July 6, 2025

Restoring Our Nation - Psalm 80:1-19

Throughout the Old Testament, many times Israel, even though they were God’s chosen people, would stray away from Him and follow after the ways of the world! Many appeared to have lost hope, it looked as though that defeat was inevitable. Asaph, in desperation, turned to God, he cried out, asking Him to “shine forth.” Asaph was honest with God, admitting that His people had made mistakes, they had failed to honor Him. He asked God to have mercy and hold back judgment. Asaph was confident that God would save them, he reminded Him of the many ways He had helped them in the past and he asked God to consider their condition and do a mighty work. Three times, Asaph asked God to restore this great nation, to “shine forth” and save His people! He cried out for revival! As we celebrate the birth of America, we too, are in desperate need for God to “shine forth” and save our great nation! We too must humble ourselves before God and cry out for His mercy, repent of our wrongs and ask Him to restore us! Our nation hasn’t gone too far! As long as the Spirit of God is in this world, and there’s a people that will call upon the name of the Lord, He will hear us, and restore us for His glory!

July 12, 2025

Being Consistent - Deuteronomy 10:12-13,  And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Moses begins chapter 10 by relating God’s persistent attitude of love and compassion. He talks about God’s consistent acts of faithfulness and blessing toward His children. The chapter concludes with a call to God’s people to be equally persistent and consistent in their relationship with God. Being consistent is key to our drawing closer to God! Because of the busy nature of our lives, and the strategies of the devil, we’re constantly tempted to put off or push aside the need to daily pursue the presence of God. John 15:4 records a command of Jesus, He tells us to “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”. To abide is simply being consistent in spending a portion of our time daily in the presence of God! Don’t pop in for a quick chat when it’s convenient or only when a crisis is going on, but daily let’s be aware that God is looking to you and me to strive to be equally consistent with Him as He is to us!  

July 20, 2025

“Perfect Rest” - Matthew 11:28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

‭‭We have all experienced temptations, trials, and suffering at some point in our lives. We will be confronted by pain, whether through sickness, loss of loved ones, separation of family, or a broken relationship. While no one is immune, Jesus promises us rest in the times of weariness. Generations before, the psalmist declared in Psalm 46:10 to “be still” and know that I am God.” One translation says "cease striving". This is an expression indicating that our best response is to simply trust in the heavenly Father. We don’t have to respond out of a heart filled with anxiety, anger, depression, or revenge, nor do we have to fix everything in our own strength. As we "cease striving,” we’ll learn to trust in God more and more each day. He is our source of strength and the rest for our souls!

July 27, 2025

Be Of Good Courage - Joshua 1:1-9

One of the words God uses over and over in the Bible is courage. He wants us to be courageous when doing what He asks. One of my favorite passages is in Joshua 1:7 says, “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest”.

What does it mean to have courage? The simple definition is; strength in the face of pain or grief. It’s the ability to keep going when things aren’t going the way we thought they should. We all have been discouraged. We’ve lost battles we thought we should have won. We’ve suffered defeat and wondered where the strength would come from to keep going. How do we find courage in those times, we trust in God! We trust in our relationship with Him! We look on past experiences of how God has strengthened, of how He has delivered and moved on our behalf before. As we pray and trust in God, we will be overrun with great courage, we will radiate with confidence knowing that not only will we win the battle that we’re facing today, but ultimately we will win the war! Joshua was strengthened, he was courageous and victorious because he trusted in God! Let’s be strong and courageous, walking with great confidence that God has called and chosen us to fulfill the plan that He’s set for this generation!