REFUGE

Last week, we worshiped the Lord as our Prince of Peace. The only way we can truly experience His peace is by making Him our refuge during the storms of life.

Among Jesus final teachings to His disciples we find these words …

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

In this world we will have trouble. That is a fact. There will be moments when we feel that we can’t take another step or draw another breath because the struggles and trials are so overwhelming. It’s during these most trying times, that we can take heart. The overcomer of the world is our refuge. His gates are open wide just waiting on us to enter into His place of safety and protection.

What image comes to your mind when you think of a refuge? Is it a fort with walls that are impenetrable? Perhaps you envision a tower surrounded by raging seas. Maybe it’s a mountain top where you climb above the worries of this world. Or do you see it as an oasis in the middle of a dessert where your heart has languished far too long? However you imagine it, His refuge far exceeds anything we can visualize. It is indescribable. Inconceivable. It is a place of shelter that nothing on this earth can match.

Praise Him as your refuge this week. Run into the arms of Jesus!

Sunday Supplication

Holy God, my Refuge and my Strength, life is tough. Many of us are facing trials and hardships in our lives. There are days when our pain is so intense we can’t even breathe. The enemy prowls around us constantly seeking to steal our joy, our peace, and our very lives. But You, Lord Jesus, defeated our enemy the second you walked from that tomb. You overcame this world and all the troubles and struggles it slings our way. You opened a clear pathway to a place of safety that we can only find in You. Lord, this week, be our Refuge in times of trouble. Speak to our hearts, “Peace be still.” In The Name that is above every name, Jesus, we pray. Amen! So Be It!

Monday Manna

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’

Deuteronomy 33:26-27

Tuesday Treasure

Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. 

Psalm 62:6-8

Wednesday Wisdom

If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

Psalm 91:9-10

Thursday Truth

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

Nahum 1:7

Friday Fact

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

Psalm 71:1-9

Saturday Song

GLORY

What does God’s Glory mean to you?

Several years ago, the women of our church studied A Sudden Glory (God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More) by Sharon Jaynes. That book taught me to look for God’s sudden glory moments in everyday life. Whether it be an incredible sunset, the appearance of deer in my back yard, the song of birds at my feeders, or an unexpected card from a friend, I have come to realize that God lavishes His love on me in immeasurable ways. I just need to be aware of His Glory when it arrives.

I’m reminded of the scene between Moses and God in Exodus 33. Even though God spoke to him face to face, Moses still wanted more. The pillar of cloud descending on him in the tabernacle wasn’t enough for Moses. The pillar of fire guiding him at night wasn’t enough. He wanted more, so he boldly asked the Lord, “Now show me Your glory.”

How did God respond to his request?

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:19-23

Even though Moses wasn’t allowed to see God’s face, have you ever considered that the day Jesus was born God’s glory made an appearance on planet earth? Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wisemen, children who played with Him, the teachers in the temple complex astounded by His intelligence, the disciples, all those He healed, every person He encountered during His earthly ministry, they all saw God’s Glory revealed in the person Jesus Christ.

And one day, we too will see His Glory as He lights our new home and we spend eternity with Him. (Revelation 21:23)

This week, pay attention to the work He’s doing around you and praise Him for His Glory.

Sunday Supplication

Jesus, You are indeed the radiance of God’s glory, the sole expression and perfect imprint of Him. Thank You for coming to earth and setting an example before us of what the Glory of God looks like. As we praise You this week as His Glory, help us to set our eyes on You and see all the blessings You’ve bestowed upon us. Show us how we as Your children can shine Your Glory on everyone around us. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen! So Be It!

Monday Manna

But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Psalm 3:3-6

Tuesday Treasure

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

Wednesday Wisdom

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Psalm 63:1-5

Thursday Truth

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Hebrews 1:3

Friday Fact

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 4:13-14

Saturday Song

LORD

Yahweh (YHWH)

Jehovah – The self-existent One

Adonai – LORD and Master

There are many names used throughout history for our LORD. Regardless of the name we choose to use, it is most important that we never forget that He is the same LORD today as He was in the beginning.

He is still the same LORD that spoke to Abram, “I am the LORD.”

He’s the same Yahweh who proclaimed to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM WHO I AM,” who appeared in Jacob’s dream above the stairway to heaven.

He’s the same LORD who delivered the Israelites from Egypt.

And, if you know Him as LORD and SAVIOR, He is the same LORD who rescued you from the enemy’s grasp.

