Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: The Perfect Sacrifice
Date: Saturday January 28, 2012
Today's Chapters: leviticus 1-4
Preview of Today's Message: The legal sacrifices under the law, were shadows of Christ’s atonement, but could never fully justified the sinner, it had to be a continuous offering to God. Christ became the perfect sacrifice to make that atonement permanent. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Under the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ became the perfect atonement for the sinner, His sacrificial death justifies them once and for all. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect...But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;..For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified...Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;.. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” -Hebrews 10:1,12,14,18-20,22.

The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twenty-seven chapters, the timeline is approximately 1490 B.C (This is a continuation of Exodus and Numbers). The author of the book is Moses and it was written to the people of Israel. This book was a manual of worship for Israel, it was provided to give them instructions on how a sinner could fellowship with God. The purpose of the book was to show Israel how to live as a holy nation in fellowship with God and to prepare them to extend God's plan of redemption to all nations. What we are to learn from the book is that God only redeems and fellowships with us if we go to Him willingly. “If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” - Leviticus 1:3.

While God would love for everyone to offer themselves to Him, God does not and will not force Himself upon anyone, they must offer themselves to Him willingly if they want Him to be in their lives. Now, an offering is a sacrifice, a donation, present, or gift, it is something given willingly with no force or persuasion by others. So, when we offer ourselves to God we willingly give ourselves to Him, but to give ourselves to Him comes with a price, we must be righteous to stand before Him, to fellowship with Him. Since no one is righteous, except Jesus, God gave a temporary solution for people to be righteous before Him, sacrificial offerings. Today we will learn about sin, meat, and peace offerings.

The sin offering was to be of animal flesh, it had to be a male under a year old without one spot on it, the person had to offer the offering willingly as a payment for their sin. Once they brought the offering they had to place one hand on the head of the sacrifice and then kill the animal. Once the offering was killed the animal was handed over to a priest where he would cut it up, clean it, place it upon the altar to be a burnt offering unto God.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” - Leviticus 1:2-5.

The sin offering could have been in the form of any animal, this was to provide a way for every person, rich or poor to fellowship with God. The sin offering was abolished when Christ offered Himself without spot to God for the atonement of sin once and for all. The same rule applies in order to fellowship with God, one must willingly come to Christ. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” -Romans 10:9,10.

The meat offering was not the flesh of an animal it was actually bread, vegetables, baked or fried in olive oil and spices, this was the only offering offered that was able to enter the tabernacle. “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil...No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.” - Leviticus 2:1-4,11.

The meat offering was offered to God as a way to show thanks for God's atonement as well as what He blessed them with throughout the year. Christ is the Bread of life, who offered Himself as a sacrifice, meat offerings today would be presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, not a dead one, but living sacrifice. Leaven is the emblem of pride and honey, sensual pleasure, which is why it was not an acceptable offering. We are to offer our bodies to God holy and acceptable. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” -Romans 12:1,2.

The peace offering was to be animal flesh, it could be a male or female, but it had to be spotless. This was an offering given after the sin offering and meat offering for one to be able to communicate and fellowship with God. “And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.” - Leviticus 3:1-4.

The word oblation means to offer it willingly, today, the same rules apply, we still need to seek forgiveness for our sins, we still need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, and we still need to do both to be able to communicate and fellowship with God. The only difference is that Jesus paid the price for our sins permanently, that is if we call on Him to save us. Without Jesus we cannot receive atonement for our sins, we cannot be all we can be for Him, and we cannot have a good relationship with Him. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased...Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” -Hebrews 13:15,16,20,21.

God instructs Moses on how the Jews were to present their offerings, there were actually five offerings that were to be made. The sin offering, the peace offering, the burnt offering, the meat offering, and the trespass offering. Above all was the sin offering, it was the only one to be given for the atonement of their sins, even if they ignorantly sinned, were not aware of the sin, they had to present a sin offering. “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:..And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar: And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.” - Leviticus 4:2,33-35.

While anyone can accept Christ, not everyone lives for Christ once they accept Him. Only when we live for Him can we truly understand what He did for us. Ignorance does not save a person from hell, we all have sinned, we all must pay the same price for sin. Our only hope is in the acceptance of Him who “became sin for us”. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” - 2 Corinthians 5:20,21.

Today's Psalm: 101:2 - ”I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”

Today's Proverb: 4:18 - “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

Today's Prayer: God, Here I am again, Your work in progress. Though I committed my life to you many years ago the finished work will not be revealed until I reach You on the upper side. In the midst of my struggles, failures, and doubts I remain confident that You will complete the work You began the day I surrendered my life to You. You accepted me as I was and You lovingly began reshaping my life to reflect Your own nature. Not only are You continuing the good work You began, but You are perfecting the situations that weaken my faith and my Christian testimony. I thank You that You will fulfill Your purpose for me this day as I commit all my ways to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: A Willing Heart
Date: Thursday January 26, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 35-37
Preview of Today's Message: God loves a willing heart, in fact, if a heart is not willing He rather it not do anything for Him than do it and not enjoy it. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd of the whole flock and heritage of God. All those that faithfully serve Him will receive a crown of unfading glory, infinitely better and more honorable than all the authority, wealth, and pleasure of the world combine. The key to receiving such glory is having a willing heart, willing means with free will, cheerfully of ones own choice. God wants a cheerful, servant coming to Him with their own free will. 

