favor since we come on this feast day. Please give whatever you can spare to them and to your son David.”
9 When David’s young men came to Nabal, they delivered David’s message and waited for Nabal’s response.
Nabal: 10 Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? I’ve never heard of him, so he must be nothing more than a slave who abandoned his master. 11 Should I take bread and water and meat from my own servants and give it to men who come from who knows where?
12 So David’s young men returned to him by the same road and told him what had happened.
David (ordering his men): 13 Strap on your swords!
All of them put on their swords, including David, and about 400 of his men followed him while 200 remained behind with their supplies.
14 One of Nabal’s servants recognized his master’s insolence and told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, what was happening.
Servant: David sent messengers from the wilderness to salute our master, and Nabal returned their honor with insults. 15 David’s men have been very good to us. Nothing happened to us while we were with his company, and we never lost a single sheep in the fields in the time we were there. 16 They were like a wall protecting us day and night the whole time we were near them keeping the sheep.
17 You should know this and think about what to do next. Evil is coming to my master and his entire household if you don’t do something. Nabal is so worthless that no one can talk to him.
18 Then Abigail, knowing the stakes, rushed about gathering gifts similar to what her husband should have offered: 200 loaves, 2 jugs of wine, 5 sheep (butchered and dressed), more than 50 quarts of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She had these loaded on donkeys.
Abigail (to her servants): 19 Go ahead of me with all the gifts. I’ll be right behind you.
But she never stopped to speak to her husband Nabal. She had decided to approach David herself.
20 As she rode down the mountain on a hidden trail, David and his men were approaching, and they met.
21 Earlier David had made an oath.
David: It looks as though we protected everything this guy owns—so that he lost none of the things belonging to him—for nothing. We did him a good turn, and now he rewards us with evil. 22 May the True God do so to my enemies[b]—and more—if tomorrow morning I’ve left alive a single male of Nabal’s household.
23 When Abigail saw David, she dropped quickly from her donkey and fell to the ground in front of him, bowing.
Abigail (at David’s feet): 24 My lord, any guilt here falls on me. Please let me, your servant, speak, and may you hear the words I speak. 25 My lord, you must not take seriously the words of this worthless man, Nabal. His actions have proven that his name and his nature are the same: Nabal is a fool. Unfortunately I, your servant, did not see the young men you sent.
26 Now, my lord, as the Eternal One lives and as you live, since the Eternal has kept you from senseless killing and from seizing vengeance yourself, may your enemies and all who seek to harm you, my lord, be like Nabal.
27 Now, please, accept my gift and distribute it among the young men who are with you. 28 Please forgive your servant’s shortcomings. The Eternal will certainly make my lord’s house into a lasting dynasty because you fight on behalf of Him, and no evil will be found in you as long as you live. 29 If anyone dares to rise up against you and seek your life, then you will be protected by the Eternal One, your True God, who will launch the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.
30 When the Eternal has done for my lord all the good things He has promised and has installed you as ruler over all Israel, 31 you will never have to be grieved or conscience-stricken for having shed blood needlessly or for taking vengeance into your own hands. When He has dealt generously with my lord, I pray you will remember me, your servant.
David (to Abigail): 32 Blessed is the Eternal God of Israel, who sent you here today to intercept me. 33 And blessed is your wisdom—blessed are you—for keeping me from shedding blood needlessly and from taking vengeance into my own hands. 34 For as surely as the Eternal God of Israel lives and sent you to me, if you had not hurried out to meet me, tomorrow there would not have been a single male left alive in Nabal’s household.
35 Then David accepted her gifts.
David: Arise, and return home in peace. I have listened to your words, and I have granted your request.
36 Abigail returned to Nabal, who was holding a kingly feast in his house. Nabal’s heart was light because he was very drunk, so Abigail chose not to tell him anything until the next morning. 37 The next morning, when he was sober, Abigail told him about her meeting with David and he went cold inside. 38 About 10 days later, the Eternal One struck down Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard this news, he blessed God.
David: Blessed is the Eternal One, who protected my honor from Nabal’s insults and who kept me, His servant, from executing evil. Instead, the Eternal One turned Nabal’s evil back on him.
40 Then David sent servants to Carmel asking Abigail to be his wife.
Servants: David has sent us to bring you to him so that you can be his wife.
41 She stood, and then bowed to the ground before David’s servants.
Abigail: I am your servant, willing to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.
42 Then Abigail quickly got up, mounted her donkey, and went with the messengers of David attended by her five handmaidens. Not long after, she married him.
43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; she and Abigail were both wives of David. 44 By this time, Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s former wife, to Palti (the son of Laish) from Gallim.
Rahab – An outcast and whore (harlot – how many of us feel like we have no place in God’s kingdom because of our sexually fluent, varied, and illicit choices and the lifestyle we choose / chose to live?) Regardless, of her past, God knew her heart and changed the trajectory of her life into a blessed promised hoped for. She and all in her household because she made a decision to take a risk on God and God’s word through the person’s who knocked on her door. She believed and received the ultimate gift of life and that life more abundant, realized, and victoriously blessed. With promise there is a pursuit that is guided and to be followed, veering away from the strategy causes denial of the promise and ultimately death for you and your household. Rahab knew the challenge she faced and the cost was weighed. She purposed to do what was informed by Joshua’s search party and because of her obedience she changed her legacy. She is a witness for how we can overcome through the word of our testimony. She gave her word, kept her word, and through the word (oath) to the 2 spies she was spared and ascended into a blessed NEW-LIFE! Amen Indeed!
