by Linda Knight Inspirational Christian devotions, faith, hope and love
Author: nofearlinda
I am a retired public school teacher that has developed a love of writing. God has lead me to write after many years of study and a life full of experiences. God has shown Himself faithful as I desire to share His love and unlimited character with others.
Besides writing, I love to quilt, cook, garden and travel. I enjoy spending time with my grandson, friends and family.
As I approach the Lenten Season and prepare my heart, I have been in prayer about what direction God has for my writing. In the past I have done short books in the New Testament, Psalm passages, Attributes of God, provisions I have in Christ, etc. This year God has laid on my heart to dive into the book of Isaiah. I have loved the poetic nature of Isaiah since first studying it with Bible Study Fellowship in about 2005. A lot of it seems very difficult to understand and filled with judgement, yet it remains one of my favorites as it constantly reminds me of God’s power, might and love. There are promises to claim from this wonderful book and you gain a glimpse of God not seen elsewhere in regard to God’s person and His Son. It is filled with prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ when he was on earth and more looking towards His future return. It is a book of hope that can and does speak to us today.
Here are some fun facts I learned recently:
The Bible has 66 books, Isaiah has 66 Chapters.
Isaiah is easily divided into 2 sections like the Old and New Testaments. Chapters 1-39 are about the coming judgement for sin and the anticipation of the hope that is coming in Christ (like the Old Testament message) and 40-66 tells us of the coming Christ and his kingdom (like the New Testament). The first section has 39 chapters like the Old Testament has 39 books and the second section has 27 chapters like the 27 books of the New Testament.
The book of Isaiah is often referred to as the gospel of the Old Testament as its message shows us the coming gospel message and its messenger, Jesus Christ.
Chapter 1:18-20 gives us a glimpse into God’s heart and His provision of hope. He desires that we come to Him for cleansing and renewal. He then warns us that without intervention from the Holy One of Israel, God Almighty, we will be perish. Christ is the Holy one, the Only one, who can Save us.
“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. 19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. 20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Isn’t that what Lent is all about? It is a time for humbling ourselves before Almighty, Holy God with a repentant heart. Seeking Him and what He has for us, redemption, and cleansing which we cannot obtain on our own.
As we look towards Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season may you anticipate a message from God for your heart from Isaiah.
I love this Valentine and keep sending it each year as the message is timeless and the graphics so true.
The cynic might say Valentine’s Day is the day for florists, candy and card makers to earn a great deal of money. I walked into a local supermarket yesterday, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of flowers, cards and candy that were on display. On the love side, Valentine’s Day is a day when we can express our love for one another freely and not be thought of as sentimental or mushy. How about God? How does God express His love for us? Here is a familiar verse that gets right to the heart of God.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For He did not sent his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17
How much more love could God show towards us than sacrificing His only Son on our behalf? He loved us that much. He sent Him so that through faith in Jesus we could be saved and not condemned. Only sinless Jesus could erase our sin and present us whole and perfectly clean before our Holy God.
When you say ‘thank you’ today for a Valentine gift you receive, a card, note, flowers or someone simply saying ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’, think about thanking God too. Thank Him for sending Jesus. Thank Him for making a way for your salvation and eternal life with Him. That is the best Valentine I can think of that is filled with all of God’s love for now throughout eternity.
The last of my selected verses on Obedience is 2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
God spoke to Solomon in a dream and said if he walked in His commands he would be blessed with a long life. 1 Kings 3:14 “And if you walkin obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Later in 1 Kings 11:38, God told Solomon, “If you do whatever I command you and walkin obedience to me and do what is right inmy eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” Here God says walking in His commands would result in a generational legacy of faith. Both of these are benefits of walking with God and following His pathway, His truth, His Word in our lives. The Apostle John adds something else to obedience in 2 John 1:6. He says that walking in God’s ways, keeping His commands is a walk of LOVE. This love is not only towards God but towards all those that live in and around us. Our perspective on life is to be one of love. Jesus explained this in Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
When one is seeking to live in obedience to God’s Word by following His commands, our first priority is to love God! Our love should be all encompassing in that it involves our heart, soul and mind- our whole being. God wants all of us not just a portion. What would that look like in our lives? Being sincere about our commitment to God and the practice of being involved in Bible Study, prayer and worship. Ask yourself, why do I do what I do? Is it out of love for God? If our motivation is out of love, it will flow and help us commune with God on a new level and totally immerse us in His love. If it is not done our of love for God, it will be a constant struggle and stain on our lives.