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away...Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” -1 Peter 5:2-4,8-11. 

The time had come for the tabernacle to be built, just as God instructed Moses to the exact specifications, Moses instructed the people. God did not force anyone to participate He wanted people of a willing heart to build His dwelling place. “And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,..And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;” - Exodus 35:4,5,10. 

God will never force anyone to come to Him, just as He wants a willing heart to do His work He wants a willing heart to accept Him into their lives. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” - Mark 12:30. 

God stirred the hearts of many, whatever skill they had, men, women, and children came eager to make and do the things that needed to be build for the tabernacle, which by the way, they would never enter or work in. “And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.” - Exodus 35:21-23. 

God will use anyone willing to work for Him, while there are some things that He only wants men or women to do specifically, He will put anyone to work for Him that have a willing heart to do so. In fact, He gives us the skills that we have today to be used of His purpose. For example, I am a website designer, God uses me to build websites specifically for the service of spreading the Gospel and the truths of His Word. Everything we are good at is a gift from God. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” - Ephesians 4:11,12. 

Much of what we read today is a replay of what we read a couple of days ago, while it may seem a waste of time it is important. Why? It shows that every detail from the very last candle stick was made according to God's specifications and that we can be obedient to everyone of God's commands. God chose Bezaleel and Aholiab to build the parts that would go in the tabernacle. 

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.” - Exodus 36:1-3. 

Bezaleel's name means master builder or carpenter, Moses was in charge of making sure every piece was built to God's specifications. Today, Jesus is our master builder, when we accept Him into our hearts and allow Him to work through us we are built to God's specifications too. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 3:9-11. 

The Tabernacle was more than a worship center, this was the place where the Spirit of God would dwell and the only place that the people could come to communicate with God, that is unless you were one of the select few that God had used to be His mouth and guide others to Him. Today, God still dwells in the tabernacle of every person who has accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior. “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” - 1 Corinthians 3:15-17. 

Incidentally, the design of the tabernacle was a foreshadow of Christ. The Ark, Mercy Seat, Table of Showbread, the Candlesticks, the Altar, and everything within the Tabernacle represented a part of Christ. Christ was placed upon the altar (tree) and became the sin sacrifice that would redeem the sinner who believes in Him, permanently. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect...Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - Hebrews 10:1,9,10. Praise God!

Today's Psalm: 9:1 - ”I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.”

Today's Proverb: 16:1 - “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.”

Today's Prayer: God, thank You for enlisting us as Your servants in the kingdom of God here on earth. You do not require a royal title or a fancy degree to serve You. You look for willing hearts whose love and commitment to Christ spill over into their words and deeds in every day life. Thank You for the many testimonies of lives that are fully yielded to Your purpose as they glorify You while influencing others to have willing hearts. Lord, lead me and guide me, prepare my heart, help me to be eager to diligently study Your Word so that I can effectively serve You in the areas of Your calling. I love You and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Just Wait
Date: Wednesday January 25, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 31-34
Preview of Today's Message: 
All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Perhaps one of the toughest things about being a Christian is waiting for God, we labor, we pray, we read, we obey, we confess, over and over again in hopes of that one thing we are waiting for to happen. So, what is to come of all this waiting? To perfect us and to prepare us to handle receiving what we have been asking for. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” - James 1:3-7. We must never give up on God and we must never ask Him anything in doubt, doubt gets us into nothing, but trouble. 

Each and every person who has received Christ as their Savior has the Spirit of God indwelling them, He talks to us, teaches us, protects us, and even corrects us. That special skill you have is a gift from God to be used for serving God, you may not know right now what God will have you do for Him, but your skill, all your skills, will be used to serve Him in some way. God gave Moses the names of the people who would be helping him build the parts needed for the tabernacle and everything in it. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;” - Exodus 31:1-6. 

God gave them wisdom, understanding, and the knowledge to be able to build the parts for the tabernacle, He used people whose hearts were ready to do what He commanded. Sometimes God waits to give us things until we get our heart right with Him. “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” - Jeremiah 24:7. 

Meanwhile the people were impatiently waiting for Moses to come down and give them some direction. They demanded that Aaron make them a god that they can worship, Aaron gathered all the gold jewelry given to him, melted it, formed it, and out came a golden calf. 

“And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?” - Exodus 32:7-11. 

Moses earnestly intercedes with God on their behalf, he pleaded with God for them not to be destroyed. However, when Moses came back down and actually saw what what going on he got so angry that he broke the two tablets of stone containing the ten commandments and ordered every man that was against God to be killed. Three thousand men died that day, but the next day Moses went before God to make an atonement for the rest of the people. “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.” - Exodus 32:31-35. 

Do you know how many people even today make themselves gods of gold because they do not want to wait for God? There are many, just take a look at all the false religion out there, including evolution and atheism, all gods of gold. Careers, people, hobbies, whatever takes first place over God becomes their god of gold. I heard someone say last night, “God bless you and God bless America.” I thought, “What god are you blessing us with?” There is only One True and Living God, ignoring Him does not save us from the judgment given to us. God hates sin so much that even the tiniest of sin blots a person out of the book of life. There is only One person able to save us and that is Jesus Christ, He is the perfect Lamb that shed His blood to give is life. “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it...And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” -Revelation 21:22-24. 

