Listening to the Word

  Job 22; Mark 7-8   “…Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?...When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces do you pick up? ‘Twelve,’ they replied…Do you still not understand?...Who do people say that I am?...‘You are the Christ’…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:17-21, 27, 29, 34 The yeast, or teaching, of the Pharisees did not feed people, nor could it multiply for their needs. Jesus’ gospel fed both Jesus and Gentiles and it satisfied; however, Christ’s gospel called for a denial of self, a dying to self, and   a complete surrender to the will of God. Only this gospel will reproduce disciples of Christ. If we have in mind the things of men, like Peter, we will reject this gospel and instead follow a gospel of self-fulfillment where God meets all...

Job 2l; Mark 5-6   “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves…They all ate and were satisfied…He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake,…’Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely amazed for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:41, 48, 50-52 When our hearts are hardened we can miss God’s presence and activity in our midst. The disciples witnessed an amazing miracle of multiplication, but failed to see that it was the presence of God in their midst which changed everything.   When the needs of those we serve are overwhelming and we feel the wind is against us, what do we do? - do we row harder? Jesus calls for courage in moments like this - courage to recognize that “I am” is with us, ...

  Job 20; Mark 3-4   “…‘Let us go over to the other side.’…A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped…He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” Mark 4:35, 37, 39, 40 How do we respond to storms in our family relationships, ministry, or work environments? Like the disciples, our first response is to navigate through the waves, get the right angle on the wind, and try to find a safe harbor or shoreline. How long does it take for us to cry out to Jesus in our storm? The intercession prayers, pleas, and desperate cries are actually rebuked by Jesus in this story. He called out fear and a lack of faith. Jesus then modeled faith-filled authority as he rebuked the wind and commanded the waves to be still. Have we learned authoritative, faith-filled declarations like these in our ...

Job 19; Mark 1-2   “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases…Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:32-35 Where do we go after we have poured out our lives for others and are left empty? Jesus valued solitude and the voice of his Father. Jesus was sourced in the life of the Spirit and the anointing of the Spirit for his ministry. Jesus needed to hear from his Father in order to be filled with his Father’s love and be reminded of who he was. When we are empty, we are vulnerable. The world promises to fill us with life of a different kind. Entertainment, alcohol, and pleasure can’t renew our spirit. It is at the deeper place of our spirit that we need solitude to listen to the voice of our Father and become attentive to his love. “Father God, renew my stre...

Job 18; Psalms 114; Acts 27-28 “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.” Psalm 114:7, 8 God’s presence brings transformation. As Jacob called on the Lord, and wrestled with an angel, his name was changed to Israel. God changed Jacob’s heart, not just his name. God’s presence has softened rock hard hearts into rivers of living water before, and he will do it again. The Sinai journey of learning obedience and dependency on the Lord is traveled by every disciple of Christ. Walking with Jesus will change us. God’s desire is that our lives would be sourced in him. The hardness of pride, independence, and sin, can be transformed by God’s forgiveness and grace into a river of living water that is sourced in his Spirit’s presence within our lives. From rock to river, our God’s presence transforms. “Lord Jesus, transform my hard heart into a river of living water, for your glory...

  Job 17; Acts 24-26 “…I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:17, 18 Salvation is more than agreement to a set of propositional statements about the nature of God, sin, and salvation. Salvation is an emancipation - a release from the power of Satan to the power of God. Paul’s call was to proclaim freedom for the captives, sight for the blind, and to announce the year of the Lord’s favor. This was the same kingdom gospel message Jesus received, and which has been received by every servant of God. The breadth and depth of salvation include turning from darkness and sin, and receiving forgiveness and sanctification by faith. This same gospel proclaimed by Paul two thousand years ago is transforming lives today. “Lord Jesus, thank you for the power of the gospel to transform my life.”

