Lord God, with gratitude, we thank You for the Victory of a safe passage through another week. Lord, we approach Your Throne of Grace because we are always in need of the spiritual blessings of strength, wisdom, and discernment. Jesus, as we reflect on Your love and faithfulness, we consecrate ourselves to follow You because You are Worthy and deserve all honor, glory, and praise. We ask for forgiveness of our sins of rebellion. Thank You for giving us the Sabbath, a time to rest from our cares, and a time to redirect our faith and focus to worship You in Spirit and Truth. In faith, and with joyful expectancy, we pray in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.
“I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief. You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’ ” (Lamentations 3:55-57, NIV).
“The Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar II, captured the Israelites during the Babylonian Captivity, which was a period of exile for the Jewish people into Babylon.”
“This event marked the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and a forced relocation of many Jews, including prophet Jeremiah, to Babylon as a consequence of their rebellion and idolatry.”
“…we are weary and find no rest.” (Lamentations 5:5).
Jeremiah, known as the Weeping Prophet, lamented in his prayer asking for God to extend mercy and redeem them from their Babylonian captivity.
God’s Promise: “This is what the LORD says: ‘You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.’ ” (Jeremiah 29:10, NLT).
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we agree to follow God’s thoughts and plans for our lives. The Christian Believer’s life is not our own. We have dedicated ourselves to be followers of Jesus Christ, our Shepherd.
“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14). Jesus clarifies that obedience is required to be His follower, to have a relationship with Him, and to receive God’s abundant blessings.
Learning God’s Plans: We remain in right standing with God when we consecrate ourselves through daily prayer asking God to reveal His will for the given day. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures and our thoughts.
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26, ESV).
One of the most discouraging times in our lives is when we must suffer consequences for following our thoughts and making decisions outside of God’s plans. Willful disobedience always bring consequences.
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Clarification: The consequences of willful disobedience differ from suffering trials and hardships.
We experience trials and hardships for spiritual growth and the transformation of our characters. God places limits on the severity of trials and hardships, it would serve no godly purpose for us to be crushed and feel hopeless.
But consequences from disobedience have no boundaries! Following our misguided desires results in making decisions outside of God’s Perfect Will, which equates to intentional self-harm.
Sin Separates us from God: When believers fail to seek God, we may enjoy the benefits of our decisions, but spiritual consequences happen immediately, disobedience separates us from God.
Following our thoughts and desires desensitizes us to the magnitude of our rebellion against God; we can no longer perceive life through spiritual eyes.
The Holy Spirit cannot dwell inside of a believer who is filled with rebellion. Because God loves us, He does not prevent the devastating consequences of our decisions.
Suffering tangible consequences always produces feelings of regret, yet do not focus on how you feel, with surrender and humility, redirect your focus and faith to run to God with a Prayer of Repentance.
God Reveals His Love: “‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 1:3b).
God is Omniscient, and knows every sin that we will commit against Him, still, our Loving Father never abandons us. He loves us, even in our state of disobedience, but we must repent for our rebellion against God.
David’s Prayer of Repentance: Psalm 51:1-4
“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin…”
3 “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight.”
Do Not Embrace Guilt! King David is our ultimate example of committing sins based on desire, repenting, and moving forward in his life.
Emmanuel: God With Us
“This name is more than a personal name; it’s a declaration of God’s covenant presence. It symbolizes God’s closeness and reassurance, a powerful statement of His enduring connection to His people throughout all stages of their spiritual life.”
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3, Amplified Bible).
Through personal worship of daily Prayer and Bible Study, we choose to stay close to God who promises to give us the spiritual strength to persevere through every trial, hardship, and even the harsh consequences. Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we are extremely grateful for Your abundant love, forgiveness, and steadfast faithfulness, even when we choose to rebel against You. We repent of our sins and ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Lord, we seek Your guidance and Perfect Will and Plans for our lives. We love You, and ask this prayer in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayers that listening to this beautiful hymn reminds you that Jesus, our Savior and Shepherd knows and cares for the sheep in His pasture. Pray and trust His Love.
Saul before his conversion was responsible for the death and imprisonment of many Christians including the death of Stephen [Saul gave his approval and witnessed the stoning of Stephen, a faithful Christian].
With the exception of the Apostle John, Jesus’ disciples died as martyrs. If Christ did not restrain Satan’s enmity against Christians, he would attempt to eradicate believers. But Jesus always places limitations on Satan’s Warfare against the righteous.
While Saul was traveling on the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians, from Heaven, Jesus spoke to Saul.
Saul’s Conversion: “As he journeyed he [Saul] came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?…’ “
“And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ ” (Acts 9:3-6).
