Tag: God

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Thanksgiving

Our Eyes Are On You

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“Doxology is always the first line of defense against the dark.”

Ann Voskamp

Over the past decade, Ann Voskamp has been a tool in God’s hands, by which He has reshaped my life, so it should come as no surprise that I am sharing one of her blogs with you while we traipse through some side trails as we await our next journey. The timing is perfect because it focuses on gratitude. However, the content is helpful to our walk of faith and, therefore, perfect for any time of the year. I pray it is a blessing.

Ann writes:

“Watching your little sister get crushed and killed under a wheel when you’re only only four-years-old? That’s a moment that’s going to take decades to process.”

My therapist says it steady, his eyes searching mine, reading my face.

And I turn away, as if not looking into his eyes but out the window, I can turn back all this startling wave of drowning ache.

“I’m kinda worried about you, Annie,” a friend comes looking for me after that therapy session. “You… okay?”

“Yes, of course, I am… and no, I’m not… and yes, I am. You know… ” I smile weakly, bravely, through everything brimming.

Every single one of us is walking through some kind of deep heartbreak, and real life strain, and if you look into people’s eyes, and ask the right tender question, there it is: a fracture of pain right up the side of their one life. Bruised relationships, and draining bank accounts, and weary dreams, and sheer mountains ahead of us, and who isn’t a bit tired of the fight called life?

This world is a broken-heart factory, and it’s full of His glory, and it’s only holding both of those, that you let go and find joy.

Ann Voskamp/Blog/When It’s Kinda Hard to Give Thanks
Read the rest of the story here: When It’s Kinda Hard to Give Thanks
The More We Know

*Note: This is a bittersweet glimpse into her life and a glimpse of just some of the trauma and heartache she has known. If you’re not familiar with Ann and her writings, I encourage you to check out some of her blogs or pick up a copy of her book, One Thousand Gifts.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time

Safe In God’s Hands

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Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

For further reading: Read 1 Peter Chapter 5

Sometimes, I hesitate to use or write about this verse, which has been a crutch and saving grace for almost fifty years of my life. I’ve shared it often as a testimony of how I came to know it when I was in my teens and the many ways He has used it in my life since that day in the little farmhouse in Texas. Yet, really, can God’s Word ever be shared too much? I don’t think so … plus it is the verse that came to mind when I watched the video that I am sharing with you today.

The video is a beautiful reminder of what a difference it makes to give all of our worries and cares to God. I have seen it time and time again in my own life. I’ve seen what happens when I try to handle the worries and cares on my own and what happens when I lay them at His feet or raise my hands in urgency and sometimes tears – saying, “Here, God – please take ‘this’ I can’t carry ‘it’ alone.” I’ve given Him everything from a daughter’s cancer to my sore knees. Yep, He even cares about sore knees and parking places – well, the truth of the matter is He cares for us, so if our concern is a parking place, then He has invited us to give that concern to Him. Before you laugh too hard or perhaps scoff at giving such a seemingly trivial concern to such a great and mighty God – let me share this brief story/example.

I have bad knees, and for the past year, I have been getting injections to help manage the pain. The doctor I see is in a building with limited “close” parking. There is plenty of parking, but you may have to walk a city block or two—or more, depending on the day and time. I learned very quickly to make it my mission to give God the concern – both for a parking place and/or strength to walk as far as I had to. Time after time, I saw a place open right as I pulled in or when I circled for the third time. There have also been days when I found nothing close and ended up in the three-story garage. Disappointed, yes? But not for long, because in spite of the pain, every time I had to walk further than was comfortable, I knew His strength or saw the greater need for another, whom He allowed me to encourage or the one I was able to share Him with along the pain-filled walk.

You see, it wasn’t that I prayed for a parking place; it was that I prayed. I talked to the One who cares for me and placed my care/needs in His hands and then watched to see what He was going to do.

It Depends On Whose Hands It is In! Watch the short Video here

Posted in Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Thanksgiving Worship

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Today’s pathway takes us to Psalm 100 and comes through a sermon my Pastor preached this past Sunday. The sermon features teaching on “how to give thanks” and how thanksgiving can turn into worship. May our hearts be moved to give thanks to the Lord daily and to take up the challenge Pastor Lemming shares at the end of the sermon to read Psalm 100 every day through Thanksgiving Day.

Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with joy.
Enter his presence with joyful singing.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give him thanks.
Praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures,
and he is faithful through all generations.

