When I encounter trials, I always ask myself, “what?” Not necessarily what is going on, but, what I the Lord trying to teach me through this? I have found that it is the Lord’s desire that we always learn during our trials and are strengthened during our trials.

Deuteronomy 8:3-4 tells us, “ ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

Yes, we may hunger, but the Lord’s desire is for us to remember that “man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord”. I encourage you today to begin changing the question you ask. We learn nothing from asking “why”. But, we can be strengthened when we ask “what”.

I pray for blessings today for you today on your Journey!

How many times, during trials, do we ask “where did God go”? It always seems that when we are enduring our deepest tribulation, we assume that God has abandoned us. Why do we assume that when the Bible tells us something different?

In Deuteronomy 8:1-2 we read, “8 “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. ² And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

God reminded Israel that when the were “forty years in the wilderness”, “remember that the Lord your God led you all the way”. When you feel like you are in the wilderness and facing trials, remember that the same God that led Israel in the wilderness is the same God that is leading you. Where did God go? Nowhere. He is right where He has always been.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

I was recently reading a newspaper article about a penguin that swims 5,000 miles every year to visit a Brazilian man who nursed it back to life after he found it covered in oil and dying on a beach. Not only is it amazing that the penguin makes that journey, the penguin and the man have also developed a friendship. The penguin allows the man to pet him, feed him and the penguin also wags it tail when the man approaches (like a dog). Researchers have interviewed the man and observed the penguin and have stated that “they have never seen anything like it”. As amazing as this story is, did you know that there is another story that is more amazing?

We read in John 3:16, “¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Yes, the penguin may travel 5,000 miles to see his friend, but Jesus came further to see you. It is appropriate around Easter for us to be reminded that there is no limitation to what God will do for you, there is no limitation to measure the length of God’s love for you.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

 

“Why did this happen?” It is a question that we have all asked. It is a question that we have all heard. Unfortunately, it is also a question that rarely gets answered to our satisfaction. Sometimes, things will happen if we are not obedient to the Lord.

Numbers 33:55-56  tells us, “ ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. ⁵⁶ Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’”

If the Lord is calling you to action, there is a reason. It is not up to us to decide whether nor not it makes sense. But, we do have a choice. If you choose not to be obedient, we must be aware that there will be consequences. The Lord warned Israel that if they did “not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you“, then “it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’”

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

How many times do we get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget about God’s plan in our life? Yes, we may at times remember, but for the most part, it is our schedules, our hobbies, our jobs that dictate and determine who we are. Why are we so quick to forget that God is in control?

In Numbers 33:38-39  it states, “³⁸ Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.”

This passage should serve as a reminder to all of us that from the moment we are born til the moment we die, God is in control. If you find yourself today forgetting this point, I encourage you to take time to remember what and Who should be important to you.

I pray for blessings today for you today on your Journey!

Most of you are aware that the name of our church is “Journey of Faith”. There are several reasons why that name was chosen. “Journey” was important to me because our church is truly a “Journey” of faith. Only the Lord knows where He is taking us. Each day, we move forward in faith trusting in His plan and His purpose. What has been interesting to me is looking back over all that the Lord has done in the church. In fact, I believe that it is critical to all of our walks to remember where the Lord has taken us.

In Numbers 33:1-2 we read, “33 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. ² Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points:”

The Lord commanded Moses to write “down the starting points of their journeys”. I believe that the Lord also commands us to write down our starting points and every point along the way. With each day, take time to write down praises to the Lord for His love and greatness. Take time to write down thanksgivings for answered prayers. Take time to write down the lessons learned. Take time to remember and rejoice in how the Lord touched you that day.

I pray for blessings today for you today on your Journey!

We hear many times from people that we cannot hide our sins forever. Eventually, it will be discovered by someone — a family member, a friend, perhaps a co-worker. It is one thing for people to tell us this, but did you know that God also warns us of this?

In Numbers 31:23 Moses states, “ ²³ But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. ”

The Bible tells us that “your sin will find you out”. We cannot hide from a God that is everywhere, knows everything and is all powerful. Give your sin to God today so you can enjoy the most of your relationship with Him.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

Have you ever been working on a project with a team of people and not everyone was “doing their part”? It is very frustrating to be working hard, dedicating your time and resources, but others just sit and watch. When we are on a team, we are all expected to “do our part”. Did you know that God has the same expectation for us?

In Numbers 31:6  it states, “⁶ And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?“

We are all called to go to “war” everyday with our brothers and sisters. The Lord has given us the weapons. He has given us the anointing. He has given us His Son.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

There is a lot of conversations taking place, right now, in America about the right to bear arms. Some believe that it is a right and should be protected as freedom. Others, believe that we need tougher laws, perhaps even eliminating the right to bear arms at all. Now, I am sure that most of you think that I am talking about guns, but I was actually talking about the right to bear our spiritual weapons (God’s Word) freely.

In Numbers 30:3 we read, “³ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian. God commanded Israel to go do battle against the Midianites, but Moses first reminded them, “Arm some of yourselves for war”. 

While there are people in our country that would like to take away our right to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, eliminate any reference to God in public and criminalize being a Christian, it is our responsibility to “Arm some of yourselves for war”. Each day, remember to arm yourselves with the Word of God and proclaim Jesus to a world that is lost and broken. Israel won victory over the Midianites and God has already won victory over the darkness in this world.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey today!

As hard as we may try, we will always break oaths, promises and vows to each other. Unfortunately, it is not just with each other, but we first break our promises, oaths and vows to God. In fact, the Lord commands us not to break our vows.

In Numbers 30: 1-3 Moses tells us, “30 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ² If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

As hard as we try, We will always break our vows and oaths to the Lord, but the Lord will never break His vows and oaths to us. He has promised it. He has kept it. And, for that, we can all be thankful.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!