Isaiah 59:21

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children’s children, from now on and forever.” says the LORD.

God gave this promise for repenting Israel, which also pertains to those of us who are in Christ Jesus. God promised His Spirit and His words to all Israel so that all would become His prophets. We exercise power when we speak His words through the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

God has given us His Holy Spirit. He has also given us His written Word. When we pray His word, His Holy Spirit comes into agreement with it, providing two witnesses before the Father. Praying the words He has already spoken assures us we are praying according to His will, and when we pray according to His will, we know He hears us.

Isaiah 55:11 proclaims: “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I sent it to do.” If you are facing a problem today, find out what God’s word has to say about your problem, and stand on His promise. Let His Spirit come into agreement with the written word, and speak it back to God in prayer. Make His word greater than the lie of the enemy, and exercise your faith. Now is the time to start believing God’s word and walking in victory.

Have a blessed day!

1 John 5:3-5

For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Our faith is what conquers the world. For this reason, the Devil is out to destroy our faith. He does so with disappointment, discouragement, doubt, and depression. If he can cause you to doubt the goodness of God or your standing with Him, he can damage your faith.

Regardless of where you may have failed or how much your expectations have been dashed, Jesus Christ is still the Son of God, and you are still the righteousness of Christ before the Father. Dare to go before Him with boldness to ask anything in your time of need with full assurance that He will act on your behalf and work all things together for your good. Bad things may have happened, but God is still good, and He still works good for His people. He is still on the throne, and you are still His.

Stand firm in your faith today, and proclaim any Scripture that gives you a promise for your situation. God has promised that His word will not return to Him void but will accomplish all He sent it forth to do. Believe His word over the threats the enemy shouts at you. The Devil is a liar! God is faithful, and He will be faithful to you. Your faith will give you the victory to overcome the world.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

This Davidic Psalm reflects dependence upon the LORD for the longing of our heart. David experienced isolation and knew the value of having God as his only friend. He learned to commune with God and to pour out the longings of his heart to Him. In the process, God made David a man after His own heart.

We will seek comfort from some source. Seeking comfort in the wrong things will lead to addiction, overeating, overspending, and indulgence in things that do not ultimately satisfy. As a result, our health will suffer, our finances will suffer, and our relationships will suffer. Delighting in – seeking comfort from – God will satisfy our deepest longings. When He becomes our heart’s desire, He will give us the fulfillment we so desperately need.

The Hebrew word for “delight” is anag, which means “to be soft or pliable; effeminate or luxurious, delicate.” Perhaps, the best description is to seek affection. If we will seek affection in God, He will give us the desires of our heart. The relationship we were designed to have with Him is, indeed, an intimate one.

Where do you seek comfort? Where are you hurting for affection? Where has the Devil robbed you by tempting you with a comfort that does not satisfy? Turn from any false comfort, and take delight in the LORD. Let your isolation be a time when you seek His presence and bask in His love. Only He can satisfy the hurt and the craving within you. He will, in turn, give you the very desires of your heart.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 45:15

Yes, You are a God who hides Himself, God of Israel, Savior.

Sometimes I just want to hide, too. When I turn on the evening news, I rarely watch very much before I find myself turning the channel simply because things seem so out of control and unbearable to watch. I feel helpless and overwhelmed, looking for hope. The only hope I find is in looking to our God, who hides Himself from a world that has rejected Him.

We can either take things into our own hands or seek God, who holds the whole world in His hands. Just because He hides Himself doesn’t mean He isn’t in control and is not actively working in our lives. He just doesn’t always let us know what He is doing. We are told to seek Him. Those who seek Him find Him, and by seeking Him first, all other things will be added to us.

Obviously, the world has its own way of doing things, and the chaos we see every day proves that no one knows what they are doing. If there is a God – and we know there is – should we not diligently seek Him to find our way through this mess? Yes, He hides Himself, but He has provided a way for us to find Him. That way – the only way to find God – is Jesus, His Son.

Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross. His sacrifice made a way for us to be free from the guilt of sin once and for all. His resurrection was proof that God accepted His sacrifice and gives power to those who believe to overcome the bondage of sin. His sacrifice tore the veil that separated us from the Father, and through Jesus, we now can enter the throne room of God as His beloved child to present our need before Him.

For whatever challenge you face today, Jesus is the answer. Seek Him. Whatever question you have is found in Him. Seek Him. Whatever need lies before you has its provision in Jesus. Seek Him. He intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father and presents us to Him as the righteous. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and He is only a prayer away.

Have a blessed day!

2 Chronicles 20:17

You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.

In several Scriptures throughout the Old Testament, we find the assurance that God fights for us. Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 3:22, and Deuteronomy 20:4 all attest to the fact that God is with us in battle, and He fights for us to give us victory. While God most certainly fights for us, we do have a responsibility to play in spiritual warfare. We need to carefully heed the instructions of 2 Chronicles 20:17 to position ourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.

God cannot give us victory if we don’t show up for battle. If we are going to position ourselves, we need to be where we are supposed to be, doing what we are instructed or gifted to do, and standing in our rightful place to see the salvation of the LORD. Just showing up is half the battle; God does the rest.

Position yourself for battle today. Simply be where you are supposed to be. Do the thing God has called you to do, and trust Him to clear your path of any obstacles that stand in your way. Trust Him to make a way where there seems to be no way, and rely upon Him to handle anyone or anything that opposes you. Your God fights for you, and you will see the salvation of the LORD!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 106:13-15

They soon forgot His works and would not wait for His counsel. They were seized with craving in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. He gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.

When God doesn’t answer our prayers, we often find we can thank Him later. If He gave us what we asked, it could unsuspectingly bring us harm. While it may seem as if He is being harsh or even unfair, we must always remember that He is a good, good Father who gives good gifts to His children, and He withholds no good thing from us. If He is withholding it, then chances are that it would harm us in some way if He gave it to us immediately.

