Listen to Me

One-minute read.

Listening to and applying God’s word helps us live without regret. Isaiah tells people to listen to him if they want to enjoy righteous lives. Following the law shows people the narrow path to abundant life. Unfortunately, we cannot follow the commandments perfectly, so Jesus came to reconcile us to our heavenly Father.

But we can try. And when we do, people won’t like it. Instead of caring what others think, we put the Lord’s desires ahead of the world, which leads to counter-cultural words and actions. Jesus started a revolution because He went against the norm; living for Him can accomplish the same thing today.

Many men and women have started movements because of their faith in Jesus. Billy Graham’s crusades enlarged the Lord’s kingdom. Martin Luther King Jr. changed a nation with his message of peace and love. Mother Teresa’s impact on the world resulted from her devotion to the Savior. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things for God.

Listen to the Savior, change the world by following Jesus and doing what He did. You don’t have to travel halfway around the planet to impact people’s lives; start with those around you, loving them for the Savior and introducing them to Christ, who can transform an ordinary life into an extraordinary one.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for helping us live righteous lives as we follow Your commands. Please strengthen us for the journey and help us turn the world upside down with Your love.
IJNIP. Amen

Found Favor

One-minute read.

Mary found favor with the Lord, experienced a miraculous conception, and became the mother of the Savior. When God moves, He does so in unimaginable ways; finding favor with the Lord takes you on adventures you can’t perceive. Like the angel told Mary, “Do not be afraid” when God moves in your life.

Ron and I have discussed moving or buying an investment property for the past few years. Every time we traveled, we looked for places and discussed the pros and cons of moving or investing in the area. We decided to move on Christmas day of 2024, both in agreement for the first time.

And so we began praying, asking God to guide us, closing doors He didn’t want us to go through, opening the ones He did. Within six weeks, we closed on our dream home and moved. Everything happened so fast we couldn’t keep up; the doors kept opening, and the more steps we took, the more confident we became.

At times, I felt fearful, but God’s peace quickly descended in those moments. We excitedly await the next chapter of our lives as the Lord begins to unfold His will for us.

Trusting God and living in His favor leads to transformation and abundant life. If we allow fear to paralyze us, we’ll never experience the blessings that await us. Like Mary, we can put our faith in the Creator and live in His favor as we submit our will to His.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your favor, which rules our lives as we follow and submit to You. Please help us live boldly, not allowing fear to stop us from experiencing Your blessings.
IJNIP. Amen

Deliver You

One-minute read.

God chooses His servants with intention, equipping them to complete their mission. When the Lord built the Tabernacle in Exodus, He gave Moses specific architectural instructions, and then the Almighty provided skilled workers to make the moving temple.

We may not feel equipped to do the Lord’s work, but, as I like to remind myself, feelings lie. Taking steps of faith requires us to trust the Lord will provide the stepping stones. Imagine standing at the cliff’s edge and stepping into the open abyss; just as your foot lands, the path appears, and a firm foundation supports you, divine deliverance at the exact time we need it.

Unlike a travel agent who maps out every segment of our vacation in detail, the Lord doesn’t give us our itinerary in advance. Instead, God guides us one leg of our journey at a time, only giving us what we need for today. Sometimes, we may envision where the Lord wants us to go, but we don’t have the road map. When the Creator parted the Red Sea for Moses, He didn’t do it until His obedient servant stood at the water’s edge.

God gives you what you need when you need it. He promises to deliver you, and He will, on His timetable, not yours.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for delivering us from our troubles in Your time and way. Please help us trust You more as we take steps of faith, not knowing what will happen next but trusting You for the victory.
IJNIP. Amen

But Immediately

One-minute read.

Jesus sent the disciples ahead of him on the boat while He stayed back to pray. Verse 25 tells us that during the fourth watch of the night, referring to the Roman soldiers ‘ timetable for dividing up the day from sunset to sunrise into four segments, the Savior appeared to the disciples, walking on water. Between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., with no lights but the stars to illuminate Him, Jesus looked like a ghost to the men on the boat, and they felt fear.

Knowing their fear, the Lord immediately calmed them by identifying Himself. God doesn’t want us to live fearfully for Him, but boldly, not afraid, trusting Him. Often, Jesus takes us out of our comfort zones and leads us into experiences we would never discover on our own. If we allow fear to paralyze us, we won’t live the abundant life Christ died to give us.

Like the disciples, when we focus on Jesus, He will calm our fears, speak to our hearts, and let us know that He walks with us. Whatever anxiety attacks you today, turn to the Lord and let Him comfort your heart, removing your fear and giving you the confidence to walk on water with Him.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for strengthening our hearts when we feel fear. Please help us keep our eyes on Jesus, allowing Him to calm our anxiety.
IJNIP. amen

Cast Your Burden

One-minute read.

Fly fishermen cast their line along the top of the water, then quickly pull it back to mimic flying insects, luring a fish to catch it. Beautiful to watch and hard to do, the angler’s continuous motion mesmerizes onlookers. Unlike spin casting, which sails its bait into the water and waits for the fish to bite. God wants us to cast our cares on Him and not take them back.

Often, when I give my burdens to the Lord, I act like a fly fisherman, back and forth, giving them to God and taking them back. Our Creator wants us to cast our burdens to Him and leave them there, trusting Him to handle the load. God already has a plan for whatever trials we face; giving our cares to Him removes the weight from our shoulders and gives it to the One who has the answers.