Psalm 100
Listen to the Sermon here

Pastor Lemming shares the following points on Thanksgiving worship. He outlines the words of the Psalmist to teach us that worship is …

  1. Imperative
  2. Comprehensive
  3. Active
  4. Responsive
    • Because of Who He is
    • Because of What He has done
  5. Expressive
    • There is shouting
    • There is singing
    • There is clapping
    • There is praising
    • There is bowing
  6. Contemplative
  7. Transformative
  8. Persuasive

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Quiet Time

Created With a Purpose

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / w6d5

Scripture: God’s Road Map for Our Journey / Ephesians 2:1-10 (8-10)

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.

Ephesians 2:8-10
Observations and Applications

Much like the confession of the Israelites that we read in our previous day’s journey, what Paul writes in Ephesians chapter two reminds us that, like Israel, the Ephesians and believers throughout the ages—including us—have sinned against God. Paul’s list is explicit – and points to the beautiful truth that God’s grace is greater than all our sin.

  • We were dead in our sins. (1)
  • We were under Satan’s rule. (2-3)
  • BUT GOD… being rich in mercy, love, and grace...(4-5)
  • raised us up to demonstrate the boundless and free measure of grace in Christ (6-7)
  • By this grace, we are saved (through faith), which is a gift of God (8)
  • It is a free gift, not related to or requiring any work so that no one can boast (9)
  • We are God’s creation – created with a purpose – in Christ – to do good works, which God prepared for us to do (10)

Take hope in these words from the LGG Journal entry today:

In our study of the book of Daniel, we first saw that God fulfilled His words to remove the people of Judah from their land if they didn’t return to Him. The people had become prideful and were convinced that God would never remove them from Jerusalem. Yet, what they had not thought possible became true.

The people of Judah were taken to Babylon, a place famous for evil and sin. The 70 years of exile were tough for the people of God. Yet, while God humbled them, he also transformed and restored them.

As God provided for the people of Judah, He has provided in incredible ways for believers. God has given us the gift of faith. We can’t boast as we didn’t earn it and don’t deserve it. There is no place for pride. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives; therefore, we should listen and obey Him.

You can be sure that you are exactly where God wants you to be. Even if, like Daniel, you may be somewhere you wouldn’t have chosen to be, know that God is at work. He is interested in your character and how you choose to live in all circumstances.

Ask God to lead you to the good works He has planned for you. Look for the new opportunities God is now leading you into.

God is at work. His plans and purposes will be fulfilled throughout every season of your life. He can be trusted with your today, your tomorrow, and your eternal home. You are saved by His wonderful grace! Your future is sure. So go and live transformed by God’s amazing love, which saves even people like us!

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, thank You for saving us by Your grace and not according to our works. You have created us on purpose and for a purpose; help us fulfill that purpose to Your glory. Thank You to Your Spirit, who empowers us to do the good works that we were created to do. Thank You that we are no longer under Satan’s authority, no longer dead in our sins – and that we never have to worry about losing our salvation! What a joy to know that it is a free gift from You that no one can take away! Rejoicing in the power and depth of Your grace – in Jesus’ name and Your glory!💜

The More We Know

Don’t miss the last LGG Post of the study –

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Hope For the Exiles

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / w6d3

Scripture: God’s Road Map for Our Journey / Jeremiah 29:1-14 (11)

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 is used to congratulate graduates, comfort those whose lives aren’t going the way they hoped, or encourage those who are facing some of life’s big decisions – but it is important to keep in mind that the verse was initially given to God’s people whose world had just been turned upside down. By God’s own hand, they were living as exiles in Babylon, which I can only imagine seemed like the furthest thing from hope and a future of any kind, but that is precisely the message God sent through Jeremiah, one of “hope and a future” and the reminder that God did not plan to harm them. He wanted them to remember “whose” they were and that He was in control, even when it didn’t seem like it.

It may not have seemed to the Israelites that God even remembered them, but He did, and as today’s journal entry points out, “God was working out His plan of salvation amongst all people, in all places, throughout all time. It wasn’t just for those in exile. God was at work to restore and rebuild what was broken when sin entered this world. From the returned exiles, a descendant would come who would be the Savior of the world!”

As we have seen throughout our journey, the faithless Kings and people of Babylon saw evidence of Israel’s true and living God—who protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace and shut the lions’ mouths to protect Daniel. When Israel’s restoration comes, it will be for all nations to know that He is the Sovereign LORD.