Rahab, like Abigail was another woman who fought for her household and seed to survive and thrive at all costs!
Joshua 2 The Voice
Joshua has the promise of God that the Israelites will succeed, and the people have taken to his leadership with enthusiasm. They have begun well, and their faith will keep them strong. But in the conquest story they cannot expect God to do everything. A prayer from the Christian and Jewish traditions reminds us: Pray as if everything depends upon God; work as if everything depends upon us. Throughout the story of God’s people, the partnership between human beings’ faith and God’s power leads to God’s purposes being fulfilled in human lives.
2 Then Joshua, the son of Nun, secretly sent two spies from Shittim to the western side of the Jordan.
Joshua: Go in, and see what you can find out about the people in that area. Pay special attention to the city of Jericho.
The men crossed the river, and when they entered Jericho, they stayed at the home of a prostitute named Rahab.
2-3 Somehow word reached the king of Jericho that Israelite spies had slipped into the area and might be visiting Rahab. That night the king sent soldiers to Rahab’s house with a message.
Messengers: The king commands you to turn over the Israelite men who are staying with you because they are here to spy on all the land and its defenses.
4 But Rahab had already hidden the two spies before she received the king’s messengers.
Rahab: It’s true that two men have been to see me. But I didn’t take the time to ask them where they came from. 5 All I know is that when it was getting dark outside and the gate was about to close, they got up and left. I don’t know where they went from here. If you hurry, you might still catch up to them.
6 She was lying, because the two men lay where she had hidden them beneath the stalks of flax laid out on her roof.
7 The soldiers ordered the gate opened long enough for them to pass through; then the gate was closed. They took the road that went straight toward the narrowest parts of the Jordan, which would be the easiest place for the spies to cross.
8 But the two spies were still on Rahab’s roof. She came up and found them awake.
Rahab: 9 I know the Eternal has given your people this land. Your coming has paralyzed us all with fear. 10 We have heard how the Eternal held back the Red Sea so you could escape from Egypt on dry land and how you completely destroyed the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og—and their kingdoms—on the far side of the Jordan. 11 As soon as this news reached us, our hearts melted like wax and none of us had an ounce of courage left. The Eternal One, your God, is truly God of the heavens above and the earth below.
12 Because I know all these things, this is my request: Since I have treated you kindly and have protected you, please promise me by the Eternal that you will do the same for my family. Give me some sign of good faith 13 that when you destroy this city you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and their families from death.
Spies: 14 You had the power to turn us in, but you saved us. Now we will do the same for you. If you will promise not to tell anyone what we were doing here, then you have our word: we will treat you with kindness and faithfulness when the Eternal One gives us the land.
15 Since the rear wall of her house was actually part of the great city wall, she helped the men escape by simply lowering a rope for them from her window. 16 Before they climbed down, she advised them to go into the mountains.
Rahab: That way you won’t be where the soldiers expect you to be. If you’ll hide there for three days, the pursuers should have returned here by then and you can go back safely.
Spies: 17 We will keep the oath we have sworn to you, but 18 only if you will follow these instructions: Gather all of your family here in this house, and tie this scarlet cord in the window where you let us down. 19 If anyone goes out of the house and into the streets, then we can’t be responsible for what happens to them. They will be killed, and their blood will be on their hands, not on ours. We will be responsible if anything should happen to anyone you gather in here. 20 But remember—all of this depends on you keeping your word. If you tell anyone our business, you will free us from our oath.
Rahab: 21 Agreed.
The men climbed down and escaped into the night, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
The story of Rahab reminds us that throughout the history of Israel, unexpected people have stepped to the foreground to be used by God. Rahab is a woman in a male-centered world; and she is a prostitute, the kind of person we typically vilify. But if she doesn’t rescue these men—and help them escape with the information they have gained—this first campaign in the land of Canaan will fail, and the larger outcome may be complicated—or worse. Her reward is life for herself and those she loves, which tells us that even in a war story like this one, God can be merciful.
22 The spies climbed into the mountains, just as Rahab had advised them, and they stayed for three days. During that time Jericho’s soldiers combed the countryside and watched the road heading east looking for them. Finally they went back to the city. 23 So the two spies came down from their hiding place, crossed over the Jordan, and returned to Joshua (son of Nun), where they told him what had happened.
Spies: 24 There is no doubt that the Eternal One has delivered all the land and its citizens into our hands. Everyone there is scared to death about our coming.
Joshua 6:22-25 The Voice
Joshua (to the two spies): 22 Go back to the house of the prostitute, and bring her out with all of those who have hidden there so that you can keep your word.
23 So they set off through the destruction, found Rahab’s house, and brought her and all she had—father and mother, brothers and sisters, and all her relatives—out of the fallen city to a place outside the camp of Israel.
24 So Jericho was destroyed completely, burned to the ground except for the precious metals and iron and bronze vessels that were put into the treasury of the Eternal’s house. 25 But Joshua spared the life of Rahab the prostitute, all her family, and all she had because she was faithful to the spies he had sent, and she lived among the Israelites from that day on.
Rahab became an influencer for her household and was able to remove a stain of bad reputation into becoming part of the lineage of Christian Royalty. She literally created a different legacy for her family tree, legacy, and inheritance.
Matthew 1:2-6 The Message Version
2-6 Abraham had Isaac,
Isaac had Jacob,
Jacob had Judah and his brothers,
Judah had Perez and Zerah (the mother was Tamar),
Perez had Hezron,
Hezron had Aram,
Aram had Amminadab,
Amminadab had Nahshon,
Nahshon had Salmon,
Salmon had Boaz (his mother was Rahab),
Boaz had Obed (Ruth was the mother),
Obed had Jesse,
Jesse had David,
and David became king.
avid became king.
