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I knew you were going to do that. Have you ever said those words to a close family member or friend? You were able to say that because you had been around them so much. Could we also say in praise to God, “I knew you were going to do that” when He does something miraculous or extraordinary? Deuteronomy 5:24 says, “God has shown us His glory.” In other words, when we pray and ask God to work in someone’s life or in our life and He does, we can joyfully praise Him, “I knew You were going to do that.” Such words reflect our faith in God’s presence and provision. If you’ve never smiled heavenward and praised God, expressing your confidence in Him, why not? Begin the journey toward greater intimacy with God.  Watch, listen, or read “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.”

Have you ever been in a “dark place”? Perhaps you are now. Everywhere you look it’s dark and what’s worse – you don’t see a way out.  If you have been there or you are now, can you imagine what it would be like to be in darkness forever and to know that you’d never ever escape? God and Satan are powerful. They each have domains/kingdoms.  Satan’s domain is a place of evil and darkness. (Colossians 1:13)  First John 5:19 tells us the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  That is, you lie in the power of the evil one unless you have responded to God’s invitation to rescue you from the domain of darkness and transfer you to the kingdom of His beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13)  If you’re a Christian and in a dark place today because of circumstances beyond your control or even because of sin, run to your Savior.  Stand against the darkness by singing songs of praise to Jesus. Lift your hands and voice in praise to God for His A-Z character traits we daily study. Claim your place as a child of the kingdom of light. If you have not yet responded to God’s invitation to rescue you, why not? Please consider His invitation.  If you have friends or family who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, you can prayerfully share this with them.

Lord Jesus, You are our RESCUER! We love You! We thank You! We praise You for rescuing us and transferring us to Your kingdom. 

“He RESCUED US from the DOMAIN of DARKNESS, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Colossians 1:13

Are the storms in your life overwhelming you…perhaps literally? Whether the storms are literal or metaphorical, fear can flood our emotions. Lightning bolts of regret can strike us to the core. Worry can flood our minds.  But God doesn’t want us to stay overwhelmed, drowning in fear, worry, and regret. That’s why He has given us His Spirit, His very presence to be with us. Just as shelters offer a place for flood victims, God calls us to come to Him for REFUGE. The Hebrew word “REFUGE” means shelter from danger or falsehood.  The more closely we stay under God’s arms of truth, the more protected we are from the enemies’ lies. Psalm 46:1 reminds us that God is our REFUGE, a very present help in trouble. Go to Him. Shelter under the truth of His love for you.

Do you feel drained or spiritually empty? You know you’re saved, but you’re tired and discouraged.  What do we do when we want to serve the Lord and energetically live for Him but we’re weary and feel like there’s nothing left for us to give? God answers our question.  In Jeremiah 31:25,  He says,

I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes. 

The LORD is our refresher! Jesus echoes this in Matthew 5:3-6. Are we poor in spirit? Are we mourning? Are we hungry and thirsty for righteousness? If so, we can go to the ever-flowing river of Life in the LORD. We can drink deeply of His Word and Spirit. We can be refreshed and our energy renewed to do what He places in our hands. What a joy. What a God!

Heavenly Father, our daily lives often leave us feeling drained. Fill us with Your presence. Renew and refresh us so we are energized to serve You and others. 

I spoke in New York shortly after September 11, 2001. Shortly after Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked three planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., killing everyone on board the planes and nearly 3,000 people on the ground. Shortly after a fourth plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field, killing all on board after passengers and crew heroically attempted to take control from the hijackers. Evil reigned in the hands of the terrorists that day but evil didn’t ultimately win then and evil will never ultimately win. Christ Jesus is victor over evil! He overcame evil and sin and the sting of sin – death. All who place their faith in Christ will live eternally in His glorious presence. Today and continually we remember with gratefulness our loved ones, friends, and the many we will never know until heaven – those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. Today we also remember with utmost gratefulness the Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life for our souls. We must never forget either.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making PURIFICATION OF OUR SINS. We love and praise You for the ultimate sacrifice of Your life to make us pure as You are pure. 

“When He had made PURIFICATION of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”  Hebrews 1:3

Is there anything about you that isn’t perfect? If you are perfect, congratulations.  I’m not. As a matter of fact, the closer I grow to Christ, the more aware I am of sin in my life. If you, like me, are mindful of your sin, here are some encouraging words. Malachi 3:3 says the Lord

will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

What good news! As Christ’s priests (1 Peter 2:9), we have confidence in our REFINER who is extracting sin from our life and clarifying us so we can stand before Him one day, perfect; so we can present to Him offerings in righteousness.

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Recently while reviewing my teaching videos of Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, I was reminded of one morning when I was praying. The Holy Spirit brought to mind a point to include in a chapter. Noting the point, I continued to pray when the Spirit nudged me, “Write it down now.” My response? “I can’t God, I’m praying.” Oh yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds. I laughed at myself. It woke me to a stark realization, though. Prayer is two way conversation if we give our Heavenly Father a chance to speak to us. We see His desire to have two way conversations throughout the Bible. God and Abraham. God and Moses. Jesus and Peter. They walked and talked together.  We can have that kind of prayer life. My book Bible study, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion can help you develop greater intimacy with God. Prayers of My Heart journal gives you a place to record how the Lord impresses you.

Have you noticed that people in our nation are at odds with one another? “What an understatement!” you may say. And, you’re right.  Rioting in the name of peaceful protests. Name-calling and accusations.  One faction looking at the other as an enemy.  In light of that, did you know Romans 5:10 says we were once enemies of God? Gulp. Not a good position!  How did we get on the right side of God so we’re not His enemy? “We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” It took Jesus’s death to reconcile us to God. The verse continues, “we shall be saved by His life.” No one wants to be on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants to be on the wrong side of God. We have Jesus to thank for reconciling us to our glorious Heavenly Father.

Did you see the movie, Ransom? Mel Gibson played the father of the son who was kidnapped. There was no way the kidnapped son could free himself. The kidnappers demanded the father pay a certain price, a ransom, to get his son back. That’s what our Heavenly Father did for us. We were captives in sin so our Heavenly Father gave Jesus as the RANSOM to pay for our freedom. Was it only our Father’s idea? No. First Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus was in one accord with the Father. “…Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a RANSOM for all.” Yes, our sweet Lord gave Himself as a ransom so we could be reunited with Him and our Heavenly Father forever. How do we become free from sin? We say “yes” to the offer of Jesus being our ransom so we are released from being a captive to sin and Satan.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, our RANSOM, our LORD. 

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you? Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our back.

... the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.

In this verse God is referred to as a rearguard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? In the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. How well are we paying attention with a grateful heart?

Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. Help us be ever sensitive to Your promptings. We love You so much.