Look to Abraham your Father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him. Isaiah 51:2 NKJV
 
The bible calls Abraham the man of faith. God called Abraham His friend.
 
God told Abraham to leave his father’s house and go to a land the Lord would show him. Abraham obeyed even though he did not know where God would send him.
 
Abraham did know God would lead him and guide him to the land the Lord would give him. Abraham knew God would go before him protect him and be his rear guard. 
 
God told Abraham, take your only son Isaac, whom you love and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed God.
 
Abraham did not understand why God told him to sacrifice his son. Isaac was the son God promised Abraham in his old age. God said his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God told Abraham he would become a great nation.
 
Abraham never focused on what he did not know. He focused on who he knew.
 
Abraham knew God is faithful. God does not lie or change His mind. Abraham knew God is sovereign. God could do what He said he would do. Abraham knew God was for Him and not against Him. He knew God is Holy and just. He knew God is perfect in every way. 
 
God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
 
Do you want to be called a person of faith? Do you want God to call you His friend?
 
God wants you to have the type of faith Abraham had. The Lord will be with you wherever you go. He will go before you and be your rear guard. If you live your life in faith God will call you His friend!
 
God is speaking to people who seek righteousness. He is speaking to people who seek the Lord. He wants us to look to the Rock from which we were hewn (Jesus). He wants us to remember the hole from which we were dug (the abyss of sin and death)!
 
God called Abraham a man of faith even though he sinned. God called Abraham His friend even though he did not always act like a friend. That is not an excuse to sin. It is not justification for being unfaithful. It is a reason to trust God!
 
When you find yourself going somewhere the Lord is not leading look back to Jesus. Turn back to the Lord in your heart and mind. Remember there is an empty pit somewhere that almighty God dug you out of!
 
Do not focus on what you don’t know. Focus on who you do know. Seek the righteousness God offers His friends through faith in Jesus Christ!
 
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dit.

For the Lord God will help me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set my face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:7 NKJV
 
The Word of God was not given to us as a laundry list of rewards to do things the Lord’s way. Jesus wants us to trust Him for everything. He wants us to know He is trustworthy! 
 
Why do we suffer trials and hardship? Why do we suffer heartache and loss?
 
Some bible teachers say if we can muster up enough faith we will only experience good circumstances. God wants everyone to be rich and healthy. God’s people should never suffer lack and want. 
 
God does not want us to suffer needlessly. He wants to bless and prosper us. God’s ways are not our ways.
 
We should not tell people they will never suffer if they can muster up enough faith. They may fall into discouragement and despair when they do suffer. They may begin to doubt their faith when they are overtaken by hardship and trials.
 
God will bless and protect us. He will prosper us. Jesus will take us to live in His Father’s House. We will dwell in His presence where there will be fullness of joy forever.
 
We live in a fallen world. The only thing of perfection found on planet earth today is faith in Jesus expressed in love. We can taste a slice of heaven here the on earth through faith in Jesus!
 
As a young man I served in the United States Marine Corps. To become a Marine I had to endure boot camp. It was eleven stress filled weeks of trials and hardship. Only an experienced drill instructor knows what it takes to make a Marine. 
 
God knows what it takes for you to you to trust and rely on Him. He knows how to make you a blessing to other people. The Lord knows what it will take to fill your heart with His love. God knows what it takes to mold and shape you into the image of His Son.
 
Jesus knows the great and mighty works He will accomplish in you and through you when you have completed your training! 
 
Only God knows the blessings He Has in store for you. He knows the eternal rewards that await you in heaven. Only God knows the width and depth and height of His great love for you!
 
Trust Jesus to help you on your journey through the stresses, trials and hardships of life. Set your heart on the joy to come when you finish the course God has assigned to you. Fight the good fight of faith so that you will not be ashamed at the Lord’s return!
 
Do not trust in human resources. Set your heart on Jesus. He will help you!
 
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Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. Isaiah 49:1 NKJV
 
Isaiah is making a bold statement. He is saying listen to me everyone. God called me by my name to serve Him before I was even born!
 
Isaiah believed God created him for a purpose. Isaiah knew he was not born by accident or random chance.
 
God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 
 
God knew you before your birth. The Lord called you by name before He created you. You not born by accident. Your DNA was not determined by random chance. God has a purpose and a plan for your life. Jesus is calling you to serve Him!
 