Jabez – Purposeful, heart wrenching prayer of fervency, yielded much reward and blessings. Jabez was an influencer for the ages who knew how to gain the attention of the one and only true God who would grant him the desire of his heart that transcends into contemporary times as one who can impact as an agent of change. He prayed and got the blessing from the Lord! He has now millions who are followers of his blueprint for faithful petitions that get results.
1 CHRONICLES 4 NLT
9There 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. 10He 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.
iBelieve
Jacob – When we don’t get weary in well-doing we reap a blessing if we faint not. Additionally, the pursuit of purpose is not without a cost and can result in discomfort/pain. It takes a unwavering commitment in our heart of hearts to not let go even when in the midst of the battle. IF we can just get through the night we can rejoice at the dawning of a new day where we realize the victory is ours!
Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.”
Genesis 32:22-31 The Voice Version
22 Later that same night, Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his 11 children; and he crossed the Jabbok River. 23 He sent them all ahead across the stream along with everything he had; 24 but Jacob stayed behind, left alone in his distress and doubt. In the twilight of his anguish, an unknown man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw he was not winning the battle with Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was thrown out of joint as he continued to wrestle with him.
Man: 26 Let me go; the dawn is breaking.
Jacob: I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Man: 27 What’s your name?
Jacob: Jacob.
Man: 28 You will no longer go by the name Jacob. From now on, your name will be Israel because you have wrestled with God and humanity, and you have prevailed.
Jacob: 29 Please, tell me your name.
Man: Why do you ask what my name is?
Right then and right there the man blessed Jacob. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel because as he said, “I have come face to face with God, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun began to rise as Jacob passed by Penuel, limping because of his dislocated hip.
Hezekiah – Prayer for increase in life with a promised sign
The entire chapter of 2 Kings 20 is worth meditating upon so God provides additional clarity and guidance for such a time as this.
2 Kings 20 The Message Version
20 Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz paid him a visit and said, “Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die—you haven’t long to live.”
2-3 Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced God, praying:
Remember, O God, who I am, what I’ve done!
I’ve lived an honest life before you,
My heart’s been true and steady,
I’ve lived to please you; lived for your approval.
And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.
4-6 Isaiah, leaving, was not halfway across the courtyard when the word of God stopped him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, prince of my people, ‘God’s word, Hezekiah! From the God of your ancestor David: I’ve listened to your prayer and I’ve observed your tears. I’m going to heal you. In three days you will walk on your own legs into The Temple of God. I’ve just added fifteen years to your life; I’m saving you from the king of Assyria, and I’m covering this city with my shield—for my sake and my servant David’s sake.’”
7 Isaiah then said, “Prepare a plaster of figs.”
They prepared the plaster, applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah was on his way to recovery.
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “How do I know whether this is of God and not just the fig plaster? What confirming sign is there that God is healing me and that in three days I’ll walk into The Temple of God on my own legs?”
9 “This will be your sign from God,” said Isaiah, “that God is doing what he said he’d do: Do you want the shadow to advance ten degrees on the sundial or go back ten degrees? You choose.”
10 Hezekiah said, “It would be easy to make the sun’s shadow advance ten degrees. Make it go back ten degrees.”
11 So Isaiah called out in prayer to God, and the shadow went back ten degrees on Ahaz’s sundial.
Ezekiel – Commissioned as a watchman and prophetic orator of God’s word to humanity
Ezekiel 33:7-11 New International Version
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of[b] them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
Every day we seek you Lord, to know you more so we can see your marvelous works. Let the actions of our lives be a constant prayer. We commit to pursue you with our whole heart. Daily feed our soul so we can get our hunger and thirst quenched.
A Prayer for Hard Days
YouTube Video
Some Previous Messages are showcased below from Miriam aka Essence of Myrrh to launch our pursuit of purpose and liberty.
One Word: Jesus and it is D.O.N.E.!
So, just like Jabez had to deal with the inconvenience of a name that meant Pain, I and I am sure we all at times have to deal with a painful situation in order to get the breakthrough into our purpose. My purpose for me, my household, my seed, my legacy, my destiny, my inheritance,…
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Let Us Pray! I Reckon it is TIME!
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Part 5: Abigail’s Story Seek God’s H.E.A.R.T. & don’t H.A.L.T. your blessings!
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Grateful for the Opportunities
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How Can? U.N.L.E.S.S.
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Part 4 Abigail’s Story: How to change the narrative of your story with only a few seconds?
Okay, here is the scenario: Your team is facing the end of their chances to keep hope alive for getting into the Super Bowl. Why? It is the 4th quarter, the opposing team is ahead by 3 points, and there are only 13 seconds left. TIME to change the channel and suck it up to…
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N.O.W. = New-Beginnings is Our Witness: Write the Vision
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Part 3 Abigail’s Story: She Understood the Assignment
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The Thankful Revolution’s Podcast
We are overcomers by the word of our testimoney. What we say aligns with What we do that reflects who we are and presents evidence!
by msstevenspr10 Jan 2022
From the PITTS to the Palace
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get up & cross over to the other side!
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Thinking…
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An early Monday Morning Prayer (Repost from 2010)
James 5:16-18 The Message 16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard…
by msstevenspr30 Jul 2021
This day let us Rejoice and Be Glad in it for all of the opportunities and challenges we face the word is out there that it is finished and it is a good result for us where we are blessed!