We may not always get what we want, and our plans may not work out the way we envisioned, but this promise of hope and a future is for us as well. Today’s journal entry says it best: “God’s plans involve you! His plans are to use you to encourage other believers and be a light to those who don’t yet know Him. You are the carrier of His hope to the world around you, which is often so hopeless.”

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Heavenly Father, you bring hope to me and this whole world. Help me to trust you, Lord, when my days are in turmoil, and I cannot understand. May I know you as the author and perfecter of my faith. Use me to bring You hope to someone in this hopeless world. – Amen

borrowed from Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, p189
Encouragement for the journey –

Friends, this group is not a place for political conversations, but it is a place for encouragement and hope between sisters and brothers in Christ – which is why I am sharing this verse and the story behind it … The day before the election, when my anxiety started rising again, God reminded me of this verse which we recently read in our Daniel study,

“…the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever HE chooses.” — Daniel 5:21

Regardless of how we voted or the outcome of the votes, we all need to remember that our God, the true and living God, is in perfect control! He rules and reigns over Kings and dominions. He is sovereign over all. 💜

The More We Know

For More Insight, be sure to check out today’s LGG Blog

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Quiet Time

The Reputation of God

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / w6d2

Scripture: God’s Road Map For Our Journey / Ezekiel 36:16-28 (26-27)

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.27 I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative, and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations. Ezekiel 36:26-27

Observations and Applications

Sometimes, God’s Word leaves us wondering why certain things happen, or – as we have seen in the book of Daniel – there are visions recorded that we can’t quite understand because some things are meant to stay hidden from us. As we see in the journal page below, this is not the case with today’s passage and the unfolding events in the life of Israel, the people of God. Clearly, God was very open with what was going to happen and why –

– God was very open with what was going to happen and why –

Through Ezekiel, God makes it crystal clear to the people that His anger had been poured out on them because they had defiled their land with their “evil way of living.” It was detestable to Him, and because of this, God scattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they chose to live. One would think this would have awakened them and caused them to change their lifestyles, yet, from there, it seems to have escalated, as even in the faithless lands where they were exiled, they brought shame to God’s name – to the point that He was concerned about His reputation.

God uses Israel to reveal Himself to the nations – and the same is true of believers in Christ today. God not only uses us but He has called us to be His light to the world. 🦋

The people had failed God, falling short of His glory despite the teachings they were to remember and obey, as well as the warnings God sent them along the way. So, “for the sake of His holy reputation,” God moved to magnify His great name by restoring Israel and making the nations know that He was the LORD. However, we must not miss this vital truth: God did not restore Israel for their sake but for His own. He uses Israel to reveal Himself to the nations – and the same is true of believers in Christ today. God not only uses us to make Him known but He has called us to be His light to the world.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Matthew 5:14-16

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of man, according to the Bible, is simply to glorify God. – Gotquestions.org

One of the ways we glorify God is by walking faithfully in a relationship with Him. Apart from God, it is impossible to glorify His name. As we saw with the Israelites, sin separates us from God (Isa 29:2), not only hindering His glory through us but jeopardizing His reputation. Be encouraged by these words from gotquestions.org: while “sin separates us from God and makes it impossible to glorify Him on our own. – through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, our relationship with God is reconciled—our sin is forgiven and no longer creates a barrier between God and us (Romans 3:23–24).”

Since God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him. King Solomon tried living for his own pleasure, yet at the end of his life he concluded that the only worthwhile life is one of honor and obedience to God (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).

Gotquestions.org
Prayer Response to the Journey

Father, thank You for the reminder that this life You have given us and all that You do in and through us, and the callings You have placed on our lives are not about us – but are meant to be all for Your glory. Help us never to bring shame to Your reputation but to live as lights in this dark world— Let us heed the words of Jesus and not let our light be hidden. Help us to walk with You and talk with You and to live and speak in such a way that radiates Your love and grace to the world around us so that everyone will give You the praise and the honor due Your holy name. – In the name of Jesus – Amen.

The More We Know

Why did our journey lead us to Ezekiel? (borrowed and shared from got questions.org)

Ezekiel ministered to his generation who were both exceedingly sinful and thoroughly hopeless. By means of his prophetic ministry he attempted to bring them to immediate repentance and to confidence in the distant future. He taught that: (1) God works through human messengers; (2) Even in defeat and despair God’s people need to affirm God’s sovereignty; (3) God’s Word never fails; (4) God is present and can be worshiped anywhere; (5) People must obey God if they expect to receive blessings; and (6) God’s Kingdom will come.

