Category: Uncategorized

One-minute read.

Traveling 150 miles through the Desert of Paran, the Israelites came to Kadesh Barnea, the southern perimeter of the Land of Promise. The group felt fear when facing a hot, dry, and rugged plateau, so Moses encouraged them to keep going. Before they would continue, the Israelites asked if they could send a representative to scout the land for them. God agreed, and each tribe sent one man to spy out the terrain.

Often, when the Lord calls us to a new place, we feel fear. When Ron and I purchased our house, I had an anxiety attack. Afraid of leaving my comfort zone for the unknown petrified me. But then my realtor, also a good friend, talked me off the ledge and helped me see the promised land of our new place.

When God sets new land before us, whether a home, opportunity or some other blessing, we must move forward to receive it. Relying on the Lord for strength, we can trust His promises and embrace the blessings He has for us. If we allow fear to paralyze us, we’ll never receive the reward that awaits us.

Move into the promised land one step at a time. Don’t let your fear determine your actions. Instead, focus your eyes on Jesus and keep walking.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for leading us to the promised land. Please help us put our fear in its place and follow You wherever You lead us. Let us enjoy the riches of Your blessings as we trust in You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

When rebuilding the temple, the community feels discouraged because it lacks opulence compared to the first one. Haggai reminds them to put God first, work unto Him, and complete the temple as a sign of devotion, promising that it would become as great as the previous temple.

Haggai’s primary message centers around putting God first in their lives. He indicates that they have an attitude problem, focusing on the physical rather than the spiritual. The prophet wants the people to trust the Lord’s promises as they faithfully serve Him.

All through scripture, we see God asking His servants to trust Him. Noah spent 120 years building the ark, suffering ridicule from people who thought him crazy. Abraham left the known to live in the unknown and experience God’s promises. Moses spent 40 years in exile before beginning the trek through the wilderness. Joshua marched around a city for seven days before the walls tumbled. Ordinary people repeatedly placed their eyes on the Lord and trusted His word, leading to extraordinary lives.

Keep the Son in your eyes, put fear aside, and experience God’s wondrous life for you. The Lord’s Spirit remains in our midst; fear not.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your presence in our lives and Your Spirit that strengthens us. When we become discouraged, help us focus our eyes and attitude on You, allowing You to strengthen our soul.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

When we place our faith in Jesus, the Lord rejoices, and the angels sing. Can you imagine the scene in heaven when a lost soul gives their life to Christ? I remember the moment the Savior moved into my heart, purifying it and giving me a new life. Jesus leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one and rejoices when He finds them.

God knows us intimately, down to the number of hairs on our heads. The Lord knows our thoughts before we think them and loves us unconditionally. A doting Father, He takes pleasure in us, our acts of obedience and faithfulness a pleasant aroma to His nostrils. When we offer our lives as living sacrifices, the Lord rejoices.

Give God reasons to exult over you with loud singing today. Love those who come before you today, pray for your enemies, and when you see a need, meet a need. Do everything as unto the Lord and feel His pleasure as you use the gifts He gives you to serve others. In Him, you will find abundant life. Our heavenly Father reigns down blessings and wants us to share them with others. Let your light shine bright today, honoring God in all you do.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for drawing us to You and giving us new life through Christ. Let us honor and glorify You in all we do today and always. I pray we give You many reasons to rejoice over us in song.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God protects His people, covering them with His wings and giving them a place of refuge. Do you have a favorite place where you like to hide from the world? I love secret places to nestle into and find rest.

As a little girl, I had several. The attic in my brother’s bedroom still has my drawings on the wall. My dad built a shed that had an upper door that led to extra storage, I loved to climb up there and watch the goings on below, no one noticing my presence. And my mom had a mock orange bush beside the garage, creating the perfect hideaway for me.

When I think of taking refuge under the Lord’s wings, I think of places like the ones I mentioned. Offering safety and security, He protects us from the enemy’s attacks. We can find rest in God’s arms when the world overwhelms us. Each morning, as I spend time with the Almighty, He draws me to Him, strengthening me for the day ahead.

Take refuge in the Lord. Whatever fears plague you, give them to the Divine Protector. Experience His peace that surpasses all understanding, hiding under God’s feathers. With the Lord as your guardian, you have nothing to fear; He will keep you safe when the storm winds blow.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for offering a place to find safety under Your wings. Please help us to come to You when life overwhelms us, experiencing rest as we take refuge in You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

At the end of Luke’s previous chapter, the scribes and Pharisees try to provoke Jesus. Lying in wait for the Savior, the religious leaders attempt to catch Jesus in something He says. Christ masterfully handles their manipulations, warning of the Pharisee’s hypocrisy. God’s Son turns the attention to eternal matters, telling His followers to place their faith in the Lord and His kingdom.

Man’s manipulations will not stand against the Lord’s promises. Though people may kill the body, they can’t kill the soul nor take away eternity from those who place their faith in Jesus.

“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:19

God created us from the earth, and to it, we will return. But our souls will find rest in the arms of Jesus, spending eternity in glory with Him. No one can take away what the Lord gives us through faith in Him.

Accepting our mortality gives us the ability to live backward. Knowing one day, God will call us home should motivate us to live fully today. Only the Lord knows when our time on earth will end; until then, we can live abundantly in Christ, not fearing what man can do to us, living only for the applause of nail-scarred hands.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us an eternal home with You. Please help us live today well, knowing tomorrow doesn’t come with a guarantee. In all we do, let us honor and serve You.
IJNIP. Amen

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

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

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

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

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