An amazing thing happens when you have Christ in your life and overcome the challenges that God places before you. You begin a relationship with Him, one so strong that eventually you will be able to speak to God as if you were standing face to face with Him. Moses literally stood face to face with God, well, he wasn't allowed to see His face directly, but God stood before him while they talked as friends. “And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.” - Exodus 33:5-8-11. 

Moses was not a perfect man, he had to daily offer sacrifices to God as well, he just found favor in His sight because he obeyed Him and when he messed up he sought forgiveness. God does the same for us, as we live for Him and wait patiently for Him there is nothing that He would not give us, it's just all in His timing. Do not give up on God, He is working, preparing you, perfecting you to be able to receive the very thing you have been waiting for. “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.” - Isaiah 64:4,5. 

Today's Psalm: 27:14 - “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Today's Proverb: 20:22 - “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”

Today's Prayer: God, we want to be faithful to You, but it’s often a challenge and there are many excuses we can give for wanting to quit before Your appointed time. It would have been so understandable for Jesus to give up His plan to redeem the lost, but He was faithful to the mission which is our only hope for salvation. Help me to remember that my labor is not in vain, that my faithfulness is critical to the mission You have called me to do. As I remain faithful to You and wait patiently for You I know that You are perfecting me and getting me ready to receive what I have been waiting so long for. Thank You, Lord for Your patience with me as well. I love You and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Holy Garment
Date: Tuesday January 24, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 28-30
Preview of Today's Message: We all want to be accepted by God, to know that He hears us and to see Him answer prayer. In order to be holy and accepted by God we need to put on our holy garments. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Since we all grow at different levels of our Christianity we can expect that not everyone knows what is sinful in God's eyes. As we grow we learn to eliminate the things that hinder our relationship with God, but sometimes we have a hard time of letting those things go. It does not mean that we are better than anyone else, it means we all have something that we need to eliminate. The key to eliminating those things is being a living sacrifice. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” -Romans 12:1-3. 

God instructs Moses to make holy garments for Aaron and his sons, they were to be the priests of the tabernacle, the ones who would receive the sacrifices of the people and offer them to God on their behalf.“And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office...And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.” -Exodus 28:2-4,40,41. 

To minister means one who serves at the altar, in order for the men to serve God they had to put on these holy garments. We can serve God in many ways, but unless we put on our holy garments we are unprofitable. I am a Sunday school teacher, if I teach the kids that they are not to smoke, drink, or fight and I am doing those things I would be an unprofitable servant of God. I cannot expect God to hear me and bless me if I am not holy and acceptable to God. “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” -Matthew 25:29,30.

Now, before the priests were to even enter the tabernacle they had to be cleansed as they were sinners too. God instructs Moses on how they were to be cleansed, they needed two rams for a sacrifice. “And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar...And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about...And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.” -Exodus 29:16,18-20,33,34. 

The first ram was just an offering to God, it was a token of their dedicating themselves to serve God, the second ram was to give as a sin offering, this would be their atonement, their cleansing of all their sins to be able to stand before God holy and acceptable. The atonement blood was to be applied to their right ear, thumb, and toe, signifying the need to be to the right of God. The ear was to cleanse their ears from what they have heard and to prepare them to hear God. The thumb was to cleanse them from touching unclean things and to prepare them to serve God. The toe was to cleanse them from any corruption or sin they walked into and to prepare them to stand before God holy and acceptable for duty. Today, we too need to apply the blood of a sacrifice upon our ears, hands, and feet, but it can only be the blood of Christ. His sinless sacrifice made the atonement for all mankind, in order to apply it we need to accept it. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” -1 Peter 1:18,19. 

One other thing that hinders our relationship with God is Satan, he is the biggest culprit of keeping us from eliminating sin. We can overcome Satan, but we need to put on our holy garments, which is the whole armor of God. Only by putting on the whole armor of God can we ever overcome Satan, sin, and truly receive all of what God has to offer us. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” - Ephesians 6:11-17. 

The whole armor of God is truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. Each piece of armor we put on is holy and brings us closer to God and receiving His blessings. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” -Ephesians 4:22-24. 

Today's Psalm: 19:14 - “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” 
Today's Proverb: 21:3 - ”To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”

Today's Prayer: God, there is nothing we can do or say to merit salvation. It is a gift freely extended to all who believe in the ultimate price that Jesus for our sins. He who knew no sin washes away our sin His precious blood shed on Calvary. Thank You, for accepting Christ’s blood as our holy garment to stand before You holy and accepted. Lord, help me apply the whole armor of God upon me so that I am able to overcome all the hindrances that keep me from serving You with my whole heart. Lead me and guide me away from Satan's ploys to keep me from receiving all the blessings You have waiting for me. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: God's Judgments 
Date: Sunday January 22, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 21-23
Preview of Today's Message: God sets judgments upon His people, the laws He enforces are given to not only keep us moral, they are given to protect us from the dangers of the world. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Judgment is the act of determining, as in courts of law, what is conformable to law and justice, also, the decision, or sentence of the court, or of a judge; the mandate or sentence of God. A pardon may be pleaded in the case of judgment. The sentence given to all mankind by God is death and hell, the judge is Jesus Christ Himself, and we will all stand before Him. There is only one way to be pardoned of this judgment, Christ Himself. “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” -John 5:22-25.

