Jeremiah 6:17 ” I appointed watchman over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ “

It’s the age-old story of mankind’s rebellion against God.  The Lord appoints prophets to bring His Word of obedience and warning…signaling man’s need to take immediate and dramatic action or pay the price.  But what do we usually do?  We don’t heed His Word, for we want to have our own way.  Our evil hearts ever full of stubbornness and defiance when God says, “Obey Me.”  We hear the trumpet, but choose to ignore it out of spite.

John 2: 25 ” He did not need man’s testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.”

We seldom do something for others totally out of unselfish motives…for usually we have some hidden agenda, whether good or bad.   We’ll do some kind gesture,  with the inner thought of,  “what’s in this for me?”  Or we’ll go out of our way for someone, hoping others will see our sacrifice and praise us for all our hard work.  The Lord knows our thoughts and examines our hearts and will immediately  show us when our motivation is wrong.  For God can bear witness to what lies within all humans…every self-seeking, egocentric, greedy fiber and part.

Joshua 1:6-7 ” Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous…”

In this scripture, God is commanding Joshua to lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land.  To the human mind this was an almost impossible undertaking…moving a vast sea of humanity from point A to point B.  But the Lord is girding up Joshua’s loins so to speak by commanding him to be brave and fearless…to look beyond what he saw  to what God envisioned for them.    The Lord may have a scary scenario coming up this year for you…when He calls, will you step out with the same determination and boldness as Joshua did,  or allow the fear of impossibility  to take over?

Joshua 1:5 ” No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

No matter what, the Lord is there for you.  His presence doesn’t hinge on how good you try to be or how many times you read His Word and pray…No, it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do… God’s always there.  Maybe you’ve been abandoned or deserted by someone in the past,  so now you feel you can’t trust God.  But it’s different with the Lord, for His covenant with you is unbreakable, unchangeable, unshakeable.  Realize today…God will never leave  or forsake you.

Daniel 3: 16-18 ” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ “

The three Hebrew children knew just where their strength came from…there was no need to defend themselves before the king.  For their faith and trust in God enabled them to rest in the knowledge that the battle was the Lord’s, not theirs.  We too don’t need to fight our battles alone…the Lord is standing ever ready to advocate for us.  All He asks is that we walk in faith while He does the work.

My wish for you this Christmas Season

Just think, you’re here not by chance, but by God’s choosing.  His hand formed you and made you the person you are.  He compares you to no one else – you are one of a kind.  You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you.  He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.

Written by Roy Lessin, Co-founder of DaySpring

Luke 1:38 ” ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ “

The Lord has called you and laid on your heart a promise, but like Mary,  you can’t understand how this could possibly happen. Like Mary, you have questions…but also like her, God will faithfully answer them all  in due time.  And in the end, like Mary,  we will need to put our complete faith and trust in God, knowing that what He has placed on our heart will come about. Today you too are  pregnant… you’re pregnant with a promise…a promise that’s about to come full-term.

Psalm 10:14 ” But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.”

The Lord understands the misery and sorrow you may feel today.  He wants to take that pain from you…placing it in His all-powerful  hands and off your shoulders.  If burdens are weighing you down today…entrust yourself to God’s mercy and fall upon His  grace.

Ephesians 1:11 ” In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will…”

You are not a mistake.  No matter what people tell you, God’s divine Will included you as an important part in this world.  He has a unique purpose for your life here on earth…your birth was foreordained by Him…He knew you before you were even conceived.  You are not a mistake, but a valuable part of God’s plan.

II Chronicles 20:17 ” You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you…”

You don’t need to fight those battles alone.  You don’t have to stand unaided in front of the enemy of this world defenseless and vulnerable.  The Lord tells us very specifically in this scripture what our role should be in battle.  We are to stand our ground and commit ourselves to trusting God.  We are to hold our ground, not wavering in our belief that God is in control and fighting on our behalf.  Finally, we are to watch as the Lord works… giving us the victory.