Not only did Christ completely transform Saul, who after his conversion used the name Paul, Jesus gave the persecutor of Christians the spiritual assignment of witnessing to the Gentiles, and starting the early Christian church.
“Although Paul had Roman citizenship, he was Hebrew by birth. Paul identified himself as both ‘Jewish’ and ‘Hebrew,’ most notably stating that he was ‘a Hebrew of the Hebrews.’ ” (Philippians 3:5).
“In the Apostle Paul’s time, paganism was the dominant religious landscape of the Greco-Roman world, characterized by polytheism and idol worship, which Paul’s ministry challenged by advocating for exclusive devotion to the one true God…”
Paul Proclaims His Mission of Witnessing to the Gentiles: “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it! And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.” (Acts 28:28-29).
The Gentiles were hated by the Jewish leaders and community because their lifestyles and pagan rituals had no boundaries. “Their pagan rituals included idol worship, sacrificing animals, food, and, in some cases, humans, and the practice of sexual immorality as part of worship to their deities.”
From fulfilling God’s mission to preach to the Gentiles, Paul was also rejected by the Jewish community. The Sanhedrin even attempted to coerce the Roman government into executing Paul.
But as a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his right to appeal to Caesar, which guaranteed a trial. But, the apostle remained a prisoner, and many years later was executed by Nero.
“The Apostle Paul was not executed for any specific legal charges, but rather fell victim to Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64.”
During the time of his imprisonment, the Holy Spirit gave the apostle Paul, God’s spoken words that are documented in 14 books of the New Testament.
The conversion of Saul to Paul, the Apostle reveals that when we repent, God completely forgives us of every past decision, behaviors, and actions, including heinous crimes.
Repent: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Like Paul, we repent, receive forgiveness, and move forward by fulfilling God’s spiritual goals for our lives. Christ has won the victory over sin, and through His redeeming power, and from striving to live holy, we are covered with His Righteousness.
The Story of Redemption
Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.’ (John 19:28, 30).
God’s Forgiveness: “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25).
“Justification is God’s legal act of declaring a sinner righteous, not based on the sinner’s merit, but by imputing the Righteousness of Jesus Christ through faith in us.”
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB).
“Justification is the complete act of Grace that provides the sinner with complete forgiveness and reconciliation with God, providing a clean slate rather than changing their inherent character.”
Sanctification: God, the Holy Spirit performs the lifelong transformation of our minds characters and personalities into the likeness of Christ. Still, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit through daily surrender, faithful obedience, renouncing sin, and striving to live holy.
The Fruit of the Spirit is Christ’s Righteous Character
Sanctification: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering [patience], gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, KJV).
The Believer’s Responsibility: “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25).
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT).
Like the apostle Paul, God’s forgiveness includes becoming a new son or daughter in Christ Jesus. We ask God to reveal our spiritual assignment and in Jesus’ strength we fulfill God’s plans for our lives.
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19, NIV).
Two of the most dangerous mindsets are harboring feelings of guilt and believing that God has not forgiven us when we repent of our past sins.
It is impossible to live righteously, or receive Eternal Life if we fail to use our faith to believe in The Plan of Redemption, which includes God’s Love, Grace, Mercies, and His promises to forgive us despite the nature of our past atrocities.
Fact: Satan will use people to remind us of our past. Separation is required from those who desire to confront us regarding our past lives. Neither can we have relationships with people who refuse to forgive us.
1. If it is possible to ask those who we have harmed to forgive us then God expects us to do so. Also remember, we cannot force others to forgive us.
2. If the person is deceased then it is impossible to ask them for forgiveness [“…the dead know nothing.” Ecclesiastes 9:5], we ask God to forgive us, and move forward.
3. If a legal restraining order exists, we pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort the person or people we have injured. Resist the urge to intervene. Once we have asked God to send comfort, we step aside, and move forward.
There were many individuals who remembered Paul as Saul, the former Christian Killer. Even after his conversion, he was often feared, and hated by many who knew his past life.
If you are thinking, Wait, is it this easy to receive God’s forgiveness for my past? Yes, it is!
God’s Answer: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. “(Isaiah 1:18).
To every believer, God knows our past, but, when we ask for forgiveness, God forgives us, and He expects us to move forward in the Power of His Might [Divine Strength]. With God, we will not be able to justify our decision of not “letting the past go.”
Paul tells us how to Redirect Our Spiritual Focus: “…dear brothers and sisters…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” (Philippians 3:13).
Reminder: “Our past decisions and actions were determined by the knowledge, or the lack of knowledge that we possessed at that time.”
“Now, that we are converted believers and live according to God’s Holy Word, we would do things very differently, but there is no opportunity for that.”
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12).
Pray and ask God to reveal His plans for your life, and like the Apostle Paul, move forward in the Power and Strength of Jesus Christ who is coming soon. Yes and Amen!
