fbpx

Tag: observe

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Luke 2:30. Blessing or Missed Opportunity?

March 22 Luke 2 30 NKJV

The Bible tells us that Simeon was a just and devout man, filled with the Holy Spirit who revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Christ, the promised Savior of the World. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord as commanded in the Law God gave to Moses, the Holy Spirit guided Simeon to be at the right place – the temple –  at the right time – the moment that Mary and Joseph brought the baby to the temple. The Holy Spirit showed him that the infant Jesus was the Christ and Simeon held the baby in His arms and blessed God saying, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”

What if when the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple, Simeon said, “you know Holy Spirit, today’s not a good day. You know I’m old and my arthritis is acting up and my knees are hurting. I think I’ll just stay home today.” Simeon would have missed the opportunity to meet the Savior of the World. Instead, he obeyed the Holy Spirit and he was able to hold the Creator of the World, God’s only Son, in his arms.

March 22 cttWhat keeps you from obeying those quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit? Do you obey and receive the blessing or do you find an excuse and miss the opportunity?

God, help us to recognize the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit and help us to be obedient to whatever you want us to do – not just to receive a blessing – but to honor you so that you are glorified in our lives. 

click to tweet daily Bible reading

#obeyorexcuse #blessingormissedopportunity

spring divider 2

revive renew redeem

news and events

Don’t forget to learn this week’s memory verse:

Memorize and hide in your heart one memory verse each week in 2020. If you didn’t start the challenge at the beginning of the year, just jump in now and be sure to sign up to get our weekly Memory verse in your email so you don’t miss a week.

memory verse logoIn 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.

 

Our key verse for revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.  For the past few  weeks, we have been focusing on repentance. This week, we look at the spiritual transformation that takes place when we surrender our heart to God.

This week’s memory verse:

Exodus 15:26

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

Meditate and apply:

Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country. 

#Chronovirus #fastandpray #judgement #repentance #revivalin2020 #WCM

Related image

teespring spreadshop logos

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Joshua 5:14. Commissioned for the Task

March 21 Joshua 5 15 NKJV

God had a God-sized task for Joshua. It would not be possible for Joshua to accomplish the mission God had for him on his own strength. What was the task? To lead the entire nation of Israel into the land that God had promised them. Moses, Joshua’s mentor, had just died and now Joshua was the leader for the nation – appointed by God. I’m sure as Joshua moved up from Moses’ apprentice to leader, he probably felt overwhelmed. Following in Moses’ footsteps probably looked like some mighty big shoes to fill. And there’s this nation – chosen by God – who kept complaining at everything. A group of people that were hard-headed and quick to forget in times of trouble how God had brought them through previous hard times. And now, Joshua’s first order of business was to seize Jericho. That land that 40 years earlier, Joshua had been on the 12-person committee to scout out the land where they saw the fortified cities with giants in the land. Joshua and Caleb were the only 2 men out of the 12 spies who came back saying, “Let’s take the land God has given us!” The other 12 brewed up fear in the heart of the people that caused them to not possess the land and grumble against God. So God sent them back into the wilderness to wander around for 40 years until every adult of that generations except for Joshua and Caleb had died off. Now it was their children that Joshua was tasked with leading into the promised land.

Now, Joshua stands near the city. The Bible tells us in verse 13, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho…” I have a very good imagination. Have you ever come to a verse like that and say, “Ok…but what was he doing there?” I can imagine as Joshua stood looking at the well fortified city, contemplating how to accomplish God’s plan, he felt like the task was impossible. As he looked at the walls surrounding the city – walls thick enough that people made their homes inside the walls – he might of prayed, “Yahweh, how am I supposed to accomplish this? It’s impenetrable!” Or maybe he asked, “God, are you sure you have the right man for this job?” Then maybe God recalled to Joshua’s mind how they had just crossed the Jordan river on dry ground, which recalled how the previous generation had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Maybe Joshua’s next thought was, “I’m not able to do this, Yahweh, but you are. Show me how I’m supposed to do this work for you.” As he stood there, he looked up and saw that a man with a sword stood there with him. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or against us?” As he asked, his hand might have been on the hilt of his sword ready to draw it as his eyes scanned the area around them to see if there was an entire army lurking nearby, maybe wishing he had brought a few of his own soldiers with him. The man’s response? “I am the commander of Yahweh’s army.” When I imagine that scene in my head I can see this commander’s eyebrow raised as if to say, “Did you call? Here I AM.” I can also imagine Joshua’s eyes growing as big as saucers as he realized just Who stood in front of him.

