‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ (Lev. 26:12; Jer 32:38; Ezek. 37:27)
Therefore,
‘Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’ (Isaiah 52:11; Ezek 20:34,41)
And,
‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ (2 Sam 7:14; 7:8)
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 6:16b-7:1
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9
“And therefore you now have sorrow. But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22
God Will Lift Up Your Head by Jars of Clay
Give to the wind your fear Hope and be undismayed God hears your sighs and counts your tears God will lift up God will lift up Lift up your head
God will lift up your head God will lift up your head God will lift up your head He will lift up, lift up your head
Leave to His sovereign way To choose and to command Then shall we wandering on His way Know how wise and how strong How wise and how strong
God will lift up your head God will lift up your head God will lift up your head He will lift up, lift up your head
Through waves and clouds and storms, He gently clears the way Wait because in His time, so shall this night Soon end in joy, Soon end in joy Soon end in joy, Soon end in joy.
God will lift up your head God will lift up your head God will lift up your head He will lift up, lift up your head
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Before we get to our prayer, let’s look for just a moment at Pentecost.
With the Lord there are no coincidences.
First, Passover is the observance of the time in Egypt when God caused the plague of death to pass over the those who’d taken refuge inside homes where the doorframes were covered with sacrificial lamb’s blood.
And Passover was the day God ordained the crucifixion of Christ, the perfect sacrificial Lamb, and the shedding of His blood so that spiritual death would pass over any who would take refuge in the blood of Christ through belief in Him.
Likewise, fifty days after Passover is Pentecost (which means fifty), also known as the Feast of Weeks, the celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest.
It was also the day God ordained to send His Holy Spirit to indwell the disciples of Christ, referred to several times in the Bible as wheat, reaping the first fruits of the harvest of Christ’s work on the cross.
For those of us who believe in Christ and are filled with His Holy Spirit, we are the continued harvest of those seeds Christ planted all those years ago.
Not only is Passover a day to remember that miraculous, joyful time in the lives of the first disciples, but a celebration of what God’s still doing today.
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your glorious name. Thank you for your perfect ways and for the beauty in all your plans.
Thank you for the gift of salvation and of your Holy Spirit who gives us wisdom, teaches us, ministers to us, comforts us, and leads us through the treacherous terrain in our lives. We are forever grateful for your grace and mercy.
Father, we pray you would use us to continue your work, and that many more harvests would come as your Holy Spirit works in and through us. In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.
You are the LORD, the God of Israel, their Maker, the Holy One of Israel, the LORD Almighty, the God and Savior of Israel, the righteous God and Savior, and there is no other.
Before you every knee will bow and every tongue will take an oath that in you alone are righteousness and strength. In you the descendants of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.
We pray for your protection over your beloved Israel, for her deliverance and salvation.
May you be glorified and may Yeshua HaMashiach be worshipped.
It’s in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names that we pray, amen.
Seventeen years ago this month my life turned upside down. Or more accurately, I was already upside down and God was turning me right side up.
A lot has happened in that time. A lot of mistakes, a lot of learning, a lot of growing, and a lot of healing.
Not the kind of healing I originally wanted, but certainly the kind I needed. The kind a good and loving Father knows His child needs, and ultimately wants.
In January 2004 I had some symptoms, but nothing too concerning yet. What did concern me is that I kept hearing one phrase from the Lord – “Be strong and courageous.” I heard it at church, on the radio, and in my own studies. Four times that month I heard “Be strong and courageous.”
The first time: Yes, that’s an encouraging word. The second time: Yep, I want to be strong and courageous. The third time: Hmm… “Lord, what are you trying to say?” The fourth time: A friend at church who I’d talked to about these repeated commands from the Lord turned around during the teaching and we just looked at each other. What could this mean?
Then, long story short, one Sunday afternoon in February, I found myself at the hospital being evaluated.
“Be strong and courageous.”
I have meditated on and prayed about these words ever since. And little by little, the Lord’s helped me understand them. The funny thing is, its meaning is so simple, yet the application can be so difficult.
The phrase can be found eleven times in the Old Testament (and one time in the New, but that’s a slightly different story for a different day), most of them as Joshua was about to lead Israel into the Promised Land.
Moses had just died, and God had called Joshua to lead His people. God speaks to Joshua, letting him know that without a doubt, through every obstacle they would face, He would lead them there.