As we embrace this new project assignment the knowledge that God has everything in order according to His timing and season should bring comfort and continue to launchpad our faith into a firm foundation. Peace be unto you all!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
Lord it is in your hands so it is D.O.N.E. Thank You!
I ask the Lord God to create in me a new heart a changed heart so that I may not sin against Him. I really desire that I experience an awesome relationship with the Lord God in such a manner that His glory is revealed and we all can have a beautiful existence in this life and beyond.
Also, just to let you know, GOD LOVES YOU just the way you are and HE desires you to come to HIM just the way you are so that you can have life and that life more abundantly without shame, hindrance, or belittlement. He has made a way for liberation to be yours 24-7. How you may ask?
Well, let me offer you this information below:
John 14:6-7 The Message Version
6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”Is not it time to live free, be free, and thrive as a free person in 2023 & beyond?
John 14:6-7 The Voice Version
Jesus: 6 I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him.
I think being unshackled to live a better to the best life ever is the main objective for me. It has come with the revelation that life is always changing and I must change or “go with the flow” as well. Change is inevitable and should be welcomed. Sometimes to pursue purpose means to take a dare or risk on an unknown. Often that unknown creates an opportunity to be released into a greater realm of the living. A new journey and a new perspective. By refocusing on health and wellness, mental enhancement, and spiritual fortitude – I want to reach something different in my life where I can see freedom exuding from every pour of my existence. Freedom to flourish is my aim.
I think about how the first step of my personal freedom was an acceptance that with Christ as my redeemer I can do all things and be all things and overcome all things as He did.He who the Son sets free is free indeed!
John 8:34-38 The Message Version
34-38 Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn’t yet penetrated your thick skulls. I’m talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father.”
If you don’t know about Christ or why I subscribe to faith in Christ as my Lord and Savior then I will extend the offer for you to get to know Him for yourself. It is your choice. You will answer one way or the other for the choice you make here on earth – as we all will. So, the following information provides just a few suggestions, scriptures, and a prayer to help you move into a closer realm of understanding of what Christ is all about and can be about for you.
What is C.P.R. + N.O.W. mean to me and anyone who reviews this message?I think humanity is at a code blue status and is about to flatline into a death crisis if we do not pivot so, we need to have a recussitation stat or we will cease to exists!
C.P.R. -> Crisis Pivot Rebirth
(N.O.W. = New-Beginnings is our Witness)
Subscribe to The Thankful Revolution The Thankful Revolution – N.O.W. equals New-Beginnings is Our Witness!
Isn’t it time for you, me, all of us to live our best lives! Let’s shift it into gear for next-level living where we are actually obtaining the “hoped for good” in our lives. Time for us to achieve the bucket list of goals we once thought were so far off and removed from our grasps. We can and will do this one step at a time, one dream realized at a time, one conversation at a time can spark the fire needed to fuel our promise fulfillment! Amen INDEED!
Let the conversations ensue and the shifting manifest into a tangible reality for our next-level transformation into what we were born to do – live life and that life MORE Abundant here on earth as it is in heaven.
John 10:10 King James Version
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The Thankful Revolution rejoices with you and looks forward to continuing to encourage, edify, educate, and inspire as we traverse along our life’s pathway and choices. Enjoy the journey! Shalom to all!
Continue to stay tuned for more on the meaning of LIFE as we explore Biblical Truths one word at a time, one scripture at a time, one moment in time, …let’s eat that daily bread! Selah, Shalom, Amen Indeed Miriam a.k.a. Essence of Myrrh Proverbs 3:5-8 (TIME for a next-level New-Beginning)! We would be honored if you do Subscribe, Bookmark, Save, Share, Comment, Like, and Enjoy how N.O.W. = New-Beginnings is our Witness can be yours today through one daily Myrrhism Word/Message at a time.
Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighted in his way.”
Check out Our Blog: https://thethankfulrevolution.com/blog/
P.S. Remember, to help us navigate through this life and enjoy a new life that one being eternal with God our Father; we have to make a decision N.O.W. = New Beginnings is our Witness. Below provides a prayer that you can ask the Lord to become your Redeemer, Healer, Savior, your everything to help you on your personal life’s journey – even though it may be bitter sometimes with God He always sweetens your steps. Love you always! Miriam aka Essence of Myrrh Proverbs 3:5-8.
HERE I AM LORD, HELP ME TO CHANGE INTO THE PERSON YOU BIRTHED ME INTO EXISTENCE TO BECOME. ALLOW MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE (OUTLOOK AND THOUGHTS) BECOME NEW. LET ME KNOW IN MY HEART THAT YOU ARE GOD AND IF I TRULY TRUST YOU THEN I CAN BE LIBERATED – BASICALLY SET FREE TO LIVE A LIFE HERE ON EARTH LIKE YOU DESIRE ME TO EXIST FOR AN ETERNITY WITH YOU IN HEAVEN. HELP ME TO VIEW YOU CLEARLY WITH A STEADFAST FOCUS! I ASK THAT ANY OBSTACLE THAT HAS HINDERED ME BEFORE OR IN MY FUTURE BE REMOVED SO THAT I CAN OBTAIN THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE FOR ME TO LIVE IN PEACE, LOVE, STRENGTH, POWER, AND FEARLESSLY. THANK YOU FOR EQUIPPING ME WITH ALL THAT I NEED (HOLY SPIRIT AND JESUS AS MY SAVIOR) TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE THIS LIFE’S JOURNEY. I AM GRATEFUL, HUMBLED, AND WILLING TO BE YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANT. I AM HERE AND ASK FOR YOUR HELP EVERY SINGLE DAY. THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME AND PROVIDING ALL THAT I HAVE NEED FOR ACCORDING TO YOUR RICHES IN HEAVEN. AMEN (SO BE IT)!