The second priority for walking with Jesus in love is to love others. John states this in 2 John 1:6 ‘his command is for you to walk in love.’ I love John 13:34-35 where Jesus tell us, “A new command I give you: Loveoneanother. As I have loved you, so you must loveoneanother. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you loveoneanother.” The love Jesus is talking about here is sacrificial love for one another. What would walking in love sacrificially look like in your life? Would it mean going the extra mile to help someone in need? Would it mean speaking to a stranger or friend about the love of Jesus? Would you mean praying diligently for those who are lost, hurting or seeking God’s help in their lives?
Obedience is not just giving lip service to God and his commands but LIVING Them in LOVE. The blessings of living a life of love is brought back to you in abundance. You are at peace in your heart, mind and soul and you can and will experience God’s blessing of a life lived for Him and be leaving a legacy of faith behind you.
My journey into the area of Obedience continues as I look today at Psalm 128. The focus of verse 1 is explained in this short and beautifully worded psalm.
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.
The first point the psalmist makes is that obedience brings blessing. The obedience is specific as it is about walking in the fear of the Lord. This fear is not panic or terror but reverence and awe. Keeping the Lord with you each day as a loved and cherished companion, knowing He knows right from wrong and will guide your steps, is this kind of obedience. The psalmist also points out that walking in obedience to God daily will bring blessings to your household and all of your family. I love this idea that walking with God reflects on those around you for good. By your words and deeds you will make Him known. Paul gives us this idea when he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:14 ” The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” When we walk with Jesus, His grace is on us and poured out to others in His name. This is a beautiful thought to ponder and absorb. Your life has meaning in Him and will impact others for Jesus!
The psalmist also make the point that a life lived in obedience will reflect the peace of God and bring prosperity to our life and the lives of our children. Peter opens his second letter with this same idea. 2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God promises grace and peace to those who follow Him and Peter tells us that God has given us all we need to see and live in that peace and to do it with abundance. Is your life peaceful? I’m not talking about being free from conflict, but do you have worries about your eternal future? Do you know that you belong to Him no matter what happens? Is your life filled with abundant love from God? As you look into His Word, do you see His love for you and His peace? Consider Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: Whilewewere stillsinners, Christ died for us.” and John 14:27 “PeaceIleave with you; mypeaceI give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” God promises His love and peace for us. It starts when you receive Jesus as your savior and repent of your sins. It will continue into eternity! Now that is love in abundance and bountiful peace that we did and do not deserve!
Seeking to walk in obedience to Jesus and show His love to those around you today. You will be blessed!
Now that I have my word for the year, I need to delve into the scriptures I’ve chosen. There were 4 scriptures that resonated with me and 2 I chose for my focus verses.
The first of my 4 verses that I chose is from 1 Samuel 15:22. King Saul was anointed by Samuel, the priest, as King and blessed by God. The Lord gave him instructions on how to deal with the evil Amalekites. He was to completely destroy them and not take any plunder at all. Saul mustered his army and went to battle with the Amalekite King. He won the battle but took King Agag prisoner and took his flocks as his own. Here is the story after Saul returns from battle, 1 Samuel 15:13-29
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”
Did you notice that King Saul did not obey the Lord’s commands but says he did in verse 20. He thought that partial obedience was obedience. Does that sound familiar? When God requires us to not murder or covet, yet we hold murderous or covetous thought in our minds that is only partially obeying the Lord. When God requires us to keep the Sabbath holy, yet we feel it is okay to miss church or not ever go because we don’t feel like it or it interferes with our rest time that is partial obedience. When we believe in God and desire to follow Him but only do it half way that is partial obedience. King Saul only partially obeyed the Lord and choose what he wanted to do instead. He kept King Agag as a trophy to parade before the people as a symbol of their victory and they only kept the best of the sheep and cattle and killed the rest. To compound this sin of disobedience, Saul tries to put the blame on his men. He said his soldiers brought back the best sheep to use as sacrifices. God tells King Saul what he thought of his partial obedience in verse 22. You thought to bring the best sheep as sacrifices to me, said the Lord, but I’d rather have total obedience. Don’t try to cover your disobedience with an excuse. As a result, God removed the throne from King Saul and his descendants. Later Samuel anointed David king but he had to wait 14 years before Saul to died in battle. During those 14 years, Saul tried to kill David repeatedly and remove him as the future king. His plans always failed as God protected David and his kingship was established.
What do we learn about obedience in this story? God requires that we totally, wholeheartedly follow Him. He wants our total surrender to His ways and plans. Partial obedience = disobedience. This concept is hard to see sometimes as we like to rationalize how our doing part of what God wants and see that as okay with Him. Looking at this story, God wants it all. The glory for the battle victory belonged to the Lord and was not Saul’s to take as his own. They were ridding the land of an evil group of people. By partially obeying the command, we see later in 2 Samuel 1 that David was still fighting the Amalekites and one actually came to him and reported Saul’s death. God knew the Amalekites would continue to be a thorn in the side of Israel, influencing them with their evil ways and God wanted that influence gone. The parallel for us is that God knows the evil or worldly influences He desires eliminated from our lives. He desires our wholehearted devotion. By only being partially obedient to Him, we are allowing those influences to remain in our lives and leaving ourselves open to temptations and sin.
