Category: Isaiah

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In Your Presence

Yesterday, I heard a wonderful teaching that captured my heart.

The pastor was teaching from Psalm 27, particularly verse 4:

“I ask only one thing, Lord: Let me live in your house every day of my life to see how wonderful you are and to pray in your temple.” verse 4 CEV

And then he asked, if you could only ask the Lord for one thing what would it be? Let me ask you the same question. If you only had one prayer, what would it be?

King David answered it this way: Let me live in your presence and see how wonderful you are each day!

What an amazing thought! Living each day in the presence of God, consciously. Oh yes, we can quote the verse that I will never leave you or abandon you, but do we really practice the presence of God on a daily basis?

Or do we just go about life and when things get too tough, too big for us to handle on our own, we call out to God?

This is by no means a condemnation; I didn’t receive it that way. It is an invitation to be in the Father’s presence constantly, learning from Him, experiencing the peace that only comes from Him.

“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:11 CEV

Another translation of this verse says “In your presence there is fullness of joy”.

I sat here this morning, being quiet before the Lord, enjoying the knowledge that He is here. He is closer than my next breath. The Father has invited me to seek His face, finding joy and peace.

“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.” Isaiah 26:3 CEV

And then my heart began to sing.

“There is nothing worth more
That will ever come close
No thing can compare
You’re our living hope
Your presence Lord
I’ve tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of love
When my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence Lord

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

There is nothing worth more
That will ever come close
No thing can compare
You’re our living hope
Your presence Lord
I’ve tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of Love
When my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence Lord”

I encourage you to take time to sit in the Father’s presence and embrace His beauty; experience His joy and peace! There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, more wonderful than being in His presence!!

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Pure & True

Reading the Bible is much like a treasure hunt for me. I know that God’s word is packed full of nuggets and I want to find each one.

This morning, I found one that I want to share with you.

“They took advantage of the poor and stole what little they had. But the Lord knows what they did, and he says,
    ‘I will rescue those who are poor and helpless, and I will punish those who hurt them.’

6 The Lord’s words are true and pure, like silver purified by fire, like silver melted seven times to make it perfectly pure.” Psalm 12:5-6 ERV

God’s word has been tested, as if by fire, and it is pure. Purer than silver that has completed the refining process. There is no imperfection in His word. He does not alter His promises.

God cannot and will not lie.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERv

“His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. 11 His teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who obey them.” Psalm 19:10-11 ERV

“ Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

“Grass dies and flowers fall, but the word of our God lasts forever.” Isaiah 40:8 ERV

God’s word will last forever. It is pure, it is true, it is trustworthy!

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Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord oh my soul – oooooooooo my soul and worship His holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul, oh my soul and worship His holy name!

I love waking up singing praise to the Father! I know He likes it too. The Psalms tell us that He inhabits the praises of His people, that means He lives within our praise. I love it – just love it. We all have reason to praise. Yes, we do…

If God has been doing amazing things in our life, we have reason to praise. If we have been going through a particularly dry spell, we have reason to praise and if we are living in a disaster zone right now, we have reason to praise.

Psalm 103:1-5 for those experiencing the good things.

“With all my heart I praise the LORD, and with all that I am I praise his holy name! 2 With all my heart I praise the LORD! I will never forget how kind he has been. 3 The LORD forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, 4 and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads. 5 Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle.” CEV

For those who think life has been dry and unproductive – nothing is happening, not good or bad, Isaiah 41 speaks to you.

“The poor and needy look for water, but they cannot find any. Their tongues are dry with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer their prayers. I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die. 18 I will make rivers flow on dry hills. I will make springs of water flow through the valleys. I will change the desert into a lake filled with water. There will be springs of water in that dry land. 19 I will make trees grow in the desert. There will be cedar, acacias, olive trees, cypress, fir trees, and pines.” Isaiah 41:17-19 ERV

And for those who have been going through some really rough stuff, there is Philippians 4.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy. 5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:4-7 ERV

And for anyone who doesn’t feel included above, we have David’s instruction in Psalm 34.