Additional information on How to know Christ is found by clicking this link.
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January 13, 2023
He’s Faithful
Suzanne Eller
Today’s Truth
The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).
Friend to Friend
God whispered that call to growth over your heart and you were ready, right then. Growth in your faith. Growth in your understanding. Growth in confidence. Growth in a relationship.
Then that thing happened.
A pandemic.
An illness.
An unexpected loss.
A struggle.
So, you asked, “Lord, did I really hear you? How can I grow when things are so hard?”
In today’s verse, Paul is speaking to a church who longs to give everything to Jesus. They are growing, but it feels challenging. They are in a culture that doesn’t appreciate their faith. They are trying to “unlearn” what they’ve always believed to be true. They are in the heart of persecution. Yet Paul assures them that God is faithful. God would be the instrument of their spiritual growth, regardless of the difficulties they experienced along the way. His advice is simple and straightforward:
“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV)
When we sense God asking us to go deeper in our faith, we may believe it should feel easy. The truth is it might feel overwhelming. Consider all those in scripture who heard an invitation to grow in their faith and trust, and then, bam! They experienced loss, were thrown into a pit, placed in jail unjustly, judged, dismissed, or thrust into a wilderness.
God was faithful to show up, but also to help them grow up in all of it.
Those obstacles weren’t just detours or delays but a potential development in their spiritual growth. They learned of God’s faithfulness firsthand. They discovered that His promises were true. They were stretched spiritually as they placed their faith in Him, rather than in their circumstances. They gained depth in their faith that would carry them all their days as believers. That invitation to spiritual growth is for you and me, even as we experience delays and detours and hard places.
So, how do we lean into God’s faithfulness when it feels like we are in a delay or detour?
1. Remind ourselves of God’s invitation
That invitation is real. God longs for us to know Him. He longs for us to know the power and presence of faith. Spiritual growth is not a one-time, one-and-done adventure. It’s a lifetime of walking with God. That invitation began on day one when we said “yes” to Him, and it continues throughout our lifetime.
2. Remind ourselves that this is a partnership
We have the capability to grow on our own, but the good news is we don’t have to. We can call on God in every part of our faith life: in our relationships, in our workplace, with our children, our friends, in our ministry, and in our day-to-day ordinary lives. Ask Him to show you, to teach you, to walk with you. As you do, He expedites the growth process because He sees what you may not.
God is faithful.
That’s His promise.
“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).
These are words we can hold onto, whether we are in a detour or a delay or in the sweetest season of our lives. We are being developed into faith warriors, right where we are.
Let’s Pray
God, You are faithful. You are faithful in the delays. You are faithful in the detours. You are faithful as I read these words today, and when I wake up tomorrow. Thank You for growing my faith. Thank You for increasing my understanding. I lean into You today and thank You for being present and powerful in every part of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
In what ways do you long to grow in your faith? Ask God to meet you, right where you are today. Share your thoughts with Him. Open your heart to what He longs to show you today and every day.
More from the Girlfriends
If you are in a delay or detour, it might be difficult to know what to say to God. Suzie’s brand new book, Prayer Starters: Talking with God About Hard Times is not a book about prayer, but a book to help you connect with God through prayer in whatever season you find yourself.
You can also download some fun Prayer Starters freebies on Suzie’s website.
© 2023 by Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | PRAYER AND PRAISE
- January 14, 2023 | Matthew 6:9–10
- To listen to this message click here at this link.
If your church offered a free class in prayer taught by Jesus Himself, would you enroll? What if I told you there was already such a class? It is found in Matthew 6 where Jesus teaches His disciples a model prayer often called “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.MATTHEW 6:9
In Matthew 6:5, Jesus has just described hypocrites who pray to be seen by others, thinking mostly about themselves. Here, He urged His disciples to begin their prayer by focusing on God. We should approach God as our loving heavenly Father (v. 9). When we address God in this way, we remind ourselves that prayer is a relational act. It is a conversation rather than a transaction. When we speak to Him as our Father in heaven, we are not stressing distance but power. Heaven is the domain of God where His will is done (v. 10).
When Jesus calls God our Father in heaven. God is exalted above all. Scripture often refers to God as the one who “looks down” from heaven to judge and to act (Ps. 14:2; 33:13; 53:2). Recognizing God’s stature shapes our prayers. Ecclesiastes 5:2 cautions us not to make rash promises to this exalted God: “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” At the same time, Jesus urges us to address God as our heavenly Father; because of this relationship, we can draw near with confidence.
We are to begin praying with a focus on God. According to Jesus, our first concern should be to praise and honor God.
>> Do you have the assurance that comes by knowing God as your heavenly Father? The only way you can know God as your Father is through faith in Jesus Christ. According to John 1:12, to all who have believed in Him, “he gave the right to become children of God.”
Pray with Us
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9–10). May Your will come into our hearts, changing our motives and desires to mirror Yours.
BY DR. JOHN KOESSLER
John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL | THE POTENTIAL OF PRAYER
- January 16, 2023 | Matthew 21:18–22
During some television commercials, you will see text scroll across the bottom of the screen in very tiny letters. If you read the text, which is often nearly impossible, you will find that it contains a legal disclaimer. Usually, it is a warning that the promised result may not happen for everyone.