While many of the laws God enforced upon the Jews are not enforced upon us today, they are good reminders of why He enforced them in the first place and of why we are to live a moral, uncorrupted life.“Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them...He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death...And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death...If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.” -Exodus 21:1,12,15,22-27. 

The law which authorized retaliation was a civil one. It was given to regulate the procedure of the public magistrate in determining the amount of compensation in every case of injury, but did not encourage private revenge. The later Jews, however, mistook it for a moral precept, and were corrected by Jesus on this matter. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also...But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” -Matthew 5:38-40,44,45.

The people of God should ever be ready to show mildness and mercy, according to the spirit of these laws. We must answer to God, not only for what we do maliciously, but for what we do ignorantly also. God continues giving His judgments. “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed. Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.” -Exodus 22:16-24. 

Some of God's judgments should be common sense to man, but just like any law given it is enforced because someone did it first. God can see everything! He sees what we do, He even knows what we think. Nine times out of ten the things we think of become action regardless of whether those thoughts are good or bad. I woke up this morning from a dream (nothing immoral) wondering what God thought of that dream in my head and even asked forgiveness for thinking how the dream would end. Of course, we cannot control our dreams, but we can control our thoughts that lead to those dreams. I was thinking about the things that lead to that dream for a couple of days now, I do not want them to become actions, at least the corrupted things. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” -James 1:13-15. 

God does not enforce judgments upon us to keep us from enjoying life, He does it so we can enjoy life. All of the dumb decisions I made over the years that I suffered for are of my own doing and I deserved it. God promises to always be there for us, to love us through think and thin, whether we obey His judgments or not. However, imagine the blessings that God gives to us from living by those judgments all the time. God said, 

“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” -Exodus 23:20-25. 

That angel is none other than Christ, he blesses us and takes away the sickness of our sins when we obey His voice. Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” -Matthew 10:28-34. Today, Christ lives in every believer in the form of the Holy Spirit and pardons all who accept Him. 

Today's Psalm: 105:7 - “He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.”

Today's Proverb: 19:29 - “ Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.”

Today's Prayer: God, all the goals and strategies that I set for my life are the blessings of knowing that as I keep obeying Your judgments that I will eventually hear You say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant“. You have persevered me and endured the hardships for me. Others in this world may earn titles and win prizes for worthy earthly pursuits, but the greatest prize that I will ever obtain is my entrance into Your Kingdom where I will see you face to face. Amazingly, not because I earned it, but because I believe in and have accepted Your Son as my personal Savior. Only through Jesus am I pardoned of my death and hell sentence. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: If You Love Me
Date: Saturday January 21, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 17-20
Preview of Today's Message: While we are all sinners, we can live a pretty righteous life with God as long as we are willing to follow His commands. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I was out soul winning last night and the last person I visited sincerely wanted a life with God, he clearly did a lot of studying on the matter, the problem was, he looked to every religion and book he could find rather than the only Book that would show him how to do that. I did not debate him on his findings, even after he told me that Jesus and God's name were not correct in the Bible. I simply said after I handed him a Bible tract, you have done a lot of research and I hope you find the truth, which I just gave you, I hope to see you in heaven one day, God wants to see you in heaven, He knows who He is, He knows His name. He looked at me and nodded as if a light bulb just went off in his head. So many people want God in their lives and likewise He wants to be in their lives too, the key, “Follow My Commands”. 

“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” -John 14:11-16.

There really is no better encouragement or motivation to follow God's commands than to see Him work. To see the impossible become possible, if you are saved, if you have received Christ as your Savior and kept Him in your life than you are proof that God can make the impossible possible. The life you live with Christ now did not happen over night it took some effort, it took some faith, it took some discipline. We cannot grow as a Christian, we cannot grow in our faith, and we cannot see the impossible become possible unless we follow God's commands. As the Israelite's continue their journey to the promised land God placed obstacles before them. Why? To get them to depend only upon Him to make the impossible possible. Time and time again they saw only the obstacle and not God, even though He was right there in front of them. Once again God placed an obstacle in front of them only to have the same response. 

“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?” -Exodus 17:3-7. 

Massah means temptation, Meribah means strife, they began to question whether God was with them or not. This is called their “tempting God,” because of distrust in Him after they had received such proofs of His power and goodness. Every time we question God's ability or existence when facing difficulties we are tempting God. Now, we all have questions for God, but to tempt Him is another story, it is as if we are saying, unless you do this for me I am not going to believe in you anymore. The rock represents Christ, and their drinking of it is represented as their being made partakers of the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” -John 7:38.

Some time later, when Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God was doing for Israel and that they were now free he met up with him. He was pleased to see all that God had done, but was a bit disturbed to see that Moses was taking on all the burdens of the people all by himself. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” -Exodus 18:13-18. 