Job 16; Acts 21-23   “…Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem…a prophet name Agabus came down from Judea…The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this same way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt…’ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’” Acts 21:4, 10, 11, 14 Our love and compassion for people can sometimes color our capacity to hear well and discern God’s will. Paul’s friends and church leaders were clearly hearing the Spirit say that suffering and imprisonment awaited Paul. Yet as they heard Paul’s determination to follow through on a pathway of testifying to the gospel through suffering, the church leaders surrendered to the Lord’s will over their natural impulse to prevent further suffering in Paul’s life. Is there a higher will, or path, than the avoidance of suffering? Paul’s focus was on testifying to the gospel until the point of death, if that was the Lord’s will. Jesus’ example had become Paul’s primary or...

  Job 15; Acts 19-20   “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Acts 20:28 Paul was clear that the church of Ephesus and all other parts of Christ’s Church, belonged to God. The leadership positions of overseer, elder, or pastor, to which God has called people, are not volunteer roles that define our identity. People belong to God, not to us. This freeing reality gave Paul the grace to say goodbye to his spiritual children, knowing he wouldn’t see them again. Can we minister deeply, with all our hearts, tears, and gifts, yet still release people to the care of God? In God’s grace, that is possible. It is Christ’s blood and grace that have purchased our freedom. We belong to him. We serve as ‘under-shepherds’ of his invitation, for his glory. “Lord Jesus, I thank you for the Church. I surrender back to you any positions of leadership you have given me. I...

  Job 13-14; Acts 17-18   “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Acts 18:26 Priscilla and Aquila were lay people who were tentmakers and close friends of Paul. Their confidence and boldness of faith gave them the freedom to challenge a gifted teacher like Apollos, and “explain the way of God more adequately” to him. Apollos knew the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance, but he probably didn’t know the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The truth of Scripture gives us God’s ways and the path to live and walk. The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to walk that path of truth, in God’s strength. We can know truth, but in ourselves, lack the power to follow and obey. Our homes can be great places of ministry as we learn from one another how to follow the way of God more adequately. “Lord Jesus, thank you for the ‘Aquilas’ and ‘Priscillas’ in my life who have helped me follow the way of God more adequ...

Job 11-12; Acts 15-16   “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer…he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” Acts 16:13, 24, 25 Worship can transform any location - whether it’s a river bank or a jail cell - into a sanctuary. Worship transforms the everyday into the eternal. Those who came to the river to get water or to wash their clothes witnessed worship. Prisoners, who endured brutal conditions, were lifted into the presence of God through the worship of Paul and Silas. What situation, circumstance, or prison cell is God inviting us to transform through our worship? There are prisoners of self, pride, fear, and lust, all around us that are listening. No stocks, no cell, no river can hold back worship from a life that has been transformed. We were made to worship. Our worship i...

  Job 9-10; Acts 13-14   “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I have called them…’ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit…The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabus, and expelled them from their region.” Acts 13:2, 4, 49, 50 The gospel spread throughout what is now Turkey as people listened to and obeyed the call of the Spirit to go and work with him.   Working with the Spirit includes sharing the words God gives, praying in his power to confirm his word, and enduring opposition and persecution. The enemy used “God-fearing women of high standing” in society to limit Paul’s and Barnabus’ ministry. We must guard our hearts against slander, judgmental attitudes, and fear, in order to avoid becoming instruments of ...

Job 6-8; Acts 12   “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him…‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her…” Acts 12:5, 14, 15 Why is it that we can pray earnestly for God to intervene in situations; yet when God answers that prayer, we fail to believe that it was his intervention that changed the situation? We pray for God’s healing, for employment, for reconciliation, for direction, and so many other things, but when we pray do we pray with faith believing? Without faith it is impossible to please God. We must engage our hearts and our wills in full surrender to God before faith will change how we pray. The prayers of faith appear to the unconverted mind as the delusions of someone “out of their mind”. That is precisely the point. Faith in God and in his promises is not rooted in the mind, but in the heart. We can believe God for the transformation of communities and peoples, and pray audacious prayers, because we know Go...