Where do you need to be obedient wholeheartedly, not partially? Are you only partially committed to Bible Study or daily reading of the Bible? Do you only go to church when you feel like it or do you make it a priority to worship God each week? Where do you choose the majority of your friends? Are they from the world around you or from others believers? Friends can be a powerful influence on you as well as those you can influence. Ask yourself, where is most of my influence coming from? Who do I need to influence for the Lord?
Ponder this verse and examine your own obedience and ask God to show you where you are only partially obeying Him. He will reveal this to you as you seek Him, then repent and seek to be totally obedient. God desires obedience as it pleases Him. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Linda
Here are a couple of quotes on this subject- old and new.
It has been a slow start to 2023 for me. After giving the challenge on January 2, I have been silent on my choice of a Word for the year. I have been in prayer and the Word God has given me is Obedience. There are lots of good connotations that are connected to this word as well as hard one too. So I went in search of related words that would help me refine and define more fully obedience. I took the words and placed them in a graphic to give me a visual representation to post in my office. My related words of heart and soul, love, keeping commandments, fear of God, blessings, heart, service, love others and love Him have really helped me see a broader aspect of Obedience. The related words came from verses I referenced on obedience.
The scriptures I found that spoke to my heart were:
Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” I personalized this verse and put my name in the place of Israel so it reads for me: “And now,Linda, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”
1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
As you can see the words in my graphic came from scripture and helped me see a direction for my obedience. The Lord will define more fully what He means for me this year in the way of obedience first to Him, then my obedience to love and serve others as I am serving Him. I am looking forward to what God will show me this year, 2023, and how He will use my obedience to Him to bring blessings into my life.
I pray you have found the Word God has given you for the year already or are still pursuing it. God promises if we ask he will answer, and if we seek Him and we will find Him. Keep on knocking.
Many Christians celebrate ‘Epiphany’ on January 6. It is a celebration of the arrival of the 3 Kings, the Magi, the Wise Men in the Christmas Story. This is a celebration of Christ’s birth, his childhood experiences and marks the end of the Christmas season for many by removing their Christmas decorations. Here is the scripture of this event from Matthew.
Matthew 2:9-12 “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
The Wise Men heard directions from local king Herod, saw the star begin to move again and followed it. It was important that Mary and Joseph were still in Bethlehem so that prophecy would be confirmed that Jesus was indeed born there. However, they could have been anywhere and the star would have led them to Jesus. When they saw this ‘king’ they sought, their first reaction was one of worship and praise. They must have realized that Jesus was god incarnate. There must have been something about him that showed his Sonship even then as a babe. They knew that this was the child they had been seeking. Their gifts were lavish and worthy of a king. Gold was fitting a king, frankincense was used in worship and myrrh in burial. These costly gifts were undoubtedly used by God to save His Son in the days ahead. God intervened in the Wise Men’s journey as He warned them not to return to Herod. God knew the evil intent in Herod’s heart and mind and thwarted him so that he would not find out where Jesus was. God providentially brought the Magi at just the right time to just the right place for His Son and his earthly family.
What are you looking for this New Year? Are you seeking to find God more fully? We are promised in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That is a promise every seeker can claim with assurance. Open His Word, join a Bible Study, fellowship with other believers and God will show Himself to you just as He promises.
What would be your reaction to Jesus? If you were with the Magi, would your be overwhelmed with a desire to worship and praise Him? Would you know Jesus? In John 10 Jesus assures us that we would know Him. John 10:14 ““I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheepknowme.” John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” No matter where we are we will know Jesus as He lives within us and His Spirit testifies with our spirt. Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifieswith our spirit that we are God’s children.’ Being a believer in Jesus, we can be assured and claim these promise. No worries- He knows us and we know Him!
What gifts would you bring that would be fitting for our king? Romans 5:17 speaks of the gift given to us through Christ, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Do you seek to bring your faith as a gift to God? It is His gift to us by His grace and is worthy to be brought back to Him and presented with all thankfulness.
Do you want to be in the right place at the right time like the Magi? If so, begin anew in 2023 to seek Jesus, listen for His voice and make worship a matter of priority. You will be blessed with increased faith and a peace that comes only from knowing Him.
While you are pondering and praying over what your word will be from God’s Word for this year, let us continue the Christmas Story. Matthew 2:1-8 recounts the story of the Wise Men who came in search of Jesus.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Herod was an evil king who was appointed ‘king of the Jews’ by Rome. He was remembered for his cruelty, greed for power and his great building projects. He was a Jew but as we can see by the text, he did not know scriptures well. He greeted these foreign Wise Men and found the answer for them as to where the child might be. However, in requesting them to return and tell him where the child was so he could go and worship him, we know this to be a power motivated request so he could eliminate his competition. Herod wanted no one to be more powerful, have his title or live to tell about it.