Key Verses:

Ezekiel 2:3-6, “He said: ‘son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says.” And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.'”

Further Reading: Romans 5:6-11

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Quiet Time

The Refiner’s Fire

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based on the Love God Greatly study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land/w6d1

Scripture: Our Road Map for God’s Journey / Daniel 11:31-36 (35)

Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.

Daniel 11:35

Today’s journey wraps up our time in Daniel as we look at another vision concerning the end of time. We will spend the rest of our quest receiving further wisdom and encouragement to live faithfully in a faithless land. Because of the complexity of the vision and my previously confessed difficulty in this area of Scripture, I am sharing the bulk of today’s Love God Greatly journal entry, which I believe is a helpful guide and encouragement for this passage.

As with the other visions, questions are raised both in Daniel’s mind and our own. The journal points out that: “while many of these “go unanswered both for Daniel and ourselves, he was told to ‘close up these words and seal the book until the times of the end'” (Daniel 12:14).

“But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone.”

Matthew 24:36

“Many people have spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out the exact historical events and even dates for the end of time.” But as the journal warns us to remember, “we are specifically told we won’t know.”

Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / p 181
Encouragement From Today’s Journey

How you live matters to God, whether you are living in a peaceful season or a challenging one.

LGG Journal / Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / p181

We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven and have this eternal hope: “We are being refined, purified, and cleansed by God.” So, let’s embrace His forgiveness and allow Him to change us from the inside out. 🦋

Prayer Response for Today’s Journey

Father, it is so easy to get caught up in thoughts of our past mistakes/sins/choices. When this happens, it is easy to be tricked by the enemy into thinking that how we live no longer matters. The truth is the enemy doesn’t want us to remember we have been forgiven because he doesn’t want us to walk in the freedom that Christ died to give us. Help us to walk in the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. This side of Heaven, we will stumble, but when we do, You have promised forgiveness – through the blood of Jesus! May Your Refining fire become our sole desire – that we may be purged and cleansed and purified so that You will be glorified in and through us. – Amen, in the name of our Savior – who is Jesus!

The More We Know

For more insight, check out today’s LGG Blog Post

Further Reading Romans 12:1-2

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Be Brave …

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land / w5d5

Scripture: God’s Road Map for Our Journey / Daniel 10:5-19 (11-12)

Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come in response to your words – Daniel 10:11-12 NET

Daniel’s prayers had seemed to go unheard or, at the very least, unanswered – but that was not the case, and the Lord made sure that Daniel knew it. The truth is God always hears the prayers of His people who humble themselves before Him to pray. (Hebrews 4:16 and Matthew 7:7)

As can be imagined, Daniel’s vision was alarming both in content and delivery and challenging to understand. He describes his strength as being drained and his vigor as disappearing – to the point that he was without energy. Bibleref.com gives a little perspective to help us understand the effect the vision(s) have had on Daniel.

So, What does Daniel 10:19 mean?

In an earlier encounter, an angelic messenger referred to Daniel as “greatly loved” (Daniel 9:23). That assurance was repeated by Daniel’s current visitor (Daniel 10:11) and is echoed here, as well. Daniel’s experiences have been overwhelming (Daniel 10:1–2, 9, 15). Yet they are not meant to cause him fear, or to make him despair. Instead, Daniel is being given the awesome responsibility of seeing and recording these experiences. Bolstered by the angel’s help, Daniel wanted to hear the message. His desire to hear what the angel would say is reminiscent of the boy Samuel’s words, “Speak, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10).

Believers can be encouraged knowing the Lord greatly loves them. The apostle John writes in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” The angel also wishes Daniel peace. Knowing that God is in control of every situation gives believers a peaceful mind and a peaceful heart (Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7). Just as the Lord had told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9), so the angel tells Daniel to be brave. – Bibleref.com

Prayer of response to today’s Journey

Father, we don’t always know exactly what Your Word means, but we do know it is truth and wisdom. It can fill us with peace and guard us in all our ways. Thank You for loving us and for faithfully working in our lives—point blank and/or behind the scenes. Thank You for the encouragement that you love, value, and listen to my/our prayers. We are forever grateful and in Your debt. Help us now to heed the angel’s words and not be afraid but to remember that we are very precious to You, our God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong! – In Jesus’ Name – Amen💜

The More We Know
Read Today’s LGG BLOG
Daniel 10 summary +More
Spiritual Battles
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Quiet Time

The Hope of His Compassion

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land/w5d3

Scripture: God’s Road Map for Our Journey / Daniel 9:1-19 (9); Jeremiah 25:3-12

Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. Daniel 9:9 NET

Wow! I know I’ve said it before but it is worth saying again – I am loving this study of Daniel and the various Scriptures from others like Jeremiah and Peter where we get to see the interwoven tapestry of God’s fingerprints and hear His voice in both the Old and New Testaments.