“I will always praise the LORD. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the LORD. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the LORD with me! Celebrate his great name.” Psalm 34:1-3 CEV

Praise brings strength to our lives. As I said at the beginning, the Lord inhabits the praise of His people and when we are in His presence there is fullness of joy.

Want more joy – want more strength? Begin to praise the Father who created you – the Savior who died for you and the Holy Spirit who indwells you with power!

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Why Not?

It’s been a particularly interesting week, and it’s only Wednesday. Here we are at the end of February, two months of this year have passed. Sometimes the idea of quitting, whatever it is that you’re doing, seems tempting.

Why not?

I was talking to the Lord about that very thing this morning. Do you want to know what He said?

“…those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:8-10 NLT

Don’t give up! Keep doing good – there’s a time of harvest coming.

I remember the days when we were farming alfalfa. Here in Arizona we got about 10 cuttings of alfalfa a year. That’s a lot of hay and all the baling needed to be done at night when the air was cooler and we had the right amount of moisture.

Toward the end of summer I would be so tired, I just wanted to get one full night’s sleep. Dave did too. But there was no time…there was the irrigating, swathing, raking, baling and repeat.

I found it very reassuring that the Lord knew about farming. “At just the right time we will reap a harvest”. So sure enough, we’d keep going and then we would see the harvest.

We learned to lean into God in our weariest of days.

“Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 NLT

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLT

The Lord invites us to rest. In fact, He commands it. It is one of the Ten Commandments.

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:3 NLT

We’re more productive when we rest. We’re healthier when we rest. I’m going to circle back to Psalm 23. We have been looking at it all month and it’s an appropriate Scripture for today’s blog as well.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength…” Psalm 23:1-3 NLT

Maybe you feel like you’ve been in a battle or maybe it just seems like you’ve been farming night and day. The battle, or the work, might be physical, financial, relational and you need a rest. We all do.

Even Jesus would separate Himself from the crowds and the work of ministry to go to a solitary place and pray. He would find those green pastures in time spent with His Father in prayer.

Follow Jesus’ advice. Come to me all who are weary and find rest.

Come rest but don’t quit!

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No Greater Love

I’m sure you’ve all heard the expression “Take one for the team”. This can be used in the context of sports, military, family relationships, business experiences – in just about every walk of life. And nowhere is it more applicable than in our spiritual lives.

The very purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to take one for the team. Without his selfless sacrifice there would be no eternal life for any of us. He left heaven to live a heavenly example on earth. He became sin when dying on the cross so that we could live redeemed from sin. He took our sickness, our anxiety, our depression, our death so that we, through Him, could walk free!

Thank God for His marvelous provision through Jesus.

” 4 The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. 5 But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain.” Isaiah 53: 4-5 ERV

It’s impossible to look at the severity of the crucifixion and not see the love of God.

“We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:20-21 CEV

His death brings us life. His anguish was for our peace. His stripes are for our healing. His darkness moment of separation from the Father, brought us to the throne room where we find help in time of need.

“ Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

There’s an old hymn we used to sing. “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow”.

“ The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” John 15:13 CEV

There is no greater love than this!

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A Message for the Ages

For years I have shared messages from Psalm 23 but recently I was told about a book, “Don’t Give the Enemy A Seat At Your Table”, by Louie Giglio and it has reinforced all that I have understood about the message of that Psalm.

This morning I’m going to share a few excerpts with you.

“A Table in the Conflict – Verse 5 of Psalm 23 is one of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture, and we’re going to dwell on this verse in expanding circle for much of the rest of this book, so I wanted you to see some of the truths that led to this point in the psalm first. A beautiful twist is found in this verse. Remember how it says that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies?…

God has prepared a table right in the middle of the battle. That table is laden with the richest of fare — and it’s all good food for us to eat — yet that table is set right in the midst of the chemo ward. God has set out the silverware, and He’s invited us to come and dine with Him — yet that table is right in the middle of our family being pulled apart. That table is right in the middle of job stress. It’s smack-dab in the middle of relational tension. It’s directly at the center of the hardships and arguments, the misunderstandings and persecutions, the depression and the death. Whatever we are battling, internally or externally, the table is right there in the middle of the trouble, at the epicenter of conflict.”