How will you serve Jesus?
 
Will you serve the Lord in the quietness of your own heart? Will you serve Him by praying for your friends, family members and neighbors? Will you serve Jesus by living a quiet life of obedience to God?
 
Will you stand up in the midst of a perverse and faithless generation and declare the truth of God to the lost, the lonely and the brokenhearted? 
 
Years ago my wife and I made a living as the SonShine Clowns. I was also a balloon artist. It was an amazing way to share the love of Jesus with children and families.
 
I still volunteer for balloon decorating at church. I also made balloons for children at special events. I am blessed when I can use my gifts to honor Jesus by serving people!
 
The Lord used a back injury to bless me with a gift I can use to serve Jesus.
 
How does Jesus want you to serve Him?
 
You can use any gift or talent the Lord gives you to serve Jesus!
 
God’s plan for your life includes expressing your love for Jesus. The Lord’s plan for your life includes leading other people to Jesus. Be a light to the next generation. Lead people to Jesus by living in obedience to Him!
 
Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Isaiah responded by boldly saying, “Here am I Lord! Send me!”
 
Today Jesus is calling your name. How will you respond? Will you answer as Isaiah did?
 
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Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; Isaiah 44:24 NKJV
 
God allowed His people to suffer consequences for their actions. God judged His people. He disciplined them. He punished them. God sent His people into exile. He never stopped loving them.
 
The Lord did not turn His back on Israel forever. He never gave up on them. God promised to heal them from the hardness of their hearts. God promised to restore them as the apple of His eye.
 
Before meeting Jesus I suffered consequences for my actions. I chose to live separated from God. My heart was hardened from years of sinful living.
 
I went to sleep in the trailer where I lived alone. I laid down in hopelessness and despair. I woke up feeling like something dramatic happened. I couldn’t remember what it was. I felt like my life had changed. I could not explain how.
 
God ministered to me during the night. He gave me hope in a supernatural way. God encouraged me in a way no one else can.
 
No matter how hopeless your circumstances may seem God can bring healing and restoration into your life!
 
You may have lost your home. You may have lost your job. You may be ill or handicapped. You may have suffered the loss of a loved one. You may have even lost the zest for life. Perhaps the darkness of hopelessness and despair has overtaken you.
 
Whatever the circumstances God has not stopped loving you. He has not turned His back on you. The Lord has not given up on you. 
 
You are the apple of God’s eye. He will not abandon you in your time of need. Jesus can deliver you from trials and circumstances even if you brought them upon yourself.
 
You may not be able to figure out how God will deliver you. You may not be able to comprehend the blessings God has in store for you. That is not a problem for the Lord. Jesus wants to encourage you today!
 
Jesus has been calling you out of the darkness of despair into the light of His love. You have ignored Him for so long your heart has hardened. You rejected His love. You withheld yours from Him. That can all end today. Jesus is waiting to give you a new life!
 
The Lord appeared to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. He will show up at the cross roads of your life. Do not harden your heart against Him. Embrace His love. He will change your life. The God who formed you wants to redeem restore and transform your life!
 
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Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6 NKJV
 
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one. Isaiah 44:8 NKJV
 
God created the heavens the earth. Nothing can exist apart from the giver of life.
 
God identified Himself as the King of Israel. He did not call Himself the King of Babylon, the King of Egypt, nor the King of Assyria. He chose Israel over the great and powerful nations that ruled the world. He chose Israel to be His special possession!
 
A king not only assumes authority over his people but responsibility for them.
 
Today God is speaking to you. He is saying “you are Mine. I Am the First and the Last. I created all things. All things exist in Me and because of Me. I am Your King!
 
I created you to live in a special relationship with Me. Our relationship is based on My great love for you. I have called you to be my witness. I have called you to testify of my great love for my people!”
 
A man at the prison where I worked told me he did not feel his life had value. Every time he was released he went back to using drugs. His drug use led him back to prison. I asked him if he knew how an items value is determined. He said he wasn’t sure.
 
An items value is determined by what another person is willing to give for it. I told him his life is so valuable God sacrificed His One and Only Son for him. In the Lord’s eyes you are a treasure whose value is beyond measure!
 
Do you know how much God loves you? God has given His best to bring you back into a loving relationship with Him. He will continue to move heaven and Earth to draw you even closer to Him.
 
How will you respond to the Lord’s sacrifice for you? How will you respond to His great love for you? Will you value your relationship with Jesus as much as He does?
 