Bible Study: Acts 9
Prayer: Lord God, create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit of righteousness within us. We ask You to give us the strength to move forward in our spiritual journey as we fulfill our spiritual assignments. Lord, give us the wisdom to live as one who is forgiven, and one who is cleansed from all unrighteousness by the precious blood of Jesus Christ whose Holy Name, we ask this prayer.
“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow Me,’ He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9, NIV).
As Matthew, the corrupt tax collector, sat outside at the tax table, day after day, he frequently overheard many individuals talking about Jesus’ Love, Compassion, messages of Salvation, and the countless miracles of healing He performed on the multitudes.
Although Matthew was despised by the Jewish leaders and community, his social circle included men who were as wealthy and diabolical as himself. Yes, Matthew had everything that Satan offers: wealth, pleasure, social status, and an easy life.
“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33, ESV).
Matthew gave up the sinful pleasures of life and a prestigious job to follow Jesus. The Roman government was Matthew’s employer, and to walk away from a once-in-a-lifetime job that guaranteed forever wealth would destroy any chance of rehire.
Matthew was not intimidated by the cost of following Christ; he trusted that Jesus was exactly who He said He was, “the One sent from God.” The wealthy tax collector who immediately got up [without hesitation and with silence] from the table demonstrated the giant leap of faith that boldly says, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
The same leap of faith required to follow Christ is one that many of today’s believers are unwilling to take. We have been deceived by Satan into thinking that we can serve God and live as we please, but there is no reward for those who are not willing to be modern-day Matthews.
“But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10, NLT). Jesus discerned the Tax Collector’s heart, knowing that Matthew was ready to embrace righteousness; Jesus extended the invitation, “Follow Me.”
Matthew’s decision to follow Christ did not happen at the time he received Jesus’ invitation. From previously hearing about Christ, Matthew used his faith to believe, which invited the Holy Spirit to perform immediate Heart Conversion when Jesus said, “Follow Me.” [In Genesis chapter 1, the Scriptures mention that God, the Holy Spirit, was present with God, the Father, and God, Jesus, the Son.]
Despite the hardships of rejection and hardships that all followers of Christ must endure, Matthew was 100% committed to love and obey God, love others, renounce his former sinful habits and lifestyle, and remain loyal to Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As one of the twelve apostles, Matthew traveled with Jesus for three years [the duration of Christ’s earthly ministry]. Spending time with Christ every day resulted in a complete spiritual transformation of his mind, character, and personality into the likeness of Christ.
The apostle Matthew proves that, despite our past, dedicating oneself to following Jesus results in a new heart overflowing with love, faith, obedience, and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Every day that we consecrate ourselves to faithfully follow and obey Jesus invites the Holy Spirit to perform the life-transforming spiritual process of Sanctification.
“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14, NIV).
Not only will eleven of the twelve men [Jesus’ original disciples], and Matthias who replaced Judas, receive Eternal Life when our Triumphant King comes again, they will also have their names inscribed on the foundations of the New Jerusalem.
Righteousness by Faith: Our greatest desire should be to follow Jesus with love, loyalty, and faithful obedience. We only have one opportunity to become faithful followers, and that is in our earthly lives. Only those who are willing to let go of every desire, pleasure, and material treasure to follow their Savior and Shepherd will receive the Crown of Life. Yes and Amen!
Bible Study: Matthew 9, Revelation 21-22
Prayer: Lord God, create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. We ask You to turn our eyes away from worthless things, so like Matthew, we are willing to follow You wherever You lead us. We ask this prayer in the Powerful Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“Take this Sabbath day to nourish your soul and find rejuvenation in the simple beauty of nature. Like the ripening fruit on a tree, may this Holy Day bring you a sense of fulfillment and purpose.”
“The passage in the Book of Isaiah that refers to Sabbath worship continuing in the New Heaven and New Earth is Isaiah 66:23, which states, ‘And it shall come to pass, that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says the LORD.’ ”
Isaiah 66:23 confirms that God never changed the Fourth Commandment given to humanity to honor and observe the Holy Seventh Day Sabbath.
Yes, Sabbath worship will continue after sin and sinners are destroyed and Jesus Christ creates the New Heaven and New Earth for the righteous to live in eternally, Amen!
Lord God, Your love is amazing. Not only did You leave Your throne, and suffer a gruesome death on Calvary’s Cross for us, but You blessed us by designating 24 hours for us to redirect our focus from the routine matters of life to worship You in the fullness of Your Glory. We ask for a spiritual renewal and empowerment from the Holy Spirit as we honor You with love, loyalty, and faithful obedience. We ask this prayer in the matchless name of Yeshua, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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