Moses did what Jethro suggested, he taught and appointed people to take on most of the burdens of the people, except for the things that really needed his attention. We all need help from time to time, it is wise to teach others what we know, we are not invincible and we will not be around forever, so, it is important that we teach others so they can continue to do what we have worked so hard to accomplish. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” - II Timothy 2:24,25. 

We all need God's help, in everything that we do, God promises to always be there for us when we keep following His commands. “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel...And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.” -Exodus 19:5,6,9. 

God Himself spoke to the Israelite's from a mountain, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” -Exodus 20:1-6. 

I am not going to be the first to tell you that I understand all of the commands that God enforces, but I can tell you that whatever God wants to keep us from is for good reason and all He is really wants is for us to trust Him and have some morals about us so that we can be seen as His peculiar treasure. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” While our works certainly do not save us, Christ does and our keeping His commandments are simply our way to show Him that we truly love Him. Unless we study His Word and only His Word can we even know what those are. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” -2 Timothy 2:15. 

Today's Psalm: 119:10 - “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.”

Today's Proverb: 13:13 - “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”

Today's Prayer: God, Let Your commands be pressed upon my heart, Your love and blessings motivate and encourage me to obey You in all that I do. Lord, help me as I study Your Word from cover to cover, show me what Your will is for my life and give me Your power to fulfill that will and entrust You completely with my life, after all, You know what is best for me. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: A Diligent Doer
Date: Friday January 20, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 14-16
Preview of Today's Message: Anyone can read the Bible, but those who live by it not only find favor with God, they are blessed. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

If Jesus Himself was our preacher and we rested in hearing His Words only, it would never bring us to heaven. People had Him right there in front of Him and yet they died and went to hell because they did not do what He said. We have a right to choose whether or not to believe in Christ, and many do believe that He existed and died to save them, but unless we do what we hear from the Bible concerning our salvation we will never get to the Kingdom of God. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” - James 1:22-25. 

Israel finally had their freedom, they were no longer held in slavery to the Egyptians. Right in front of them was a pillar leading the way to the promised land, it was with them day and night, that pillar was God Himself. Can you imagine looking up and knowing that God was right there in front of you? I envy what the Israelite's had, they saw so many miracles from God and were chosen by Him to be their people. You would think that the Israelite's would have had more faith in God than anyone, but the sad thing is that they did not. The second they were faced with difficulties they began complaining, their first test of faith came when they were being chased by the Egyptian. 

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” - Exodus 14:10-14. 

When God is on our side we have nothing to fear, He loves us, and guess what, He even takes care of us and protects us when we have no faith in Him at all. We need not seek vengeance, God gets the vengeance all the time, and let me tell you, both you and your offender will know who God is. Egypt and Israel both saw God part the Red Sea and devour all the Egyptians once the Israelite's were safe. “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.” -Exodus 14:30,31. 

Yea, they feared God, right up until the next challenge, three days later, when they could not drink the water. “So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” - Exodus 15:22-26. 

One amazing thing about God is that He wants us to prove Him as the Almighty God, that is why He faces us with challenges. Is there anything too hard for God? He welcomes the challenge and always comes through, but the key to seeing His blessings come to pass is having faith in Him. Faith, is talking yourself into believing something to be true when you cannot see it. You put your faith in God knowing He is true, without seeing His face and you will see those blessing unfold right before your eyes. That word diligence means to keep doing what God tells you through His Word, when you become a doer of His Word that is what gives you the faith to believe in God. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:1,6. 

I have this talking alarm clock on my computer, I have two alarms set, one to pray, one to read today's Scripture. Since I want to put God first I try my hardest to keep to this schedule because if I am not it throws my entire day off. The last two days I have overslept and have not done either one on time, it's frustrating, and quite upsetting to know that I let God down. Then it hit me, while schedules are good to keep us on track, we are on God's schedule not our own. God knows what we need, He certainly knows when we are going to best serve Him, so, rather than get upset about what we see as failures, we need to be thankful that God counts all failures as opportunities for us to be diligent in all we do for Him, whether that is at home, work, or His ministry. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” -Colossians 3:23,24. 

Today's Psalm: “Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.” - Psalm 119:4.

Today's Proverb: “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.” -Proverbs 7:15.

Today's Prayer: God, we want to be diligent in our walk with You, we want to study Your Word to show ourselves approved of You and to fully understand Your plan for our lives. Thank You for Your Word that is a lamp to my feet and light for my path. Your Spirit illumines my path so that I do not walk in darkness, but walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who keeps me going in the right direction when I diligently seek You. Lord, keep me on the right path and help me to be diligent about serving You every where we go. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Victory Through Christ
Date: Thursday January 19, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 11-13
Preview of Today's Message: The sting of death is sin, but death is swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

There is a song, “Where would you be if Jesus came five minutes ago?” There is a lot to think of just in the title of that song. Where would you be if Jesus came five minutes ago? In the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of a trumpet Jesus will be here. Will you be raised from the dead and changed into something glorious or would you be cast into the lake of fire? “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:50-57. 

Eighty years ago Pharaoh was fearful by the strength and number of the Hebrews that in order to control their population he ordered all male Hebrew babies born to be cast into the river. Well, who would have thought that after all this time that the same thing would happen to the Egyptians. Egypt will be judged, the first born of every household, man and beast, Egyptian or Hebrew in the land of Egypt will die. 