There we are in the midst of life crises and the Lord, our Good Shepherd invites us to sit down and eat. He wants us to dine with Him, focus on Him, even though we are in the presence of our enemies.

There is not one enemy or a combination of their forces that is greater than the presence of our Lord. His power and His presence bring peace in the midst of the storm; He brings joy; He brings salvation. He brings His love to the table!

“You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest, and you fill my cup until it overflows. 6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23:5-6 CEV

I was asked recently, “how do you keep from worrying when things are so bad?”. The only way I know to do that is by keeping my focus on the Shepherd and not on the enemies.

“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.” Isaiah 26:3 CEV

“ You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLV

Living a focused life is not denying the enemies that surround us or the hardships that come our way. No. Jesus said to his disciples:

“ I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

This is a message for the ages. Be brave, I have defeated the world. Now, come and sit down at the table with Me. Let’s eat and have fellowship together!

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Needed Support

There’s an interesting story about Moses that has been going through my mind for the past several days. It’s the story of a battle, persistence and helpful companions.

“When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites. 9 So Moses told Joshua, “Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God.”

10 Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. 11 The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he lowered them. 12 After a while, his arms were so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. 13 That’s how Joshua defeated the Amalekites” Exodus 17:8-13 CEV

As the Israelites were going through the wilderness on their way to the land of promise they faced enemies and had battles to fight. From the beginning of this journey God promised to lead them and fight for them. Moses had a shepherd’s rod or walking stick when God first spoke to him. He was to be God’s voice to the pharaoh and His deliverer for the people.

“Moses asked the Lord, ‘Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?’ 2 The Lord answered, ‘What’s that in your hand?’

‘A walking stick,’ Moses replied… 5 the Lord said, “and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Exodus 4:1-5 CEV

Moses’ walking stick became a sign of God’s power and that’s what he took to the battle against the Amalekites that day. As long as Moses held the rod in the air, Joshua was victorious in battle. But when his arms grew tired and he lowered the rod circumstances changed.

Moses’ two companions, Aaron and Hur, got Moses a rock to sit on. The battle worn on, Moses’ arms got tired, so Aaron and Hur held up his arms and the battle was won.

I prayed “Lord, make me a friend that will hold up weary arms in a battle”.

This morning the Lord put together a few more Scriptures for me.

“Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand.” Psalm 145:13-14 CEV

“Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. 4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid!” Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4 ERV

“ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

The rock that Moses sat on was a physical boulder but the rock we stand upon is God’s indestructible word.

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ERV

If you are in a battle and you feel weary, I pray that you have friends who have you sit on God’s word and help lift your arms to heaven. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Lift your hands to Him.

“ So put away all pride from yourselves. You are standing under the powerful hand of God. At the right time He will lift you up. 7 Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7 NLV

Just know that each morning when I complete this blog, I pray for each and every one who will read it. I pray that God will make His word, this word, real in your lives.

Lift up your hands. Let God’s word be your firm foundation and find your victory in Him.

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Seek Jesus

This morning started with a song and then a verse. The song: In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, Give me Jesus!

Yes, Father let me see Jesus in His glory and His love. That’s my desire.

Then the verse:

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.
7 Give up your evil ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the Lord our God.
He will be merciful and forgive your sins.” Isaiah 55:6-7 CEV

Seek is an old-fashioned word. In this translation they use the word turn, in others they use search. The meaning is the same – look for the Lord.

When we rise each morning, we should be looking for the Lord. Great things happen when we seek Him. Let me give you just a few examples.

Of course, the most publicized seeking came from the wisemen. Their journey of searching lasted months, even possibly a year or two. (Matthew 2)

Nicodemus, the religious leader, came to Jesus at night. He was concerned about his reputation. (John 3 spiritual healing)

The woman who had a blood disorder braved the crowds coming to Jesus. (Mark 5 physical healing)

The man with leprosy did the same thing. (Matthew 8)

Then there was the army officer with the sick servant. (Matthew 8)

Let’s see who else sought to be in the presence of Jesus – the man whose daughter died, the demon possessed(emotional healing), the blind and the lame, those who had all kinds of diseases and sickness. They all came seeking Jesus.