Since the Wise Men would have seen the Star of Bethlehem in the sky when Jesus was born and it would have taken months for them to travel to Jerusalem, most scholars put their arrival about 1-2 years after Jesus’ birth. Mary and Joseph had decided to stay in Bethlehem after the census. We do not know if it was required that they stay or that they were reluctant to travel again with a young child. The providential hand of God was at work in their staying as they were right where they needed to be when the Magi appeared. It was a fulfillment of scripture and confirmed for history that Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem. The gifts provided by the Wise Men allowed Mary, Joseph and Jesus to escape the evil king Herod’s grasp, as we will see.
What can we learn about the Wise Men and God from this portion of the story? The Wise Men were seekers from the east. They had to have been men of means as they had the funds to undertake this lengthy journey in search of the child. They wanted to find this child of God to worship him. That speaks to me of their profound curiosity and conviction that the child they sought was ‘special’ and to be used of God. They must have had faith in Almighty God and have known His power in their lives. God is an integral part of this story as He caused the Wise Men to see the star in their studies. He put curiosity into their minds to discover who the child was and a desire to go and worship Him. The Wise Men acted upon their curiosity and traveled months to find Jesus. God allowed them to come before Herod and protected them from harm. God’s guiding hand can be seen in the coming and going of the traveling Wise Men.
Where is God leading you? Are you interested in pursuing things of God? Are you willing to ‘put things on the line’ to pursue what God has presented to you? What motivates you to go in search of Jesus? Each of us are seekers like the Wise Men. We need to be sure we are going to the right place for our directions and listen to God daily as we seek to live in this world filled with Herods who would seek to destroy us and our faith. Be sure to check God’s manual for living, the Word of God, the Bible for the best directions for living and then pray and listen to God. Just as He guided the Wise Men, He will provide and guide you as you focus upon Him.
As we enter this New Year of 2023, it is time to think about what God has in store for you. One way to do this is to have a Word from His Word to be your focus. I have done this for several years now and have found it to be uplifting for my faith and walk with God. God amazes me how the Word He gives me is repeated continually thought-out the year. Many times it is encouraging to my walk, sometimes instructive but always guiding.
I would challenge you to pray about this as you read and study this week. Ask God what Word He would give you from His Word for this new year. He may give you more than one word to pursue so do that and see where He leads you. The Word you have for your focus has others that are or will be related to it. Make a list of your main word and then 5-10 related words. God will guide you to hone and zero in on the Word He has for you. Now that you have your list, look to scripture for verses that use your word or words and see how God guides in choosing focus verse for the year. I generally end up with 1-2 verses.
Here are some verses and words to get you started:
Joy- Psalm 16:11, Psalm 63:7, Habakkuk 3:18 or James 1:2
Grace– John 1:16-17, Romans 3:24, 2 Corinthians 12:9, or Ephesians 1:7
Peace- Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 5:9, John 14:27 or Philippians 4:7
Or you may choose to examine words like: unity, compassion, mercy, steadfastness, stability, generosity, service or enough. When examining words like these you need your list of 10 related words to aid you in your search. Have fun with this and make it an adventure in listening to God and hearing what He has to say to you about your New Year!
May God encourage you as you seek His face this week and look to Him for your Word from His Word.
I know I do not know what the New Year will bring into my life, but I do know the one who knows and faithfully cares for me. Here are some scriptures to encourage you as you look into the New Year: (be sure to read the note to self at the bottom)
God is faithful and His mercies are new each and every morning. Lamentations 3:21-23 “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” I can cling to God’s character as I traverse this year being assured of His unending love for me and His faithfulness to those who believe in Him.
God cares for me. Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” I can depend upon the goodness of God, His protective nature and His care for me.
God a plan for my life that is good. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Whatever this year may hold, I can trust in God’s plans for my life as they are good and filled with hope. My future is secure in Him.
God’s salvation plan is secure because of my faith in Jesus. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
God’s promises are true and He is always with me. 2 Peter 1:4 “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” I know God has given me His promises so I can live rightly for Him without fear. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” I do not need to live in fear of them- the world, enemies, bad economic and difficult times, because God is always with me. I can depend upon His faithful character.
May you look to the New Year with hope and anticipation of what God will do in and through your life in 2023! The world is constantly changing and often not in a good way. But we can remain steadfast and plugged into God as He is constant and will not change on us. Hebrews 13:8 is a promise to hold onto, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. Praise God we have a faithful, immutable God to lead us in 2023!
Fearless Living 