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.MATTHEW 21:22
Sometimes our teaching about the promise Jesus makes regarding prayer sounds similar. Because we don’t want people to take it the wrong way, we include so many cautions and disclaimers that we blunt the basic and most important point. God answers prayer.
Consider the context of this promise. Jesus made it after the disciples marveled at the miraculous withering of a fig tree by the road (v. 19). Performing this type of miracle seems out of character for Jesus. However, rather than being an act of spite, this was a symbolic act much like those of the Old Testament prophets. “Jesus, fresh from his confrontation with the chief priests and scribes, curses the fig tree, declaring that no fruit would ever come from it again,” theologian Stanley Hauerwas explains. “The tree withered, just as the scribes and chief priests had withered the temple.”
Jesus’ disciples were so astonished by the nature of the miracle that they missed the symbolism. Jesus was making a point about faith (v. 20). Jesus assured them that the same power was available to them if they believed (v. 22). God’s answers to our prayer are subject to His will and good purpose for us (1 John 5:14). If God refused Jesus’ request in the Garden of Gethsemane, we should not be surprised to find that He sometimes says no to us (Luke 22:42).
>> Prayer is not a blank check, and God is not a vending machine. God is not at our beck and call. Yet prayer is far more powerful than we think. It is the power of God that is the true measure of prayer’s full potential.
Pray with Us
God, what You destroy cannot be restored; what You establish cannot be erased. You restrain the forces of nature or make them do Your bidding. The hearts of earthly authorities are Yours to direct. All power belongs to You.
BY DR. JOHN KOESSLER
John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.
| How to Pray Friday, January 13 | Matthew 6:1–8On the Go? Listen to Today’s Devotional |
| As a child, many of us were taught to kneel beside our bed to pray. But we can also pray while standing, walking, running, or even lying down. It is not the position we are in when we pray that matters; what is most important is the attitude of the heart.In today’s passage, Jesus describes the proper heart posture, not just for prayer but for all our righteous acts. Jesus warns, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:1). The fault Jesus highlights is one of motivation. The problem is not that people see us but that we do these things “to be seen by them.” Instead of being an act of worship or a form of communication, this kind of prayer turns into a public performance.As a negative example, Jesus pointed to the practice of those who stood in prominent places such as street corners or the synagogues. This is a reference to the practice of some of the Pharisees, whom commentator Rodney Reeves calls “the fashion models of righteousness.” As a second negative example, Jesus mentioned the pagans “who keep on babbling” in the hope that they could bowl God over with their long prayers (v. 7).The solution Jesus offers is to avoid putting our righteous practice on display. Instead of seeking the spotlight, Jesus urged His listeners to “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (v. 6). Rather than attempting to manipulate God with your words, open your heart and simply ask God for what you need.>> Your prayer does not have to be a work of art or a formal speech. It does not even need to be very long. You are not putting on a performance for God’s benefit or for anyone else. When you pray, simply say what is on your heart, and God will hear. |
| Pray with UsTeach us how to pray about our specific needs. Teach us the correct posture for approaching You with our fears, thanks, and confessions. You are gracious, attentive, just, and loving. |
Keep on Asking – The Crosswalk Devotional – January 13
Keep on Asking.
By Meg Bucher
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT
Distraught by the emergencies rattling my mind, a piece of truth broke through my panic. When life is caving in, and we stand falsely accused, abused, and reeling from misunderstanding … we wield a powerful weapon …the power of God.
“Pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in you.”
The power of God alone can mend a broken heart, a messed up mind, or a hurting soul. Powerful prayer gets shoved under the proverbial rug of our scramble to be someone we know we can never be for the people in our lives. In the midst of our messes, we often forgot their brokenness is not ours to piece back together. We all have to find Jesus for ourselves, and none of us can substitute for Him.
Today’s verses from the Gospel of Matthew remind us of the power of our efforts to call on the Name above all Names and the ability our faith in God has to move life’s mountains.
The Effort to Ask
“You parents- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! – Matthew 7:9-10 NLT
Today’s verse repeats the phrase, “Keep on …” Prayer is a continual effort, not a one and done wish list. Paul reminded the early church to pray continuously, be grateful and joyful always. We have a power in us through the Holy Spirit to sustain a constant connection to God in prayer. The Spirit intercedes for us, taking our words and untranslatable cries to the feet of God. God not only hears our prayers, but He has begun answering on our behalf before we are done petitioning Him. Author of our lives, He knows what we need before we ask, and sometimes in spite of what we think we need to pray for. His faithfulness is never-ending, the depths of His love for us unreachable.
Matthew records Jesus’ wisdom to keep on …never give up hope, and always be in prayer with God. He is our good Father. He isn’t going to give us a snake when we ask for a fish, as the previous verse implies. He sent Jesus out of His love for us in order to make a way for us. Our Father in heaven has a good plan for our lives.
The Willingness to Receive
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” – Matthew 7:11 NLT
Everyone is also repeated in today’s key verses: Everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be open. Everyone. Jesus was sent to earth for everyone. God loves everyone. He has no favorites. Each person on this earth was created and crafted by Him, with a specific purpose and a good plan for their lives.