Then one of my favorites is Zaccheaus. (Luke 19 healing from greed and dishonesty)

“Jesus was going through Jericho, 2 where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. 3-4 Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.

5 When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.’” Luke 19:1-5 CEV

Not once did Jesus turn any of them away. Not once did he say, “You’re not worth it. Go away you’re bothering me”. Jesus came to “Seek and to save the lost”. Luke 19:10

I hope you are saying with me, “in the morning when I rise, I seek You Jesus”. I can promise that when you seek Him, He will find you and life will never be the same.

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More “Good” News

I’d like to share a story with you this morning that sometimes gets overlooked in the Bible.

John the Baptist and Jesus were second cousins; their mothers Elizabeth and Mary were cousins. John had been raised knowing his purpose in life was to prepare the way for Jesus. When Jesus started in ministry, His first stop was the shores of the Sea of Galilee where He was baptized by John in water and baptized by the Holy Spirit descending as a dove from heaven with the anointing and power of His Father.

John’s testimony of Jesus was great! He spoke with unwavering conviction of the “One coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to unlatch”. John preached with such power against sin that he angered the political elite.

He was thrown in prison by a lust-filled man and a revenge-filled woman.

This is where today’s message begins. John’s followers have come to prison to tell him what they’ve heard about Jesus. So, John sent them to Jesus.

“When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?’ ”

21 At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. 22  Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. 23 God will bless everyone who doesn’t reject me because of what I do.” Luke 7:20-23 CEV

Jesus could have answered their question with a simple yes, but he didn’t. He let the miracles tell the story.

The blind see – good news. The lame walk – good news. Evil spirits are being removed – good news. Lepers are being healed – good news. The deaf hear – good news. The dead are raised – good news. The poor are hearing good news.

Good news. Good news to those receiving a touch from Jesus and good news to John who knew the Old Testament scripture about the Messiah.

“The Spirit of the Lord God has taken control of me! The Lord has chosen and sent me
to tell the oppressed the good news, to heal the brokenhearted, and to announce freedom
for prisoners and captives. 2 This is the year when the Lord God will show kindness to us
and punish our enemies.” Isaiah 61:1-2 CEV

The message and ministry of Jesus is just the same today. It’s Good News!

Good news to the sinner and the sick; good news to prisoner and the king. Good news to young and old. Good news!

“The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has chosen me to tell good news to the poor.
He sent me to tell prisoners that they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again.
He sent me to free those who have been treated badly 19 and to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness.”

20 Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the helper, and sat down. As everyone in the synagogue watched him closely, 21 he began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard me reading these words just now, they were coming true!” Luke 4:18-21 CEV

Good News! Jesus came to tell US the good news!

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Every Morning

What things do you do each morning? Well, there’s the obvious. Getting out of bed, making the coffee, brushing teeth, getting dressed, having something to eat, checking your email, kissing your mate. All of these are good, very good, but one is excellent.

“They are to stand every morning and evening to thank and praise the Lord. ” I Chronicles 23:30 NLV

Yes, there is no better way to start the day than thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness.

We are told to come to Him with our cares and our weariness, come with our heaviness, come with our pain. Come with our praise because He is God.

“ O Lord, be kind to us. We have waited for You. Be our strength every morning. Save us in the time of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2 NLV

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

When we don’t receive instant answers we can get discouraged. Our mind begins to tell us that God isn’t interested in us or that our needs are too small. There is nothing farther from the truth.

“O Lord, in You I have found a safe place. Let me never be ashamed. Set me free, because You do what is right and good. 2 Turn Your ear to me, and be quick to save me. Be my rock of strength, a strong place to keep me safe. 3 For You are my rock and my safe place. For the honor of Your name, lead me and show me the way.” Psalm 31 NLV

Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged. Continue to put your hope and trust in the Lord.

“The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them.” Psalm 145:17-19 NLV

Every morning, as sure as there is a sunrise, the Lord is faithful. Trust Him.

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