Waiting for His counsel is wisdom. Only He can see the end from the beginning and everything in between. He has already gone before us, and waiting upon Him clears our path. Learning to submit our cravings to Him while in the wilderness or unchartered territory of our destinations builds strength of character and the ability to endure until the promises of God are revealed at their appointed time.

Take time to thank God for unanswered prayer today. Getting what we want is not always in our best interest. Ask for His counsel, and wait patiently until you receive it. Rest in His unfailing love for you, and remember how He has been faithful in the past. The same God who did not fail you then will not fail you now.

Have a blessed day!

Joel 2:18-19

Then the LORD became jealous for His land and spared His people. The LORD answered His people:Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and olive oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.

God sent plagues of locusts to devour the land of Israel, but He promised to restore them if they would simply return to Him. Upon repentance, He became jealous for His land – His people. He would quickly bless them with abundance in all the areas where the locusts had destroyed their land. No longer would they be a disgrace to the nations who surrounded them.

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives. When we succumb to his temptations, we give up precious land that God has promised to us. Locusts are small creatures that may appear harmless, albeit annoying, at first. Rather than wishing them away, they often swarm in multitudes that become too many to fight at once. Before we know it, a swarm can easily devour precious land in only moments that we have spent years cultivating. Repentance drives away these devouring locusts and draws us back into right relationship with God, who can bless away the devastating effects of the locusts.

We must never forget that God controls the locusts, as well as the bounty of our crops. Victory is ours over the enemy when we simply turn to God and let go of the annoying habits that hold us back – those undisciplined areas that create idols of comfort for us. We serve a jealous God who is also jealous for us and will restore us so that His name will be glorified among those who don’t believe.

May 2025 be a year when we submit all undisciplined areas to God and repent for anything that stands in the way of our relationship with Him. May we experience His mercy and find Him jealously restoring us with blessings only He can provide. May we draw closer to Him, hear from Him more clearly, and obey Him quickly.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.

We work ourselves to death trying to accomplish things or prove things that have no meaning. We try to protect ourselves from things that really pose us no threat, and while we are distracted, the enemy takes advantage and attacks us in the area where God is trying to bless. Solomon recognized these things and recorded the wisdom he saw from it all. Unless God is in it, our work is in vain.

Moses recognized this, too. While God became frustrated with the children of Israel, He told Moses to take them into the Promised Land, but He would not go with them. Since He had promised to bless them, they could have the land, but they would not have Him. Moses, however, would not go unless God’s presence went with him. He knew that there would be no difference between the children of Israel and the rest of the world if he did, and he knew the value of being distinguished as a child of God. Instead of taking the children of Israel to the Promised Land, he asked God to show him His glory.

The key to truly being blessed is to watch to see where God is working, and jump on board with His plan. If God isn’t in it, what we build on our own is not worth having. Anything of true value with have God’s presence in it. Too often we devise our own plans and ask God to jump on board and bless our plan. He’s not interested in building our kingdom; He has called us to build His kingdom.

Seek the glory of God today. Ask Him to show you where He is working in your life, and put your efforts into those places. Stop worrying about what is not working or what doors are not opening for you. Engage where you sense His presence. He has promised to never leave us, and He is working in us. We want to be a part of what He is building because that labor is worth it.

Have a blessed day!

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think – according to the power that works in you –

When I’ve heard messages preached on this verse and even when I’ve studied it on my own, the emphasis is usually on “Him who is able to do above and beyond…” While I certainly agree that God is able to do much more than we can imagine, the second part of this verse is key to activating the first. The power that works in us must first be working, or God won’t do anything. Just what does, “according to the power that works in you,” mean for us?

Philippians 2:12 instructs us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We have to work out what God has placed in us. Knowing His word does us no good if we don’t put it into practice. As James tells us, “Faith without works is dead.” At some point, we must begin to walk forth in faith and do what His word says in order for His power to be at work in us. As we do what His word says, we will see God’s power working above and beyond what we ask or think as His will is revealed in our life.

Ask God to show you how to walk forth in faith with the truth He is showing you today. As you do, His power will begin to work in you. Don’t let His power go stagnate in your life any longer. Take a step of faith, and be amazed at where it takes you.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 2:19-20

After Herod died, and angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

God sent Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus away for a season. Their mission and purpose would not be accomplished in Egypt because Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. Egypt was simply a temporary detour designed to protect Jesus from the enemy’s trap and fury.

We must be careful never to mistake God’s detours for the destiny. I’m sure Egypt looked nothing like their plans or their thoughts for a future. Away from family and friends, they must certainly have questioned their future and whether or not they would ever see their homeland again. They simply heard from God and obeyed, and their actions protected Jesus from harm. If God sends us into a detour, we can be certain that He has a good reason, and we would be wise to submit. We should never give up hope just because the detour looks nothing like the destiny we were promised. God is still working His plan in us.

Another trap we must avoid is becoming comfortable in our detour. While Egypt was a safe place, they would have to travel back into Herod’s territory, where his sons would take over the country. The trip back to Israel was certainly risky, but if God told them to go, He would prepare the way for them. You will never find success in your detour; you must be willing to make the necessary changes and move into your destiny.

If you find yourself in a detour, keep your faith. God will bring you out at just the right time. If God is opening doors and moving you from a detour, be willing to take the risks. Just don’t mistake the detour for the destiny. Follow whatever direction God gives you, knowing He is working it all out for your benefit and His glory. Let Him handle your true enemy, and live in the full protection and direction of His calling for you. He is up to something big, and you can count on it!

Have a blessed day!