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether...And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.” -Exodus 11:1,4-6. 

God, gave specific instructions for Israel to follow if they wanted to be saved from this plague, each household was to take a perfect male lamb, kill it, take the blood and apply the blood over the door post, then roast the flesh and everyone in the house was to eat of the sacrifice. It was to be just enough for all of them to eat, with nothing to be left over. “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt...And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” -Exodus 12:11-13,48,49 

While God chose Israel as the people that would be His people, He is not a respecter of persons, He allows anyone to be a part of the family. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” - Romans 2:9-11. 

The time had come, God would bring His judgment upon Egypt, just as He said, at midnight He passed over Egypt and every first born that did not have the blood applied to the doorpost died. “And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.” -Exodus 12:28-31.

The key to us being saved from death is doing what God instructs us to do, it's simple, believe. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13. 

The Hebrews were free, for the first time in over four hundred years they headed for the promised land, they had no idea how they would get there, but they had the best guide of the land, God. “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt...And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” -Exodus 13:17,18,21,22. 

God never leaves us wandering around in the wilderness, although He may take us the long way around, He guides us and leads the way to victory all the time. We cannot do anything or go anywhere without the Lord leading the way, even if we have gone astray He is leading the way and will take us where we need to be. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:35-39. 

Today's Psalm: “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” -Psalm 91:14.

Today's Proverb: “I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:” -Proverbs 8:20.

Today's Prayer: God, we do not have to fear the present nor the future when we place our complete confidence in You and recognize that Your plans prevail. Daily we make our plans but we know that You have the final say.  Help us to find comfort in You for the circumstances of life that throw us for a curve, knowing all the while, that You will supply us with the needed resources and spiritual support that leads us to victory so that we can truly proclaim from the depths of our hearts, “All is well, with my Lod!” In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Acknowledging God 
Date: Wednesday January 18, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 8-10
Preview of Today's Message: From creation, God has made Himself known to man, but pride, corruption, and wicked imaginations are what changes a persons belief or acceptance of God into something questionable. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I remember growing up knowing that God existed and Jesus too, but I also grew up with mother nature, and with the belief that whatever religion you came from that lead to God. After getting saved and listening to only One Book, I realized that all the corruptible and false things I learned about God were due to two reasons. One, it's what I was taught and two, I came up with my own conclusions when what I was taught did not make sense. I am not alone, a lot of people are brought up the same way, and suffer through a lot of heartache and disillusions as a result of it. I am just glad that God showed up in my life before I really did something stupid. The truth is, we are all born with the knowledge of God in us, it is the life we choose that acknowledges Him as our God. 

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” - Romans 1:20-25. 

No matter how much God shows Himself to be the one and only God, who is in control of all things, there are some people bent on proving that He does not exist, or that they are a god. Pharaoh knew quite well that there was only one God, but refused to acknowledge that He was more powerful than his magicians. Through a series of plagues, he was quick to offer a bargain with God in order to remove a curse, but he failed to realize that no one bargains with God, even his magicians realized that they were powerless against God.

“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God...And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank...Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.” -Exodus 8:8-10,13,14,19. 

God's curse upon a man will pursue him wherever he goes, and lie heavy upon him in whatever he does until they truly repent. Only until the heart is renewed by the grace of God, can one admit that they have sinned and find favor with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9. 

Now, after some time, Pharaoh, for the first time he admits that he sinned against the Lord. “So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation...And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God...And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.” -Exodus 9:24,27-30,34,35. 

Pharaoh humbled himself, he could not have spoken better, he admits he sinned and acknowledges that the

God is righteous. Yet his heart was hardened all this while. Pharaoh was frightened by the tremendous judgment of God, but when that was over, his fair promises were forgotten. Those that are not bettered by judgments and mercies, commonly become worse. “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” - Ephesians 4:18,19. 

Why did God afflict them with so much? Here is His answer, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” - Exodus 10:1,2. 

The plagues of Egypt show the disease of sin, they warn the children of men not to strive with their Creator. Pharaoh had pretended to humble himself, but no account was made of it, for he was not sincere. We cannot hide from God, we cannot ignore Him or pretend that he does not exist, and we cannot create a god in our own image in order to live a wicked, immoral life, it will catch up to everyone. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” -2 Timothy 2:24-26. 

The Hebrews were to be a testimony of the power of God that would be taught from generation to generation, but little by little they became a testimony that would show the wrath of God by their corruption and wicked imaginations. The truth is, until a hardened heart truly comes to the acknowledgment of God they will endure more and more affliction. We must hit rock bottom before we realize who God truly is who He says He is. It happened to me, it took me fifteen years of affliction to acknowledge God after I had been saved, it happens to everyone at some point. I know people who grew up in the church that have said they questioned what they were taught until something happened that truly made them acknowledge that God is who He says He is. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” -Hosea 5:15. 