He has never changed and will never change.

What does it mean to you that HE IS LORD? Please share your comments and scriptures with me this week.

On February 7, 2022 I read the following on Facebook. What an incredible article on exactly who YHWH is and how we praise Him even when we don’t realize it.

“There was a moment when Moses had the nerve to ask God what his name is.

God was gracious enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as YHWH.

Over time we’ve arbitrarily added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YaHWeH, presumably because we have a preference for vowels. But scholars and rabis have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without intervening vowels, it actually sounds like breathing. YH (inhale): WH (exhale).

So a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God. A deep sigh calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words. Even an atheist would speak His name unaware that their very breathe is giving constant acknowledgment to God. Likewise, a person leaves this earth with their last breath, when God’s name is no longer filing their lungs.

So when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name?

Being alive means I speak His name constantly.

Is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest?

In sadness, we breathe heavy sighs. In joy, our lungs feel almost like they will burst. In fear we hold our breath and have to be told to breathe slowly to help us calm down. When we’re about to do something hard, we take a deep breath to find our courage.

When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise. Even in the hardest moments!

This is so beautiful and fills me with emotion every time I grasp the thought.

God chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak every moment we’re alive.

All of us, always, everywhere.

Waking, sleeping, breathing, with the name of God on our lips.”

By Sandra Thurman Caporale

Sunday Supplication

Jehovah, there is little I desire more than to make You LORD of my life. As I praise You this week, teach me what it truly means for You to be my LORD, my Master, my Adonai. The moment I asked You into my heart, You became the Owner of my soul. You purchased me with Your blood. I am Yours to do with as You see fit. Give me a heart like Mary as I proclaim, “I am the Lord’s servant.” Amen! So Be It!

Monday Manna

Come, let us shout joyfully to the LORD, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His. The sea is His; He made it. His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.

Psalm 95:1-7a

Tuesday Treasure

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Wednesday Wisdom

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I keep the LORD in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken

Psalm 16:2,8

Thursday Truth

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

Friday Fact

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Deuteronomy 10:17

Saturday Song

FAITHFUL

Paul writes these words in 2 Timothy 2:13 …

“if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”

As I read those words today, I was humbled and brought to tears. You see, I fail the Lord daily. I can be unstable and inconsistent in my Christian walk. I experience moments of doubt and unbelief.  However,  even when I fail, when I fall, when I am faithless, HE REMAINS FAITHFUL.

The Amplified Bible interprets it this way: “If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.“

Why does He remain faithful even in our unfaithfulness? Because He cannot disown or deny Himself. Being FAITHFUL is His character. It is inherent in who He is, and He can’t change who He is. HE IS FAITHFUL!

In 1 John 1:9 we are told if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

As you praise Him this week as your FAITHFUL GOD, don’t forget the importance of confession. There is nothing more refreshing than being forgiven, washed in His blood, and cleansed from all our sin.

Sunday Supplication

Holy God, You are FAITHFUL even when I am not. Forgive me for the many times I have been faithless and given in to the sin of unbelief. Why do you love me so? Why don’t You give up on me? Thank You for being the Faithful and True God. Thank You for loving me even when I’m unlovable.  Thank you for Your gift of forgiveness and grace. I praise you this week as the Faithful One. Speak to my heart through Your Word and teach me the true meaning of faithfulness. Amen! So Be It!

Monday Manna

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Tuesday Treasure

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

1 Corinthians 1:9 and Hebrews 3:6

Wednesday Wisdom

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Thursday Truth

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

Friday Fact

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16

Saturday Song

DEFENDER

During their wilderness years, Moses often warned the Israelites that claiming the Promised Land would not come without challenges, trials, and even battles. In each case, he encouraged them with a promise …

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

“For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)

“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt …” (Deuteronomy 1:30)

“Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.” (Deuteronomy 3:22)

Like the Israelites of Moses’ day, you and I will also face struggles and trials in our lives. James (Jesus’ half-brother) wrote these words …

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  (James 1:2-3)

Notice that James does not use the phrase if you face trials. He says, “Whenever you face trials.” I’m reminded of the lyrics from a popular song in the 60’s: I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden; Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.

You may not want to hear this, but God never promised us a rose garden. People who tell you Christians will never face trials or hard times are badly mistaken. We will. If you haven’t yet, you will. But the good news is that we have a DEFENDER who goes before us and fights for us. I love the second half of Exodus 14:14 – “You need only to be still.”

