Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. "Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert..." Lord, we wait in anticipation of the "new thing" that You are going to do for us today.   Amen There is something about newness.  It brings with it excitement, anticipation, hope, that better things lay ahead.  Newness is like turning over a fresh page.  This time, we will do it right!  That is why we look forward to the New Year with...

Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20: 15, KJV Heavenly Father, we look to You for wisdom to understand, and rely on Your promise to fight our battles for us, or with us.  Amen This is our second day in this text.  We are going to be looking at another kind of battle today.  At first glance it is not perceived as a battle, but it is.  Some battles are so subtle that we enter them hands down, until we receive...

"...Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." 2 Chronicles 20: 15, KJV Dear Lord, as we look into Your Word today, we pray that You will help us to see clearly that the battle is Yours, and allow You to fight for us.  Amen We may be spending several days on this topic.  There is so much to see and ponder!  Today we begin with the battle that Jehoshaphat faced.  He is threatened by a coalition of nations.  These are seasoned warriors.  They are already on...

o weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. Isaiah 54: 17, NIV Dear God, our hearts leap for joy at the thought that nothing can touch our lives without Your permission.  Amen A young pastor shared an experience that has somehow helped me to put our text for today in perspective.  She and her husband had decided to spend their honeymoon camping at the foot of a mountain.  Suddenly it dawned on her that they were in "bear country."  What if a...

If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not doing your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58: 13, 14, NRSV (The New Oxford Annotated Bible) Heavenly Father,...

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3, NIV Thank You dear Savior, for the assurance that when we need You, You will always be there.  Amen This Psalm is from the Korahite collection and it is believed that Korah the Levite, was a leader of the psalm-writers' guild.  One of the images prevalent throughout these psalms is that of water.  There are two kinds...

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act?Does he promise and not fulfill?  Numbers 23:19, NIV Heavenly Father, how grateful we are that we can trust Your word!  Today may we rejoice in that reality.  Amen I am sure that all of us can relate to how much it hurts to have someone whom we trusted, break their promise to us.  A broken promise can be so devastating, especially for children!  How it pains me to remember the times I have broken promises to my children. ...

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14: 27, NKJV Dear Lord, You are our Peace, and we are waiting to be blessed by Your Word.  Please speak peace to our hearts.  Amen We live in a world that is anything but peaceful.  On every hand, we see, and hear of "wars and rumors of wars."  Yet in the midst of it all, Jesus promises us peace.  There is a true saying, that no one can give what...

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1: 7, NKJV Gracious Savior, we come into Your presence anticipating a word from You; for only Your word brings soothing.  Amen Perhaps the most harmful quality of fear is that it paralyzes.  It is said that one of the most effective methods a lion uses in catching his prey is by roaring.  The sound of the lion's roar petrifies its prey.  Now all the lion has to do is claim his victim.  Fear has conquered.  It is interesting...

 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11: 28-30, NIV.  Dear God, please allow us to enter your presence and be blessed by the truth from your Word; for Christ's sake.  Amen. What was happening in Palestine at the time Jesus spoke these words?  Let's take a look. Jesus had recently given one of the...