Today's Psalm: “ I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” -Psalm 32:5.
Today's Proverb: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” -Proverbs 3:6. 
Today's Prayer: God, it is only when I trust in You with all my heart that I can acknowledge that everything comes from You. When You are first in my thoughts my attitudes and actions will prove that You are my God. Instead of plotting I will pray, instead of being afraid I will be courageous, instead of being weak I will be strong in You. I will not resort to my own understanding for it is faulty, frail, and full of vain imaginations. More of You, less of me is my prayer that I might trust You with all of my heart and acknowledge You in all things. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Faith By My Works
Date: Tuesday January 17, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 5-7
Preview of Today's Message: While only faith in the Gospel of Christ saves us, without works of love toward God to accompany our faith we will never learn to appreciate our salvation and what God truly has saved us from. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I imagine we all would like a comfortable life, to be prosperous and successful in what we do, now, what we think is a comfortable life is dependent upon how we grew up, people born into poverty think a comfortable life is a lot different than people born into riches. We all need faith that we can be successful in reaching our goals, but without making an effort to reach those goals we will never get very far. Likewise, we can work very hard at reaching our goals, but without faith we will not get very far. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?..Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?..And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” - James 2:14,17-24. 

When Moses and Aaron met with the Hebrew elders and showed them that God was with them and they would be set free from the Egyptians they were ecstatic, they were ready to do whatever it took to be free. Little did they, including Moses, realize that they were going to have to endure some affliction in order to be set free. Just like God told him, Moses went before Pharaoh and asked that he let Israel go. 

“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword...And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves...And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?..And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.” - Exodus 5:2,3,6,7,14,20,21. 

Pharaoh did not release them, in fact, he put more affliction upon them. Pharaoh thought himself to be a god so, when Moses and Aaron asked them to let them go to worship God he afflicted them even more, siting that if they have time to worship God they need more work to do. On top of that the Hebrews went to Moses complaining about the affliction they caused upon them. These guys were complaining because they had to work harder. They did not have faith that God could really set them free, all they could think of was the affliction they were facing, and blaming it on Moses. We all get discouraged when we work hard at something to see it fail, but we keep trying and with faith something good will come out of it. “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” -1 Peter 3:17,18. 

The Hebrews complained so much that even Moses went to God and asked Him why He even told them to go up to Pharaoh. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” -Exodus 6:2-7,9. 

God reminded Moses I am JEHOVAH, the Almighty, I will bring you out of captivity, but the people did not listen. Their faith was dead because they could not see past the affliction they were facing, it is us who cannot see pass the afflictions and walk away from God. God allows affliction in our lives not to punish us or hurt us, but to grow us, to prepare us, and to show us that He is JEHOVAH. Believe it or not, we are not the most appreciative people when we are just handed things to us. 90% of the world, maybe even more than that, have a me, myself, and I mentality. They want what is best for them, not thinking of the consequences it might bring to others, forgetting or ignoring that God gave it to them all along. Of course, we all want things and God wants to give them to us, but He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him, first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33. 

Now, after the pep talk Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh and tried once again. This time God brings Moses down to the level of Pharaoh, he thinks he is a god, well, God will prove Himself JEHOVAH.“And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” - Exodus 7:1-5. 

Whenever God is ready to do something through us to show His existence to others there is often affliction before there are rewards, yet they are all blessings from God. We cannot truly be satisfied with the reward if we have not worked at receiving it. Think about it, if things are just given to you are you as excited about receiving them as you are when you receive them after working so hard to get them? If God just hands everything over to us do you think we would realize it came from God. Until we get to the point where we know, “THIS CAME FROM GOD” than we will endure some affliction. “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” - I Peter 4:15,17. 

Today's Psalm: “For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” -Psalm 92:4. 
Today's Proverb: “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” - Proverbs 20:11.

Today's Prayer: God, let us continually remember the work that we do that produces our faith in Christ, our work is prompted by our love for You. The afflictions we endure become inspirations by the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. How grateful are we for the love and fellowship we enjoy with our brothers and sisters who serve You all over the world. We lift up those who are presently enduring matters that weigh heavy on their hearts. May the hope they have in the Lord Jesus Christ inspire confidence that You will give them victory as they continue to work to produce more faith in You, In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: You Are Chosen
Date: Monday January 16, 2012
Today's Chapters: exodus 1-4
Preview of Today's Message: God has a plan for you, it may be bigger than what you could ever imagined, but He knows you can do it. Embrace the calling from God and watch His blessings unfold. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I was watching a movie the other day and heard a quote, “Your future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.” The truth is, our future has been written, God has a plan for each and every one of us. It's what we do to try and altar His plan that makes it easier or more difficult to achieve. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10. 

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Old Testament and Bible and contains forty chapters. The timeline for these events are approximately between 1689BC to 1490BC. The author of the book is Moses and it was written to Israel. The purpose of the book was to record their deliverance from slavery to the Egyptians. What we are to learn from the book is that salvation comes from the blood alone. “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” -Exodus 12:13. 

After Joseph and the rest of his generation died, a new Pharaoh was appointed ruler over Egypt, he had no idea who Joseph was, nor any of his family, but he knew that there were more Hebrews in his land then there were Egyptians. He was determined to get rid of them, but his plan really did not go so well. 

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.” - Exodus 1:8-14. 

The more the Egyptians afflicted the Hebrews the more they grew in number, if you have learned anything through history, studies have proved that the more a nation suffers the more it multiplies, which is what happened here. We may not realize it at the time, but God uses our burdens to our advantage, everything that we go through in life is allowed in order to grow us, strengthen our relationship with Him, and to prepare us for the next challenge. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - I Peter 4:12,13. 