I also love that Daniel is seen chasing ‘Scripture squirrels” as I do. We see it today in verse two of chapter nine, where Daniel describes how he came to understand from “the sacred books” that the number of years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem, would be 70 years. Please excuse me for overusing the word “love” in this post but I simply love his response to the realization that the “end time” wasn’t far off. Oddly enough, his first response wasn’t shouting praises but rather what seems to have been somber, rather gut-wrenching prayer. It was a serious, sackcloth and ashes and fasting prayer. It was a fervent from the-heart prayer of praise, petition, and confession- not just for himself but for the Nation of Israel.

Daniel acknowledged God’s greatness and faithfulness. He confessed the rebellion of the people, who were unfaithful, wicked sinners who had sinned against the Lord God—the great and awesome God. Then, he cites what I call a “But GOD” moment, writing, “YET the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving—even though we have rebelled against Him.“

Over and over, Daniel cries out to God on behalf of His people, Israel. – As I read it, I could hear the depth of his sorrow over the depth of their guilt. Listen to Daniel’s confession: “We have sinned against You! … We have rebelled against You by turning away from Your commandments and standards … We have done what is wrong and wicked … We have behaved unfaithfully toward You … we have not obeyed, we have ignored the messages of the prophets, we have not turned away from our sins … We have not obeyed the LORD our God by living according to His laws that He set before us through His servants the prophets … All Israel has broken Your law and turned away by not obeying You.” Three more times he says “we have not obeyed … we have sinned and behaved wickedly.”

If you have ever heard or asked the question, “So what is sin anyway?” Daniel makes it clear in his prayer that sin is disobedience to, or breaking, the law of God. Ignoring and rebelling against the teaching of God is sin. All of this, Daniel confesses, is worthy of the calamity and humiliation that came upon Israel by God’s own doing. – Jeremiah’s words in Jeremiah 25:3-12 verify the reality that while God allowed the captivity of His people, it was because they had not listened to what God had said through the prophet, which angered the Lord their God. “Thus,” the LORD said to them, “you have brought harm on yourselves.”

Disobeying God is to “break His law,” and this is sin. Sin is deserving of God’s wrath and worthy of exile, but our hope is in this truth that Daniel proclaimed in his prayer: “The Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.” 🦋

Encouragement from the LGG Journal entry, quotes from p163 –

We all struggle with certain sins we wish we could be done with once and for all. We feel bad asking God for forgiveness for the same thing yet again. God is patient, compassionate, and merciful. There can be a sin that you struggle to forgive yourself, and you think, “There is no way God can forgive me for this!” That is a lie. Don’t allow a lie to keep you from turning to Him to ask for forgiveness and receive it. – When you are praying over a sin, keep remembering that ‘the Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5;11B).

Daniel’s desire was for God’s people to worship Him in the temple and throughout the land. His desire was for God to be honored, praised, and glorified. God’s purpose for sending His people into exile was to discipline, cleanse, and restore them in order for them to renew their relationship with Him. So they’d no longer be adulterous seeking after other gods.

God’s intention for both Old Testament and New Testament believers is that they would be a faithful light to the nations, drawing others to Him.

Prayer, Our Response to the Journey

Heavenly Father, You are full of compassion, Your mercies are new every morning, and Your faithfulness is great. Thank You that through Jesus, we can know Your forgiveness for our sins. Thank You for setting us free from captivity to sin and from the law of sin and death. May we learn from the wayward ways of Your people before us and the prayer of Daniel – that we are meant to obey You – we are not to ignore You or stay in our sin. Instead, we are to love You with all of our being – and Your Word says if we love You, we will obey You. Remove any love of sinning that we might have and replace it with an unfaltering love for You, which seeks to bring You honor and glory. – Amen

The More We Know

Be sure and visit today’s LGG Blog- for more insight.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, Quiet Time

