Persecution against Christians may be on the rise. God warned us about just that. The world hated Jesus as He continued to walk in and love the world. Because we are His disciples, the world may hate us, too. Even if our freedom to speak the truth in love shrinks, our freedom in Christ never wavers.

     That freedom to love others comes from within us, with the help of the Holy Spirit. The world is lost without Him. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

     As you walk in His Spirit, remember He has authority over the evil one and his followers. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow. Abide in His freedom, His peace, His love.

Lord,

Our freedom is in You. When we follow You, deep peace and joy are with us all day, every day. Remind us of that when we mess up and believe the circumstances or the confusion and chaos surrounding us. Freedom comes from the Spirit. We walk with You on this day.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Remind Yourself

     Remind yourself today; God is in control. Remind yourself today; you know Jesus. Remind yourself today; eternity is just around the corner. Remind yourself today; God loves you and will give you what you need when you need it. Look back and thank Him for His faithfulness. Look up and thank Him for His presence. Look ahead and thank Him for watching over you forever.

They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. Psalm 78:35

     Let God be your rock, your firm foundation in a world spinning crazily out of control. Our feet can be solidly planted no matter what happens around us. Our Redeemer has saved us from death unto life. Our rock, our redeemer, our resurrection hope shares His power with us. Shine your light before others. Remind yourself of who you are and who He is.

Lord,

We remember that You are the rock, the redeemer, the one who saved us. Give us peace as we remember.

In Jesus name,

Amen

    

Do Not Be Afraid Little Flock

     We fear this election and its outcome. We fret about the future of our county. God is not sitting in the heavens wringing His hands. And we belong to Him. Whatever the outcome, He will work it into His almighty plans. Our job is to represent Him, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and fallen world. And if ever the Gospel needed to be shared, it is NOW!!

     God made the heavens and the earth. He is not surprised by the state of our countty or the world. He wrote all about it in His Word. Take heart! He is our Redeemer.

This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer who formed you in the womb; “I am the Lord, the Maker of all things who stretches out the heavens and spreads out the earth by Myself. Isaiah 44:24

     Do not worry. God can handle it all and use it all for His purposes.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

Father,

We are comforted by Your words this morning. You are pleased to give us the kingdom forever. Give us peace in our troubled country. Most of all, give us peace in our hearts and souls.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Our Redeemer Knows Best

     God loves to teach us, if we are open to learn. He, alone, knows what we need. Sometimes the answer takes too long and we move ahead without Him. Funny thing is, God knew even before we took that first step down the wrong road. He was right there, just a few steps ahead, ready to redeem our suffering, our loss, and yes, our wrong choices. Lucky for us, He never gives up. Ever. He loves us. He has redeemed us for eternity. Now, if we listen and wait and pray, He will find the best path for us.

This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17

     I pray He will direct my life today. How about you?

Father,

Our Redeemer lives! You are our God and we bow down before You today with a listening heart. Guide us in what is best for us, even when we don’t see a clear path ahead. You remove the rocks and give us a smooth road ahead..

In Jesus name,

Amen

My Rock and My Redeemer

      As you walk through your day, ask this question often. “Would this please my Lord and my God?”  As we grow in faith and study His Word, we come to know Him and the things He loves and the things He hates. When we ask Him to guide our hearts and minds, it pleases Him. This is one of my favorite verses. (I only have a hundred or two.)

 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

     What a beautiful prayer to begin the day.

Jesus,

Let our thoughts and our actions reveal that we belong to You today. Make us mindful of the things that please You. You only want the best for us. May we stay in Your presence and listen to Your uplifting words.

Amen

Our Redeemer Lives

     The book of Job may be the oldest book in the Bible. As you may know, Job was a righteous man, an obedient man of God. And he suffered greatly. All of his children died. He lost all of his possessions and had serious health issues. Through it all, even with the unsolicited and damaging advice from his friends, his faith in our God remains strong.

     Job speaks of eternal life. He knew that one day he would be with the Lord in his eternal home, where there would be no more suffering and loss. Listen to these ancient words:

I know that my redeemer lives and that, in the end, He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes-I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

     Does your heart yearn for a better day? For suffering to be gone? Know that your redeemer lives. One day soon we will see Him with our own eyes and live with Him forever.

Jesus,

Thank You for these wise words. Even Job understood the new heaven and the new earth. To see You with our own eyes is something we all yearn to see. We await Your coming.

Amen

Abide In Him

    Faith in our God is a true gift. His gift of salvation is received just by believing. What does Jesus ask of us after we believe? To abide and remain in Him.  Being rooted in Him will continually transform our lives into something we could never have imagined or done on our own. Jesus tells us:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5

     With that abiding love comes the spiritual fruit that is tough to find in the world around us, especially today. How often to you witness pure joy, peace, gentleness, kindness and self-control?

     We believe we can do so much on our own. Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing! Nothing of eternal value is possible without His abiding love. Remain in Him. Abide in Him. And then, we can do all things.

Jesus,

Keep us rooted deep in Your Word, in our connection with You. Never let us go. Grow good spiritual fruit in us as we walk out the rest of our lives.

Amen