Joshua 1:6 – “Be strong and courageous…” Joshua 1:7 – “Be strong and very courageous…” Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
In each of these verses, the word “strong,” in part, means “to fasten upon; to seize…”
The dictionary says fasten means “to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else.”
Now, fast forward to Jesus talking to His disciples.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears muchfruit; for without Me you can donothing..” John 15:5
During this conversation, Jesus uses the word abide, or remain, seven times.
The word “abide” means “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain…”
He’s driving home the fact that, just as a branch must remain attached to the vine so the branch can receive life, grow, and produce fruit, we must remain in Him. Our growth and ability to produce spiritual fruit hinges on us continually abiding, remaining, making our home in Him.
God told Joshua over and over to be strong, to fasten himself, to hold onto God who would do everything needed to ensure their victory as they crossed into the Promised Land.
Jesus reiterated His Father’s words, telling His disciples, and us, to abide in Him, to remain in Him continually.
Don’t break off from Him out of fear, anger, anxiety, or just being plain confused and not knowing what to do. Remain in Him. Obey Him. Trust Him. Join with Him in prayer. Abide in Him as a branch abides in a vine, so we can grow and bear much fruit.
The word courageous means “to be alert, physically and mentally, to be steadfastly minded, establish, make strong…”
The Israelites would meet enemies along the way, and so will we. As we abide in Christ, we must also remain alert and steadfast, remembering that though we have an enemy who will try to trip us up, the Lord has gone before us, and if we’ll remain in Him, He will make us more than conquerors.
And one more note.
I’ve been going through a group study with a book called Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray. I highly recommend it. It was what drove home the truth of what God was saying to me seventeen years ago, and how He enlightened and assured me further. As I was praying during one of my study times, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “I will sustain you.”
You might guess what I did. Yep, went to look up the word sustain. I found it in Psalm 55:22:
“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Sustain means “to keep in; to maintain, be able to abide…”
Jesus said “Abide in Me, and I in you.”
The Lord’s promise to all of us who abide in Him is that not only will He abide in us, He will enable us to continue abiding in Him. He will maintain us, support us, bear us up under trial or affliction, just like He’s done for me the last seventeen years.
So be strong and courageous. The world doesn’t seem to be letting up on the crazy, and I suspect it won’t. But as we abide in Him, God Himself will abide in us and take us victoriously into the Promised Land.
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you. We praise you for all you are and for all you do. You are our King above all kings and we look to you and you alone to provide for us, to give us courage, to open and close doors, to show us the way. You are not only the God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come, but You are our Father who lovingly cares for us in Your power and victory.
Thank You for the strength You give us as we walk through long trials. We sometimes get tired and weary, but as we hold out a hand to You, You lift us up.
You invite us to take your yoke upon us so you can lift the weight of our trials, and that through them we can learn from You and Your gentle and humble heart, and find rest for our weary souls.
Father, help us persevere through the prolonged difficulties we face. Help us continue to keep our focus on you, daily dying to our flesh and being filled with your Holy Spirit, seeing through your eyes of grace and mercy.
Help us not get restless as we wait for your deliverance, but give us patience and your peace that surpasses all understanding.
I’ve talked about The Chosen, the series about the life of Christ, and the Christmas special that started it all, and I want to share with you that Christmas special.
You are taken back to the night when the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds, shining God’s light into the dark of night, and into the spiritual darkness that filled the whole world.
This tiny, promised Christ child brought hope and joy for anyone who would turn and follow Him, and He still does.
My prayer is that if you’ve never turned to Him in faith, you would do that today, right now. In your own words call out to God and and tell Him you need Him, that you believe He sent His Son, Jesus, the Savior, as both the Spotless Lamb given as a sacrifice for our sins and the Shepherd who would continually lead us, and that you desire to follow Him.
And if you’ve put your faith in Jesus in the past but you’ve walked away, a little or a lot, it’s not too late. God loves you and He’s waiting for you to return. Call on your Heavenly Father, confess your sins, and turn and follow Jesus again with your whole heart.
God’s Word says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Believe this, and He will do it, and the peace of God will fill your hearts, even in the middle of the turmoil we face in the world, as much today as it was in the time of Jesus’ birth.
There is no better gift to give the Lord, and nothing else He desires more, than our hearts.
I pray this Christmas Special blesses you as much as it does me.