A witness can only testify to what he or she knows first-hand. It cannot be heresy, rumor or second-hand information. Call out to the Jesus. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you. Show Jesus how much you love Him!
 
There is no other God besides Jesus. He is the King of heaven and earth. He paid the ransom to redeem you from sin and death. He did it because He loves you!
 
Don’t be afraid to declare your faith in Jesus Christ. He put you on the earth at this time in His-story to be His witness and testify that there is no other Rock to stand upon!
 
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You are My witnesses, says the Lord, And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. Isaiah 43:10 NKJV
 
There is only one God. He existed before time began. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the beginning and the end. He is not constrained by time.
 
A god is one who is in total control of all things. There can only be one God. God does not share His power or authority with anyone or anything!
 
You did not evolve from apes. You did not crawl out of the primordial ooze. The Lord created you in His image and likeness. You are an eternal being created to live in a loving relationship with Jesus.
 
Your Heavenly Father wants you to spend eternity basking in the Son Light of His love.
 
God places such great value on relationship He desires your love above all things. Jesus wants you to know Him intimately. He wants you to experience His majesty and glory. He wants you to experience His love.
 
God is love!
 
The Lord’s capacity to love us and receive our love is beyond human understanding. We cannot grasp the depths of His love for us on this side of eternity.
 
Many people saw Jesus when He walked among them. The did not recognize Him. They despised and ridiculed Him. They rejected and reviled Him. The beat and tortured Him. They would have taken His life and erased His memory if that were possible.
 
Can you believe the words of a God you cannot see when you are surrounded by people who live as if He does not exist? Can you obey the commands of a God the world scoffs and scorns at? Can you receive the spirit of a God the world rejects?
 
Jesus is calling you to be His witness. He wants you to testify of His great love for us!
 
How will you respond to God’s call? If God calls you as a witness will you step up to the witness chair? If God calls you to give an account of His great love will you tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth? 
 
Every person who served the Lord since the beginning of time had one thing in common. They honored God. Will you honor the Lord today?
 
Will you honor Jesus through the way you live? Will you honor Jesus by living in obedience to Him? Will you honor the Lord by standing up and declaring the truth to a world that denies all that is good and holy?
 
Obedience to Jesus is the evidence of your love for Jesus. Honor Jesus with your love!
 
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But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you O Israel: Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. Isaiah 43:1 NKJV
 
Behold I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth, Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
 
God comforted Israel. He revealed Himself as God in the heavens above and on the earth below. He wanted Israel to know He created them to live in relationship with Him.
 
God told the Israelites, “You are Mine, Fear not I have redeemed you.” The Children of Israel fell short of the call to be a special people holy and set apart for God. The Lord rescued them. He brought them back into His will and blessing.
 
God is speaking these same words to you today. Do Not Be Fearful. God has redeemed you. He has called you by your name. The Lord is doing new things in the lives of people who are called by His name today. 
 
God tells not to be fearful because our world is full of danger. The fast pace of life, increasing knowledge and continuously evolving technology produce fears that were unknown to our ancestors. Jesus is neither surprised nor perplexed by them.
 
Walk in humility before Jesus. Live out loud. Be bold as you journey through this world.
 
The Lord will make a road for you through the wilderness of doubt and unbelief. Jesus will make rivers of living water well up within the dry places of your heart! 
 
The God who hung the stars in the night sky and calls them all by name has given you His name. You bear the name of Christ because the stamp of His image and likeness is on you!
 
In biblical times names were significant. They revealed a person’s character. They represented heritage and family history. They could even be prophetic.
 
Jacob did not change His name to Israel God did. He will change your name in eternity.
 
To those who overcome God will give a precious white stone. On it will be a new name that no one knows. It will be a name so special it can only be revealed to people who know the love of Christ!
 
Do not be deceived. It was Almighty God who created you and formed you. Do not be afraid of anyone or anything. Jesus bought you back from the kingdom of darkness. He knows the name He will give you because you are His. He loves you!
 
Jesus is doing a new thing in your life even now. Ask the Lord to reveal it to you!
 
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Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV
 
Paul the Apostle was not looking for disciples. He was not getting his name out there so he could become rich and famous. Paul was leading people to Christ. He wanted people to follow Jesus not him!
 