Joshua’s task was impossible for Joshua to accomplish. It was not impossible for God, because there is nothing impossible for God. But it was a God-sized task. Such tasks can only be accomplished when God steps in with His plan and clears the way. So God sent the Commander of His army to tell Joshua the battle plan as well as to encourage Joshua for the task ahead. So who is this Commander? Joshua’s response gives us the answer: Joshua “fell on his face to the earth and worshiped” Him. Further, the Commander then responded with “Take your sandal off your foot for the place where you stand is holy.” When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, Moses was also told to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground.  Joshua needed help. He needed wisdom. And God sent His commander – Jesus – to provide Joshua with the battle plan and to commission Him for the task. Joshua’s response was a true act of worship: “he fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him. ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?'”

God will never give us a God-sized task without showing us the plan for accomplishing the task. He will encourage us along the way. And when it’s time to advance, He will provide the plan of action. The question becomes: How will I respond? Will I whine and complain about the impossibility of the task? Will I argue with God about how it can’t be done? Will I pull my pockets inside out and say, “I don’t have the money and resources to accomplish this plan!” Or will I humbly bow before Him, ready to obey, and ask “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

God, whenever you have a God-sized task for us, you never leave us to complete it on our own. Instead you are there with wisdom, instruction, and encouragement along the way. Thank you for using imperfect people like me to accomplish your plan. Humbly, I bow before you and ask, what does my Lord say to His servant?”

click to tweet daily Bible reading

spring divider 2

revive renew redeem

news and events

Don’t forget to learn this week’s memory verse:

Memorize and hide in your heart one memory verse each week in 2020. If you didn’t start the challenge at the beginning of the year, just jump in now and be sure to sign up to get our weekly Memory verse in your email so you don’t miss a week.

memory verse logoIn 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.

 

Our key verse for revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.  For the past few  weeks, we have been focusing on repentance. This week, we look at the spiritual transformation that takes place when we surrender our heart to God.

This week’s memory verse:

Exodus 15:26

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

Meditate and apply:

Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country. 

#Chronovirus #fastandpray #judgement #repentance #revivalin2020 #WCM

Related image

teespring spreadshop logos

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Joshua 1:8. Meditate Day and Night to Achieve Good Success

March 20 Joshua 1 8 NKJV

It’s really difficult to know the way that God expects us to live if we are not reading the instructions He left for us. We can go to church every Sunday and listen to the sermon. We can be part of a small group too. But we also need to be reading the Bible everyday for ourselves. We need to hide it in our heart and meditate on it day and night. As we do, we need to consider what the Holy Spirit might be revealing to us through the Word. When we are wanting directions for life and we are considering the options, it’s important to remember that God would never lead us in a direction that goes against His Word. But how can you know if the path you are considering aligns with His Word, if you are not reading His Word?

God told Joshua that the Book of the Law should not depart from Joshua’s mouth. Moses had left Joshua the Books of the Law that he had received through the inspiration of God–Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Joshua was the first man to learn the about God through the Word of God in the same way that we learn: from the words of a book. Joshua was to keep it in his mouth and in his mind. The emphasis for Joshua–and for us—is upon making Bible study a constant practice. He was to study it and learn it so that it became a way of life for him and he was to fully obey it. He was to meditate on it – day and night. This doesn’t mean sitting cross-legged on a mat and chanting “ohmmmm.” Meditating on God’s Word is a practice that involves going over and over and over God’s truth in our minds to deepen its impression on us and to set it in our hearts. It includes asking the Holy Spirit to show us how God’s Word applies to our life, right now, in this moment. It involves prayerfully listening throughout the day for the Holy Spirit to show you what God is trying to say to you through His Word. The word meditate indicates that Scripture is to be like a tune that we cannot get out of our minds. It just permeates our thinking processes.