As you praise the Lord as DEFENDER this week, take time to Be Still and watch Him fight the battles for you.

Sunday Supplication

Lord, Your people are facing trials that seem to come at us from all sides. A pandemic. Death. Chronic and terminal illnesses. Broken marriages. Shattered dreams. Everywhere we turn we see heartbreak and grief. The enemy has declared war on us and there are days we feel defenseless against his attacks. As we praise You this week as our DEFENDER, remind us that even when we may not see it, YOU ARE FIGHTING for us. We are never alone in the battle. Thank you for being our DEFENDER. Go before us this week and fight the good fight for us. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

“The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Exodus 15:2

Tuesday Treasure

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Psalm 68:4-5

Wednesday Wisdom

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

Psalm 118:13-17

Thursday Truth

It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them.

Isaiah 19:20

Friday Fact

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 12:2

Saturday Song

BREAD OF LIFE

“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

Have you ever considered when you pray this model prayer, the daily bread we need is much more than physical food? It is about the daily spiritual food that we need if we are going to live for Christ. He is the bread of life. Physical bread does not sustain us indefinitely, but the gift of Jesus – our Bread of Life – sustains us spiritually for eternity.

If you don’t know Him as your Bread of Life, what are you waiting for? Partake of the Bread of Jesus and you will never hunger again.

Sunday Supplication

Lord, as we praise You as our Bread of Life this week, give us a deep hunger for you that nothing and no one else can fill. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:32-35

Tuesday Treasure

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Wednesday Wisdom

Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

Exodus 25:30

Thursday Truth

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. … The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ”

Exodus 16:15, 31-32

Friday Fact

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 6:48-51

Saturday Song

HIDING PLACE

“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” (Psalm 119:114)

For the past year, much of the world has been in hiding. Because of this pandemic, we’ve hidden from crowds. We’ve hidden from friends. We’ve hidden from family. We’ve hidden in our homes. And we’ve hidden our smiles behind masks. It’s been a long, trying year full of ups and downs, losses and grief, pain and suffering. Many of you may be like me and you really just want to run away and hide from life until this passes.

Several questions come to mind during these trials and tribulations …

Where have I placed my hope during this period of hiding?

Have I hidden my heart from Him and His Word?

Or have I allowed God to be my Hiding Place?

If I place my hope in anyone or anything other that Jesus Christ my Lord, I will never find what I need. Nothing and no one else can provide the safety and security I seek. NOTHING! NO THING can give me hope apart from Him.

This week, as we praise Him let’s focus on Jesus as our HIDING PLACE. Rejoice that you are safe in His loving arms.

Sunday Supplication

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Hiding Place. During this period of uncertainty and the attacks on our core beliefs, You are the One we can run to. This week, when we are tempted to fear or seek other people or things as our places of safety and security, remind us that You alone are our HIDING PLACE. Protect us, Lord, and surround us with Your songs of deliverance. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Tuesday Treasure

Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

Isaiah 4:5-6

Wednesday Wisdom

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 17:8

Thursday Truth

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Psalm 27:4-6

Friday Fact

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Psalm 143:8-10

Saturday Song

THE LIFE

What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ is LIFE?

There is an incredible hymn that most of us know well. Bill and Gloria Gaither penned the words to Because He Lives in 1970, and 50 years later, it is still among the most popular hymns in Christian circles. The chorus is as follows …

Yesterday, the life of a young husband and father I’ve known for many years was celebrated at a local church. His wife said about him that “Criss would hate this many people talking about him all at once. He doesn’t want to be the center of attention.”

Why? Because he lived for the purpose of pointing others to his risen Savior. He never sought accolades or desired praise for anything he did. He had two main goals in life: To serve the Lord wholeheartedly and to love his family well. He did both, and I have no doubt that Jesus welcomed him into heaven with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Praise Jesus this week as LIFE, and celebrate the eternal life that we have in Him. And like Criss, always point others to The One who is LIFE, who came and died and rose again so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

Sunday Supplication

Lord Jesus, our Resurrection and Life, thank you for salvation and the abundant life that You promised to us the day we accepted You as our Savior. Thank You for the promise that we will not only see You face-to-face one day, but we will also see all of our redeemed loved ones. We praise You this week as our LIFE. Use us for Your glory as we seek to point others to You. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

Tuesday Treasure

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 1:4

Wednesday Wisdom

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Thursday Truth

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:28

Friday Fact

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:15-16

Saturday Song