Pharaoh then commanded that every newborn male Hebrew baby be cast into the river. Pharaoh really thought that he had everything under his control, but the fact was that God was in control He used Pharaoh's own daughter to not only save a male Hebrew baby, but to raise him as her own. 

“And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.” - Exodus 2:5-10.

What an amazing God we have, God not only saved this child, but allowed his biological mother to get paid for nursing her own baby. When situations seem hopeless, it is more than comforting to remember that our God cares about us, knows how to deliver us from our afflictions, and even blesses us through them. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” - II Corinthians 4:17,18. 

Now, some time had come to pass, Moses was distraught about the way the Hebrews were being treated, he got so angry one day that he killed a man. Not only were the Egyptians after him, the Hebrews we not exactly thrilled that he killed a man in their honor. Out of fear he fled to Midian, he made a life there and was content to live there and raise his family there. However, forty years later, God was ready to fulfill the plan He had for Moses. He contacted Moses and told him that he was going to be the one to lead the Hebrews to freedom. Moses gave one excuse after another to be excused from fulfilling the plan, but when God appoints you to do something He does not care how long it takes, He will get you to comply. 

“And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee...And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.” - Exodus 4:1,10-14. 

God gave Moses a little help by using his brother Aaron to speak. God has a plan for you, it may be bigger than what you could ever imagined, it may be something as simple as saying hi to someone. Embrace the calling from God and watch the blessings unfold. Oh, you are going to face some affliction, Moses did, but He is right there with you to help you accomplish it. If you need help, He will send someone to help you, trust in Him, be honored that He has chosen you. 

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” - John 15:13-19.

Today's Psalm: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” -Psalm 33:12.

Today's Proverb: “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.” -Proverbs 8:32.

Today's Prayer: God, we want to live beyond the corruptions of this world as a people of righteousness set apart for Your purpose. We forsake the things of this world that bring disgrace to Your holy name and live for the purpose of bringing glory, honor and praise to You. We pray for our nation, for the turning away from our sins and turning toward the abundant life we find in Christ our Lord. Lord, You have called me to do something great for You, lead me and guide me, grow me and give me the knowledge and wisdom I need to fulfill Your plan for my life. Help me to listen, trust, and do what You have called me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: At Peace With God
Date: Tuesday January 10, 2012
Today's Chapters: genesis 32-35
Preview of Today's Message: A blessed change takes place when a sinner meets with God. Being justified by faith we have peace with God, knowing that all the guilt of our past is behind us and we are forgiven, no matter what we have done. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

We have all done things in the past that we wish we could take back, but dwelling on them and haunting ourselves with them will not change the situation. Until we meet with God and hand it all over to Him we will never have peace with ourselves or with God. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” - Romans 5:1-6. 

As Jacob was heading back to Canaan I imagine he had a lot to think about, the things he did over the years, where he is now, he had not seen his brother in twenty years, what would come of him when he meets him face to face. It was time to make amends, some how, some way, he wanted Esau's forgiveness. He sent messengers to Esau to let him know that he was on his way to meet him only to find out that Esau was coming to meet him, with four hundred men. Fearing his and his families lives, Jacob did the only thing he could do, he began to pray. 

“And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” -Genesis 32:9-12.

God is a forgiving God, He does not want to stay angry with us or even make us suffer for our past sins. When He says we are forgiven, He means we are forgiven. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9. So, why don't we feel any better about ourselves after we repent? We need closure, something that makes amends to the wrongs that we have done. Sometimes, the only way to get that closure is to wrestle with God, what I mean is confront Him face to face. Tell Him how you feel and let Him show you how to make amends not only between God and yourself, but with anyone or thing that you have been wrestling with. That night, Jacob wrestled with God. 

“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” -Genesis 32:24-28. 

Sometimes we just have to beg and plead with God, confront Him with what He has promised. You can talk to God without disrespecting Him, He knows your frustration and even that you question His way of doing things from time to time. He likes you to remind Him of His promises, which tells Him that you paying attention to Him. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” - Hebrews 10:35-37. 

The time had come for Jacob to meet Esau face to face, “And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept...And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord...Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.” - Genesis 33:1-4,8,11.

Jacob and Esau found peace and forgiveness with each other, Jacob no longer had to wrestle with his conscience, and he is at peace with Esau and with God. Either we lean on God's plan for our lives or on our own, but until we get to the point where only God can do this, there is going to be a constant battle within ourselves. He must bring us to the end of our own strength before He strengthens us. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” -James 4:7-10.

Today's Psalm: “ The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.” - Psalm 69:32. 

Today's Proverb: “A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” - Proverbs 29:23. 

Today's Prayer: God, we regularly come to You asking for peace regarding situations that we don’t understand or have no personal ability to change. Way too often troubling circumstances capture our emotions and rob us of the peace promised to those who place their trust in You. Help us not to be tossed about by the changing circumstances in our lives, but to be steadfast as we discipline our mind to be fixed upon You. Only then will we know the true life sustaining peace that comes from our relationship with Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. 
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: god's price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: the king james bible study blog
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