Be On Guard

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Living Faithful in a Faithless Land, w5d2

Scripture: God’s Road Map for Our Journey/Daniel 8:1-2, 15-27; 2 Peter 3:8-18 (17-18)

17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. –

2 Peter 3:17-18

Observations and Applications

As I soaped the passage in my journal, I underlined and highlighted, drew arrows, and chased down some Scripture squirrels (all of which can be seen below). As I looked back at my journal entry for today, I was reminded of how it feels when you enter Disney World and try to take in the iconic castle and all of the other sights and sounds that vie for your attention. It’s a bit overwhelming, to say the least. You can only truly appreciate its fullness when you slow down, take a breath, put down your camera, and allow your mind/heart to digest the scene one attraction at a time.

WARNING: Today’s journey through the Word is wonderful but may also be overwhelming. There is much to read and try to tie together. We take in another of Daniel’s visions and its explanation, but we also visit the book of 2 Peter, where we find a warning to be alert, information on the timing and specific expectations of “the day of the Lord,” and encouragement/instructions on how to live as we wait on the Lord’s return. – Much like my experience at Disney, I had to make myself resist skipping ahead and instead slow down and take it all in one verse/detail at a time. Of course, you can do it either way, but to see and appreciate the beauty of how all of Scripture fits together and to better understand not only what Daniel/Israel was dealing with and waiting on then but what we, as New Testament believers, are living through and waiting for now.

I am going to zero in on Peter’s information, instructions, and encouragement, but I hope you will visit the ‘the more you know’ section below and explore the details of Daniel’s vision of the ram and goat.1 While it deals with what will happen at the end of Israel’s persecution, the prophecy and its first fulfillment foreshadow events that will occur during “the end times,” mentioned/detailed in the New Testament.

This same prediction appears to have dual fulfillment. Interpreters see similarity to depictions of the end times: the final era of earth’s history. During that time, a figure known as “the Antichrist” will echo the depravity of Epiphanies. He will be empowered by Satan (Revelation 13:1–4) and only stopped by the return of Christ (Revelation 19:11–16).

Bibleref.com / Daniel chapter 8 overview

I have been known to frequent this passage in 2 Peter, chapter three – specifically for the reminder that the Lord has neither forgotten His promise to return nor is He slow to do so. I find it helpful to recall that His timing is not only perfect but purposeful. It accentuates His patience toward us and His deep love and desire that none would perish but that all would repent and be saved.

Peter gives explicit instructions on how true followers of Christ are to live until that day comes. We must be careful not to believe the twisted versions of God’s Word thrown about by the “ignorant and unstable.” We are to “be on guard,” holding tightly to the truth of God and depending on His Spirit to teach us and remind us of those truths. However, we are not to be idle in our waiting; instead, we are always to be growing in our understanding of the grace2 of Jesus and our knowledge/relationship with Him.

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

John 14:26 NLT

Friends, this is just one piece of our journey from today, but it is the piece that I believe will be most helpful in accomplishing the stated goal of our study and of God’s plan for us in Christ Jesus – which is to live faithfully in this faithless land. May we stay true to this call upon our lives, and may we share the truth in word and deed with those around us – as we wait with hope on Jesus’ imminent return.

Prayer Response to the Journey

Father, You are holy and good—righteous in all Your ways. Help us, as we wait on You, to live lives that shine as lights of holiness and godliness in this dark and faithless land. As Peter encourages us, may we be found at peace, without spot or blemish, when we come into Your Holy Presence. Help us to know the Truth and hold tightly to it so that we do not fall prey to the false teachings of the world. Please, instead of the world leading us astray – raise up an army of Your followers that will lead the world to You – and let us be numbered among the army. – In Jesus’ name!

My two-year-old grandson loves to play the drums (and really, any other instrument) and sing, and more often than not, the song he chooses is an age-old childhood favorite of mine, “I’m in the Lord’s Army.” I couldn’t help but think of the song as I was praying. Oh, may we march faithfully in His army – with the excited exuberance of my grandson but with the full understanding of who we serve and the grace He has poured out on us. May we serve at His pleasure and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior – Jesus, to whom belongs all glory both now and forever! 💜❤️

I may never march in the infantry, ride in the calvary, shoot the artillery – I may never zoom or the enemy – but I’m in the Lord’s army! Yes Sir! I’m in the Lord’s army …

Lyrics from “I’m in the Lord’s Army” / children’s song

Footnotes