  Job 5; Psalms 108; Acts 10-11   “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God…So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life…The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 10:45, 46; 11:18, 26 The early Church was comprised only of Jews until the breakthrough revelation that God gave Peter, telling him to share the gospel in Cornelius’ house. The believing Jews who had traveled to Cornelius’ house with Peter were amazed that God had poured out his Spirit even upon Gentiles. In our day, where Gentile followers of Jesus are the vast majority of the Church worldwide, these exclamations of astonishment sound strange. Perhaps we have even developed a sense of entitlement concerning the gospel, rather than gratitude for God’s grace to us through Christ. It’s interesting to note that the clear evidenc...

Job 3-4; Acts 8-9   “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…Saul began to destroy the church…Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went…‘Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?...I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…’” Acts 8:1, 3, 4; 9:4, 5 The Holy Spirit-birthed celebration of the birth of the Church in Jerusalem shifted with the great persecution. Believers in Jesus were forced to flee for their lives; but with them, they brought the gospel of Jesus Christ. God uses persecution to scatter his people and advance his mission purposes to make disciples of all nations. There are few experiences that bring us deeper into identifying with Christ’s sufferings than persecution. As Christ’s Body, the Church is Christ’s representative on earth. When we suffer, Jesus feels the pain. Our persecution is Christ’s persecution. The suffering Church today is bearing wit...

  Job 1-2; Acts 6-7   “I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come. I will send you back to Egypt…You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:34, 51 Stephen’s story of Israel’s history was a reminder that God’s eyes were on his people to save and deliver them repeatedly through the generations. Israel’s capacity to experience freedom was directly tied to their cooperation with God’s saving actions. The coming of Jesus was in a long line of God’s saving, redemptive activity.   Would Israel stiffen their necks, harden their hearts, and again resist God’s invitation for salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit? Stephen died for this pointed sermon. Are we willing to call our people to repentance for their stubborn, hardened hearts, even as we remind them of God’s saving activity and mercy to us thr...

Malachi 3-4; Psalms 148; Acts 5   “…‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me…‘In tithes and offerings…Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing…Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:7-10, 12 Now a man named Ananias…sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself…‘you have lied to the Holy Spirit…’” Acts 5:1-3 Repentance, or returning to God, is practical and involves our time, our resources, and our priorities. The storehouse was the room in the temple used to store the tithes so that the priests could eat. The worship fires and incense were kept lit so the gatekeepers were supplied with food...

  Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1, 2; Acts 4   “Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large storeroom formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes…” Nehemiah 13:4, 5 “…Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god…guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” Malachi 2:11, 15 Our lives – our bodies - are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We can bring defilement to the worship of God in our lives, or neglect to worship by giving place to the enemy through yielding to temptations related to greed, idolatry, lust, and other temple-defiling sins. Pornography is “marrying the daughter of a foreign god” and disqualifies us from true worship until we are cleansed. We must guard ourselves and apply Christ’s victory on the cross over s...

Nehemiah 11-12; Psalms 1; Acts 3   “…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither…For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous…” Psalm 1:2, 3, 6 There is a consistent, faithful fruitfulness in season for the people who walk with God and meditate on his Word. God’s Word becomes the food that nourishes their inner life. This hidden source of nourishment, like the root structure of a tree, draws life-giving nutrients and resources up into the life of God’s people so that they have new resources of love, patience, grace, and mercy for those they meet. Fruit trees produce seasonal crops in varied abundance, but don’t stress during quiet seasons of seeming dormancy. They are resting for the fruitful season ahead. When we live under the Lord’s watchful care as the gardener and overseer of our souls, we too can rest in the seasons of life...

  Nehemiah 9-10; Acts 2   “Those men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Acts 2:15-17, 21 It was prophetic scriptures that Peter turned to in explaining the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We serve a prophetic God who declares in advance what he has purposed to do. The three Scriptures that Peter quotes in his speech to the crowd in Jerusalem come from Joel and the Psalms.   Had Jesus earlier quoted these scriptures to his disciples as he explained his death? Were the ten days of prayer in the Upper Room punctuated by Scripture study and meditation? Are there specific Scriptures on which God is inviting us to meditate and pray through today as we anticipate Christ’s return? Are we praying and diligently searching the ...

  Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,   and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:4, 5, 7, 8 In the middle of a Jewish Passover meal celebrating God’s deliverance out of Egypt, the father would ask the children to go and find the ‘afkomen’. The afkomen was a linen cloth in which was hidden a broken piece of matzo bread. The child who found the hidden afkomen brought it to the father and was then invited to ask the father for a gift which would be given to the child by the father at Pentecost. This Jewish tradition was fulfilled by our heavenly Father with the gift of the Holy Spirit for those disciples who have found Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given as an empowerment for mission, here and to the ends of the earth. We are called to be Christ’s witne...

  Nehemiah 5-6; Psalms 146; Luke 24 “…‘Come let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me…‘I am carrying on a great work project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’” Nehemiah 6:2, 3 When the enemy can neither frighten nor intimidate us, he tries to distract us from the work projects and plans that God has for us. The distractions can appear harmless, even spiritual, but their intent is to harm the work of God. Nehemiah’s response was to focus on the project, not on himself…“Why should the work stop?” It’s the little distractions that keep us from doing the assignments God has for us of sharing the gospel, loving our neighbors, and praying. Nehemiah was a leader of the wall rebuilding project. The accountabilities for leaders regarding time were higher than for others. When we become distracted, all of those whom we are serving will pay a price. Nehemiah understood the consequences o...

  Nehemiah 3-4; Luke 23   “…our enemies said, ‘Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.’ Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, ‘Wherever you turn, they will attack us.’…‘…Don’t be afraid of the. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers.” Nehemiah 4:11, 12, 14 Every plan and project that God initiates will be opposed by the enemy. Expect it, don’t be surprised. The Jews living near Sanballat and Tobiah had given in to fear and become mouthpieces for the threats of the enemy. They had lost the ability to resist the enemy. When we no longer resist, or fear lies, or slanderous thoughts, we become the tool through which they are repeated to others. Nehemiah’s response was to resist fear and call others to resist fear. We are to remember the Lord who is great and awesome. God’s presence is with us as we walk with him. Greater is he that is within us, tha...

Nehemiah 1-2; Psalms 133; Luke 22 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head…” Psalm 133:1, 2 “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.” Psalm 134 There is a direct connection between God’s people, God’s servants, worshiping him together, and our unity. We are unified in God’s presence, but not primarily through similar thinking or team building. God’s presence is the center of every kingdom mission team. The anointing oil of the Spirit is poured out on God’s servants in his presence. God’s lessons are received in his presence. There is no greater resource for the people of God than God’s presence. Like Moses, let us determine not to leave his presence. “Lord Jesus, thank you for your presence. You are life; you give unity; you pour out your Spiri...

  Ezra 9-10; Psalms 131; Luke 21   “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.” Psalm 131 Some have called this the prayer of contentment, or the prayer of indifference. In discerning God’s best for our lives and circumstances, it’s helpful to come to a place of full surrender of our will. Attitudes of pride, concerns, ambition, and desires interfere with our hearing the Spirit’s promptings and his still, small voice. In that place of inner surrender of our soul to God’s will and purposes, we find a place of expectant neutrality. We find that we are open to God’s counsel and direction, and we are willing and content to follow no matter which direction. The fruits of that indifference are hope, contentment, a quie...

Ezra 7- 8; Luke 20 “…The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him…for the gracious hand of his God was on him…Because the hand of the Lord was on me. I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me…Because the gracious hand of our God was on us…I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God…because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him…’” Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 21, 22 Ezra’s faith in God’s hand on his life and on all those who humbled themselves before God inspired other leaders to follow him and become his testimony wherever he went. God’s hand of grace - or unmerited favor - released provision, protection, and empowerment for Ezra and his leadership team. Ezra didn’t take God’s gracious hand on his life for granted, but he learned to fast and pray and call others to fasting as a practical way to humble themselves before God. Who wouldn’t benefit from ...