If only everyone saw everyone for who they actually are, through the eyes of God and the lens of Love. Valued, cherished and hopefully headed home to the Father in heaven for eternity. Our humanity begs us to compare and contrast our lives, but all jealousy and selfishness do is blind us from the beauty of the human landscape. Amidst the great suffering is great joy. Though the world is fading away, hope has already won. Our willingness to receive Christ Jesus, not only at salvation but each day of our lives, changes the way we live.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 NLT
The Golden Rule follows on the heels of today’s verses in the Gospel of Matthew. It’s easy to treat the easy people in our lives this way. But others means everyone. Do to everyone what you would like them to do to you. This includes ourselves. Do to you as you would like others to do to you. Realize the unique, remarkable creation each of us are to our Father in heaven. We are each, and everyone loved, purposed, and welcomed into the Kingdom of God. The effort we make in asking …knocking …and seeking …unlocks the full life Jesus died so we would live. Our willingness to receive Him, fully submitting our lives into His hands, pulls the rug out from the enemy- who is here to kill and destroy us. Keep on asking. Live to the full.
Click to Listen to this message here.
For Further Reading:
Additional Resources:
- NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Personal Size
- Book·2020·Tyndale, Tyndale (page 1206)
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ as a freelance writer, blogger at Sunny&80, and author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” and “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” and “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ.” She earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University, but stepped out of the business world to stay at home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her passion to write. Always active in her community and local church, Meg also leads Bible study for women and teen girls.
A Daily Prayer
The daily prayer from Daily Encouragement Net
- ABOUT This is the prayer that is prepared each weekday for the daily encouragement devotional.
“A Prayer For Holding On”
January 16, 2023
Father, in this ever-changing society where transition beckons us daily, You are the Changeless One. As we hold tightly to the hope we profess we will not be swayed to the right nor to the left. And we hold to this hope because You are faithful to Your Word and Your divine character. Though the heavens are silent at times and the world continues to slide into decadence and intolerance toward true Christians we remain faithful. We will hold on a little while longer and shine as lights in this dark world so that we can influence as many as possible. As we hold unswervingly to the hope we profess we will not give up due to weariness, weakness, or a wayward heart, for Your unchanging truth makes the triumph sure. We joyfully have enlisted as a soldier in Your Christian army and choose to be led by Your grace divine. Amen.
“A Prayer Concerning God’s Goodness”
January 13, 2023
Loving Father, we thrive on Your gracious and compassionate ways, your slowness to anger and Your abounding love. You satisfy our desires with good things and do not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. Knowing and experiencing Your goodness in our daily lives helps us to trust in You during those mysterious happenings in our lives when it would seem You’ve forgotten us. But we are reminded in Scripture that all things work together for good to those who love You, for You use the good and the bad, for Your glory and for our good. We give thanks to You, our Father, for You are good and Your love endures forever. Amen.
Learn more by clicking on this link.
Prayer and Listening Learn about the disciplines of prayer and practicing God’s presence in your daily prayer life
| Parenting Bible Studies for your growth | View online |
Exploring the Psalms: Getting to Know God and Ourselves A six-session video Bible study featuring the teaching and music of Sandra McCracken.
| HOMETOP STUDIES ARTICLES Friday, January 13, 2023 |
| James: Faith That WorksThis nine-session study examines themes like faith and works, facing temptation, obeying God, treatment of the poor, taming the tongue, godly wisdom, and true religion. |
| Study & MeditationBible study and meditation are both important avenues of listening to God and being changed by his Word. Explore both approaches in this 6-session resource. |
| Fruit of the SpiritLook deeply at the fruit of the Spirit by studying biblical passages that exemplify each virtue. |
| Becoming a Balanced WomanPractical, biblical perspectives on self-worth, stress, confidence, and contentment. |
| .Custom-Fit DiscipleshipThere’s no one-size-fits-all plan for evangelism or discipleship. |
A Prayer to Praise God – Your Daily Prayer – January 12
A Prayer of Praise for Who God Is
By Heidi Vegh
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD”. – Psalm 160:6
As readers of the Bible, we often get caught in the mindset of reading the Bible to find ourselves. It is true that the Bible is full of the ways that God loves us, the beautiful ways that God created us, and how He longs to be invited into our lives. These are beautiful truths; however, if we are only trying to find ourselves in the Word and striving only to apply it to our lives, we are missing the biggest part of Scripture – Who God is.
When we read the Bible instead to find God, our eyes open to a whole new way of finding out who He is, why He did what He did, and why he does what He does. When we understand who God is and why He loves and cares for us so much, it gives it much more depth and penetrates our hearts at a deeper level. Not just “God help ME,” but “God, be who you ARE; that will help me.”
We often go looking in the Bible for ways that God can help us; that is what it is there for, YES. But there is so much more to it when we really seek it out. I often find myself flipping through the Psalms. This is my favorite book in the Bible as it is filled with prayers from people, real hurting and confused people seeking guidance and truth from God. We find prayers of praise, lament, and oftentimes confusion and anger about what is going on in the writer’s life.
We find that over one-third of the prayers in Psalms are of lament or mourning. The writer is hurting and looking to God for comfort. But on the flip side, we find that in the entirety of the Bible, we see the phrase Praise God an astounding 6,892 times! God is worthy of our praise! The list of things that we suffer from seems endless. But let us remember that God IS endless. His capacity to care for us and love us is something we cannot comprehend.
Paul says in Ephesians 3:18, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” When we list out our grievances to the Lord, we can rest assured that God’s character will have the perfect antidote for our suffering.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord,
We live in a fallen world full of suffering. We hear of tragedies taking place all over the world. We know there are people struggling to survive in indescribable hardship. I don’t understand why you allow for so much destruction, but I do trust that you are bigger than anything anyone will ever face in this world. Thank you, Jesus, that we have the hope of perfection in heaven and that this world is not all there is.
Thank you, Lord, that for everything we suffer through in this life that you have a perfect attribute to cure us with simply being who you are.