Imagine yourself casting the troubles of this day out onto the water, the Lord waiting to catch them. Relax into the moment, experiencing the relief of ridding yourself of the burden. Trust God to sustain you as He takes care of the issue, one way or another. In all things, the Lord rules. We may not see a solution, but the Way Maker will part the seas and lead us to the other side on dry land.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for taking our burdens upon Yourself and sustaining us while You handle the issue. Please let us give all our cares to You today and experience Your peace that surpasses all understanding.
IJNIP. Amen

Chosen Trust

One-minute read.

Instead of focusing on your fears, keep your eyes on Jesus. Chosen trust has intention. We can place our faith in many things, but only the Lord proves trustworthy. Time and again, God protects us from ourselves and others; we can trust Him.

For a long time, I trusted in myself. When choosing my path, I didn’t take advice from anyone, especially the Lord, and I found myself in the pit of despair.

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest”.
Corrie Ten Boom

Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom says it best. When we look at the world, we’ll feel distressed. Focusing within causes depression. But when we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will find rest.

Choose who you trust today. Place your faith in the Creator, aligning your heart with His. Let God do the fighting for you. With the Savior, you have nothing to fear. Man can’t hurt you because Christ gave you victory when He walked out of the tomb. In God, you can trust.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us something to cling to as we face the day’s battles. Please help us remember You and not fear man. Please give us the strength to persevere in the face of opposition.
IJNIP. Amen

My Helper

One-minute read.

Before David fought any battle, he sought the Lord. Knowing God fought for him, the warrior didn’t hesitate to take on Goliath. Like the shepherd boy who took down a giant with one stone, we have divine help to fight our battles.

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1 Samuel 17:45

Knowing where our help comes from gives us the strength to defeat the giants. The Lord assists us, giving us the tools to accomplish His purpose. When David prepared to take on Goliath, Saul dressed him in armor, but it didn’t fit the young boy. Shedding the metal protection, David picked up five smooth stones and relied on the Lord to use his skills to win the fight. As a shepherd, David had honed his stone-slinging technique protecting the sheep, and now God used the boy’s ability to save His people.

Face today’s enemy with the Lord as your helper. Lean into Him and find victory. With divine assistance, you can confidently face today’s giant, knowing God fights for you.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us divine assistance to face our enemies and find victory. Please help us lean into You as we face the giants in our lives, trusting you for all we need.
IJNIP. Amen

Behold God

One-minute read.

God’s constant support and provision help us trust Him. Isaiah conveys his message using words from the Song of Moses (Exodus 15). Relying on the Lord for strength gives us the courage to overcome our fears and seek and serve Him. The more we know scripture, the better we can apply it, recalling God’s promises and standing on the firm foundation of His word.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

My mother instilled the above Proverb into my life, giving me a 5×7 framed print that sat beside my bed for years. At first, I didn’t understand the words’ message, but as time passed and life happened, I began to rely on the promise more and more. Now, the sentence brings me comfort, joy, and peace as I trust in the Lord to make my paths straight.

Rely on God for salvation. Let Him strengthen you for the battle. Christ gave us victory with His death and resurrection; we need not fear man. Live fearlessly for the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for saving us from ourselves, strengthening us for the battle, and giving us victory in Christ. Please help us live boldly for You, not letting fear stop us from accomplishing our purpose.
IJNIP. Amen

My Witnesses

One-minute read.

God promises protection. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, the Lord swore to protect them, and He did. Our heavenly Father sustains us under His wings when we take refuge in Him. Like Pharoah, who witnessed the Israelites’ safety, people see what the Lord does for us. Our light shines into a dark world, glorifying our Creator.

Often, we don’t understand why things happen. The Israelites didn’t know why God rescued them from slavery only to suffer starvation in the wilderness. But then the Lord provided manna from heaven and, as a result, glorified His name. Thousands of years later, the Israelites serve as a witness to Jesus’s followers of God’s divine provision of daily bread. What the Lord did then, He continues to do now.

As Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes, nothing new exists under the sun. God’s word, the firm foundation, still stands strong. We can rely on His promises, allowing the Lord to work through us and, by doing so, become witnesses of His might and power.

Fear not; whatever you face today, the Lord has the answer. Turn to Him and allow God to shine through you, exemplifying His glorious strength.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for protecting us and keeping us from harm. Please let Your glory shine through us, lighting the world around us as we witness for You.
IJNIP. Amen

Greatly Loved

One-minute read.

Daniel receives a divine message from an angelic messenger. Overcome with emotion, the Lord’s servant finds strength from God’s encouragement, ready to receive instruction and direction from above. Once we understand the depths of our Creator’s love for us, giving our lives to Him becomes a natural response to His affection.

We all share a common desire: to love and be loved. Having someone fully accept us, warts and all, fulfills a basic human need. We have that in the Lord. Not only does He greatly love us, but God created us out of His intense love for us.

The Almighty greatly loves you—so much so that God sent Jesus, in human form, to die for you on the cross, defeating death and establishing an eternal connection to the Lord.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

If no one else existed on the Earth, Jesus would still have died for you. God goes after the one, leaving the 99. When someone places their faith in the Savior, the heavens rejoice.

God greatly loves you. Accept that truth today, ponder it, and let it fill your soul with peace.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your great love for us, which gives us an eternal connection to You no one can break. Please help us receive and accept Your love, allowing it to strengthen and encourage us.
IJNIP. Amen