  Esther 9-10; Luke 19   “…On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.” Esther 9:1 Why had the “tables turned” for the Jews? They had been more than delivered; they had been given authority in the many regions of the Persian Empire. Esther and Mordecai had appealed to the King of kings through fasting and prayer. God’s hand had turned the tables and turned the heart of the king of Persia. Does God still turn the tables today on behalf of those who humble themselves and cry out to him? The persecuted church among the Muslim peoples and in communist/totalitarian-controlled countries is crying out to God for deliverance and peace. Will we, with them, cry out to the Lord for a ‘breakthrough’? Only God’s hands are big enough to turn the tables. “Lord Jesus, deliver your people who are living under the sentence of death in North Korea, China, Laos, and the Gulf states. You ...

  Esther 3-8; Luke 18   “…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 “…Do not think that because you are in the king’s house, you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place…fast for me…I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:13, 14, 16 The courage to face death or whatever else might be the cost to see the right thing being done is in itself an act of humility. We realize that our mission is more important than self-preservation. We always have the option of remaining silent; however, God has given us resources and influence for such a time as this. It’s time to humble ourselves and risk all in order to do the right thing and invest in God’s greater mission of seeing lives delivered from a certain death. It is in lay...

Esther 1-2; Psalms 150; Luke 17   “As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When he saw them, he said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice…Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’” Luke 17:12-15, 17, 18 One of the clearest ways we express gratitude to God for his saving, healing, renewing work in our life, is to give praise to him. Worship and praise to God is the language of a grateful person. Our desperation in crying out to God for our needs can be quickly forgotten once those needs are met. We forget that we cannot save ourselves. Jesus pointed out that the one man who returned to praise God for his healing was a foreigner. Perhaps that’s why we see ...

  Ezra 5-6; Psalms 138; Luke 16   “I will bow down…and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me, you made me bold and stouthearted…Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.” Psalm 138:2, 3, 6 David’s strength came from the Lord. When David called on the Lord, God answered him and strengthened David’s heart.   What does a strong heart, or a “stouthearted” person do to keep their heart (the sanctuary of our inner being) strong? David testifies that they humble themselves before God in worship, they bow down, and they praise God. They value God’s name and his Word. Stouthearted servants of God call on the Lord; they are bold in their prayers. The stouthearted walk with humility before God and men; they understand that their strength comes from God’s grace and presence in their lives. In our weakness, God makes us strong....

Zechariah 13-14; Psalms 147; Luke 15   “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars…The Lord sustains the humble…He provides food…the Lord delights in those who fear him…he strengthens…He grants peace…and satisfies you…He sends his word…He has done this for no other nation…” Psalm 147:2-4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20 God’s activity in saving, restoring, healing, binding, providing, delighting in, strengthening, granting peace, satisfying, and revealing his Word to his people is astounding. This is not an absentee person who has visitation rights on weekends and holidays, but rather, he is the benevolent, Father God. This is a personal, loving, and ever-present God who rescues us and then transforms us with his love. We are not worthy of this attention and care. Yet, our God is for us, not against us. His love for us is deeply personal. Why not respond to that love today and say, ...

  Zechariah 10-12; Psalms 126; Luke 14 “…the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle…Together they will be like mighty men trampling the muddy streets in battle. Because the Lord is with them, they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.” Zechariah 10:3, 5 The empowerment of God’s people through his Spirit makes us like war horses that charge into battle carrying his presence. The early church was bold, confronting the enemy and sharing the gospel regardless of the cost. Wherever the church is growing in the world today, that same dynamic exists. It is the Lord Almighty who cares for us and we belong to him - not so that we can enjoy safe pasture and live in a nice barn, but that he might ride us into battle. Together, we are on a mission with Jesus. It is God’s presence and our faith in him that will overcome the enemy. “Lord Jesus, you are my leader and rider. I will follow you into battle and resist the spirit of the w...