When I am weak, you are STRONG (2 Cor 12:10)
When my soul is hungry, you feed me. (Matthew 4:4)
When I am thirsty, you give me something to drink. (1 Cor 10:3-4)
When I turn from you, you remain FAITHFUL (2 Tim 2:13)
When I sin, you are GOOD (Psalm 34:8)
When I am worthy of punishment, you are MERCIFUL (Titus 3:5)
When I am at the end of myself, you are OMNIPOTENT and INFINITE (Matthew 19:26) (Romans 11:33)
When I am undeserving, you are GRACIOUS (Psalm 145:8)
When I am hurting, you are my COMFORTER (Matthew 5:4)
When I am confused, you are my SOURCE OF TRUTH (John 3:33)
I praise you, Lord, for all your perfect attributes. You call me your child and beckon me to behold your glory. Help me to focus on who you ARE when I struggle. Help me to see you move in my circumstances even when I don’t understand but help me to trust you because you are SOVEREIGN (Col 1:17) over all things.
Thank you, Lord, for your love for me, even when I fall short. There is nothing I can do to change that. Help me to live in these truths and remember to call on your name, praising who you are when I forget or when the world distracts me with lies. I know that you are with me; you promise in your Word.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8
Thank you, Jesus, Amen
A Prayer for Purposed Passion – Your Daily Prayer – January 19
A Prayer for Purposed Passion
By Emily Rose Massey
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV).
What excites you and drives your passion? Being made in the image of God means that we all have passion. The important question we must ask ourselves is: is my passion directed inward or does it fuel me to pursue Christ and His purposes? Our drive and passion for the Lord and His Kingdom are related to our devotion to Him and reveal our purpose of knowing Christ and serving Christ. Most of all, reading and studying the scriptures should fuel our passion because it sets our eyes upon the Lord and helps us take our eyes off of ourselves.
What motivates your drive toward Christ? For the Apostle Paul, it was the prize of the upward call of God:
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV).
We can remind our hearts that if we are born again, Christ purchased our life for a purpose and has made us His own. He did this so that we would bear fruit for His glory. Christ reached down and rescued me, so I should always be reaching for Christ. We press on to make knowing Christ relationally and serving Him faithfully, and we must press on even more when we feel weak. We can look to Christ and ask for strength to keep going, and He will be faithful to give us His abundant grace. We shouldn’t be entangled by our past sins, sorrows, or even successes, as those things will distract us and hold us back from pressing on in our race to pursue Christ and His purpose.
May the Lord give us zeal and an increased pace, and an increased engagement in Kingdom pursuits as we press toward the prize. Ultimately, Christlikeness is our prize. Let us seek the Lord and ask Him to increase our passion to become more like Him!
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord,
I am reaching to the upward call, longing to become more Christ-like in my pursuits and in the fruit of my life. Help me to see what may be hindering me from being conformed to the image of You. I do not want to resist the call of taking up my cross and following You. My flesh is weak, but I know that I can find strength and grace in You to keep pressing forward, straining for the prize. Will you please ignite a zeal in my soul for You and Your Kingdom? In my striving and running, I trust that You choose my pace as I move forward, linking arms with other believers. You empower me with Your Spirit, and I know You are faithful to complete the work You have started in me. In Your name, I pray, amen.
Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written Word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com
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The Thankful Revolution 
Numbers 22:21-40
The Message
21-23 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went off with the noblemen from Moab. As he was going, though, God’s anger flared. The angel of God stood in the road to block his way. Balaam was riding his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. When the donkey saw the angel blocking the road and brandishing a sword, she veered off the road into the ditch. Balaam beat the donkey and got her back on the road.
24-25 But as they were going through a vineyard, with a fence on either side, the donkey again saw God’s angel blocking the way and veered into the fence, crushing Balaam’s foot against the fence. Balaam hit her again.
26-27 God’s angel blocked the way yet again—a very narrow passage this time; there was no getting through on the right or left. Seeing the angel, Balaam’s donkey sat down under him. Balaam lost his temper; he beat the donkey with his stick.
28 Then God gave speech to the donkey. She said to Balaam: “What have I ever done to you that you have beat me these three times?”
29 Balaam said, “Because you’ve been playing games with me! If I had a sword I would have killed you by now.”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your trusty donkey on whom you’ve ridden for years right up until now? Have I ever done anything like this to you before? Have I?”
He said, “No.”
31 Then God helped Balaam see what was going on: He saw God’s angel blocking the way, brandishing a sword. Balaam fell to the ground, his face in the dirt.
32-33 God’s angel said to him: “Why have you beaten your poor donkey these three times? I have come here to block your way because you’re getting way ahead of yourself. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she hadn’t, I would have killed you by this time, but not the donkey. I would have let her off.”
34 Balaam said to God’s angel, “I have sinned. I had no idea you were standing in the road blocking my way. If you don’t like what I’m doing, I’ll head back.”
35 But God’s angel said to Balaam, “Go ahead and go with them. But only say what I tell you to say—absolutely no other word.”
And so Balaam continued to go with Balak’s nobles.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him in the Moabite town that was on the banks of the Arnon, right on the boundary of his land.
37 Balak said to Balaam, “Didn’t I send an urgent message for help? Why didn’t you come when I called? Do you think I can’t pay you enough?”
38 Balaam said to Balak, “Well, I’m here now. But I can’t tell you just anything. I can speak only words that God gives me—no others.”
39-40 Balaam then accompanied Balak to Kiriath Huzoth (Street-Town). Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep for sacrifices and presented them to Balaam and the nobles who were with him.
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