Before I was saved a friend came by to study the bible with me. His teaching contradicted scripture. I told him I was going to look for a Christian church to attend.
 
My friend told the term Christian means Christ like. He said I should not attend a church that professes to be Christ like but is not. He attempted to use the truth that we all sin and fall short of God’s glory to lure me into a cult.
 
Paul infers that we should not follow him when he is not walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Paul knew he would make mistakes. He did not want anyone to follow him anywhere God was not leading.
 
Paul had no confidence in himself. Paul trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him and guide him so other people could follow him to Jesus! 
 
You and I are not perfect. We don’t have it all together. Our confidence should not be in ourselves when we step out in faith. We should not trust in our ability to lead anyone anywhere.
 
God wants us to trust the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us so other people can follow us to Jesus!
 
The Lord wants us to be imitators of Christ. He wants us to lead other people to Jesus. You and I can be Christ like. We can be Christ like by allowing Jesus to form His life in us and live out His life through us.
 
Jesus wants you to stand up and declare your faith in Him so other people will be encouraged to declare their faith in Him. The Lord is calling us to stand up and point people in the direction they should go. The direction we should go is toward the Cross.
 
We can lead people to Jesus because the Lord works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure!
 
God loves you. He wants you to love Him. He wants to love other people through you! 
 
None of us has anything of eternal value to say to anyone. Jesus has much to say. Today He is saying; Imitate Me so you can lead people to Me!
 
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And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God-my God-will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 28:20 NKJV
 
The man God called “a man after My own heart”, wanted to build a temple for the Lord. It pleased God and yet He said to David, “You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.” 
 
David’s son would build the Lord’s temple. David drew up the plans. He assembled the materials. He organized the people of Israel. He called upon them to support Solomon in the work God called Him to complete.
 
At the end of his life David encouraged Solomon to be strong and courageous. To be faithful to complete the work God set before Him. He reminded Solomon God would be with Him every step of the way!
 
David called on his son to complete the work he started. He called on Solomon to put the Lord first in all he does as the king of Israel. David instructed his son to serve God whole heartedly without fear or reservation all the days of his life. 
 
David did not choose Solomon to build the temple. Solomon did not decide on his own to build a temple for God. The Lord chose Solomon to build His house. 
 
God has work for you to complete. You will not be alone. God will be with you every step of the way.
 
Be strong and courageous. Do the work God calls you to complete without fear or reservation!
 
The Lord God-Our God will never leave you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work He sets before!
 
Jesus is calling you to serve Him whole heartedly without fear all the days of your life!
 
No man chose you to do the work God created you accomplish in Him and for Him. The Lord chose you to serve Jesus for His glory and for the good of the people who love the Lord.
 
Trust Jesus to be with you. Trust Him to prepare you and enable you to complete the work He sets before. Trust Jesus with your greatest dreams and desires all the days of your life!
 
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The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had. 1 Chronicles 13:14 NKJV
 
David, the priests and the people of God went to Kirjath Jearim to bring the ark of the covenant back to Israel. It was a joyous event. They played music and worshiped on the journey. The ark belonged with the household of God.
 
As they were traveling with the ark in a new cart the oxen stumbled. One of David’s men reached out to steady it. The anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza. God struck him because he put his hand to the ark. He died there before God.
 
David failed to obey God’s commands for how the ark was to be moved from one place to another. David’s carelessness and disregard for the holiness of God resulted in death.
 
David became fearful of the Lord. He left the ark in the home of a man named Obed-Edom. God blessed Obed-Edom and his household for honoring the Lord in his home.
 
God blesses people who honor Him in their homes!
 
My wife and I have six children. We have had seasons of great joy and seasons of sorrow and heartache in our home. I have been careless and disregarded the holiness of God. My family suffered the consequences.
 
My wife and I have been praying for healing. Today one of my children called. He is coming home. I sense the hand of God restoring my family.
 
In my quiet time I ask the Lord to bless me by not allowing me to go my own way. I ask God to help me follow His path. I ask Jesus to hide His desires in my heart. When the Lord grants the desire of my heart I want them to be the desire of His heart!
 
The Lord blesses people who choose to live according to His will and purpose. He blesses us even when we are careless. He blesses us despite our sins failures and mistakes when incline our hearts to Jesus. He blesses us because He loves us!
 
Honor the Lord in your home. Remember that God is holy. Trust Jesus to bless you, your household and all that you have!
 
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