If you want God’s Word to be a way of life, it isn’t enough to just read it every day. We need to study it. Pray over it. Memorize it. Hide it in our heart. And apply it to our life. God doesn’t just expect us to read it. He expects us to observe and do what it says. The reason God had the various authors write these books of the Bible is so that we would know and understand the way God expects us to live. Just as a parent sets rules for the child he or she loves and wants to protect, God’s rules are designed out of His love for us and His desire to protect us. When we live according to His Word we can then experience peace and joy and fellowship with Him.

When we live according to God’s commands, we can be prosperous and have great success. This doesn’t mean we become rich and famous. God does not define success like it is defined in the world today. For the Christian, success can be defined as the ability to find the will of God for your life . . . and then do it! We don’t get the right to choose the parts of God’s Word that we want to obey or are convenient to obey. Joshua 1:8 says we are to “observe to do according to all that is written in it.” The biggest problem in our world to day is that people have tried to remove the parts of God’s Word that they don’t like. They want to remove the Ten Commandments from court rooms. They want to alter and “re-define” marriage. They want to say that abortion is ok – that it’s a woman’s right to choose to end a life that God created. And then when something like Coronavirus comes to the scene, everyone panics. Instead of panicking, we need to be returning to meditating day and night on God’s Word, repenting of sin, and asking God to forgive and heal our land. When we return to living by God’s standards, then we will have the prosperous nation and good success as we live according to His will for us.

If you are not already reading your Bible everyday, join us in our One Year Bible Challenge. Each day we post an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage to read and meditate on so that in one year you will have read the entire Bible from cover to cover.

Father, thank you for giving us Your Word – the light for our path. Help us to hide it in our hearts and meditate on it. Speak to us and reveal to us what You want to say to us through Your Word. Just as you were with Joshua and enabled him to read and observe Your Word, help us be obey what you reveal to us.

click to tweet daily Bible reading

spring divider 2

revive renew redeem

news and events

Don’t forget to learn this week’s memory verse:

Memorize and hide in your heart one memory verse each week in 2020. If you didn’t start the challenge at the beginning of the year, just jump in now and be sure to sign up to get our weekly Memory verse in your email so you don’t miss a week.

memory verse logoIn 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.

 

Our key verse for revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.  For the past few  weeks, we have been focusing on repentance. This week, we look at the spiritual transformation that takes place when we surrender our heart to God.

This week’s memory verse:

Exodus 15:26

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

Meditate and apply:

Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country. 

#Chronovirus #fastandpray #judgement #repentance #revivalin2020 #WCM

Related image

teespring spreadshop logos

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Matthew 28:19-20 – Who’s Your One?

Feb 15 Matthew 28 19-20 KJV

Babbie Mason, a Christian music artist, has a song entitled, “Each One, Reach One.” (You can listen to the song by clicking the title.) The chorus lyrics are:

But each one can reach one
As we follow after Christ we all can lead one
We can lead one to the Savior
And together we can tell the world that Jesus is the way
If we each one reach one

A recent initiative started by the North American Mission Board is called “Who’s Your One.” It’s the same principle of Babbie Mason’s song. Everyone can reach just one and tell them about Jesus. It sounds rather simple, doesn’t it? Just reach one. But if you think about it, if every person reaches just one and tells them about Jesus – we could reach the entire world! Jesus doesn’t call all of us to missionaries and go to forgiven countries, but He does call all of us to missionaries. For some, that might mean right in your own home, winning your spouse or children or family members to Christ. For others, it might mean being a missionary at the work place, winning a co-worker to Christ. For someone else, it might mean volunteering at a homeless shelter, abuse shelter, or abortion clinic and sharing the love of Jesus to those who are hurting. Someone else might be called to be chaplains at a hospital or military base. For some, it might be answering the call to be a foster parent and lead their foster children to Christ. Some are called to be pastors and proclaim Jesus from a pulpit or a Small Group Leader.

Wherever God has planted you – that’s where He wants you to be a missionary. Start with just one. Ask God to show you the person He wants you to lead to Him. As He lays that person on your heart, begin praying for them that God would prepare the heart to receive the Good News of Jesus and ask Him to show you the right moment of a open door to begin a conversation with the person. At whosyourone.com, you can enter that person’s name and people all over the world can join you in praying for your one. You can also comment below with the first name of the one you are praying for and our team will join you in praying for your one. When they do accept Christ, come back and let us know so we can rejoice with you and give God the glory.

If your one doesn’t accept Christ as their Savior when you share the gospel, continue to pray for them that seed you planted will sprout and grow. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Pray for another opportunity to talk to them again or for the next person to be able to sow the seed you planted. Paul taught this in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 where he wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” The only thing God has told us is to go and tell someone. Bringing them to salvation is God’s work. Without Him at work, any effort we make would be doomed to failure. As a Christian, the heart of our mission while we are on earth is reproducing more Christians and reproducing that which Christ has produced in us: faith, love, obedience, growth, compassion, grace, mercy. 

Start with just one. Reach one person for Christ. However, the excitement of leading one – will cause you to want to reach another – and another. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.” But you can start with just one. Will you commit to telling just one person what Jesus has done in your life for you? Who’s your one?

Each One, Reach One · Babbie Mason
Praise Celebration
℗ Word Entertainment LLC, a Curb Company
Released on: 1997-01-01
Artist: Babbie Mason

ctt verse of the day

#whosyourone #EachOneReachOne #GreatCommission 

valentine decorative_divider

 

revive renew redeem

news and events

Don’t forget to learn this week’s memory verse:

memory verse logo

James 4:7-8

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Meditate and apply:

Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country. 

#revive #renew #redeem #revivalinAmerica #revivalin2020 #WCM

Related image

teespring spreadshop logos

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Joshua 1:8

March 20 Joshua 1 8 NKJV

It’s really difficult to know the way that God expects us to live if we are not reading the instructions He left for us. We can go to church every Sunday and listen to the sermon. We can be part of a small group too. But we also need to be reading the Bible everyday for ourselves. We need to hide in our heart and meditate on it day and night. As we do, we need to consider what the Holy Spirit might be revealing to us through the Word. When we are wanting directions for life and we are considering the options, it’s important to remember that God would never lead us in a direction that goes against His Word. But how can you know if the path you are considering aligns with His Word, if you are not reading His Word?

God told Joshua that the Book of the Law should not depart from Joshua’s mouth. He was to study it and learn it so that it became a way of life for him and he was to fully obey it. If you want God’s Word to be a way of life, it isn’t enough to just read it every day. We need to study it. Pray over it. Memorize it. Hide it in our heart. And apply it to our life. God doesn’t just expect us to read it. He expects us to observe and do what it says. The reason God had the various authors write these books of the Bible is so that we would know and understand the way God expects us to live. Just as a parent sets rules for the child he or she loves and wants to protect, God’s rules are designed out of His love for us and His desire to protect us. When we live according to His Word we can then experience peace and joy and fellowship with Him.

If you are not already reading your Bible everyday, join us in our One Year Bible Challenge. Each day we post an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage to ready and meditate on so that in one year you will have read the entire Bible from cover to cover.

Father, thank you for giving us Your Word – the light for our path. Help us to hide it in our hearts and meditate on it. Speak to us and reveal to us what You want to say to us through Your Word. Just as you were with Joshua and enabled him to read and observe Your Word, help us be obey what you reveal to us.

spring divider 2
Cover_m

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) Also available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel. It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

004

Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is booking for 2019 and 2020 events. Book with us now. Click the link and fill out the online form or call us at 904.524.8073.