Category: Daily Devotional

Isaiah 43:1-3 Now this is what the LORD says… Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; & when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, & the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God,… Deut 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged. 1Peter 4:12-13Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. BUT REJOICE that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory! — Out of all the scriptures, the hardest thing is to BUT REJOICE in the midst of our trials! How? Focus on the good & not the bad! Laughter is the best medicine, so find something to laugh about! Remember we are here for His purpose, not ours! We need to exercise our Faith! Faith is like a muscle, we build it when we use it! Find that place of complete & total trust in God! Then celebrate Him! Worship is our way to peace in the middle of the storm! We can walk on water when we stay focused on Jesus! Love Mel

Gal 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Fruit trees must have all their growth requirements met in order to produce flowers & eventually, fruit. Adequate light, water, proper soil conditions, including nutrients, & favorable temperatures. They all work in concert to shepherd the tree to the stage of fruit! We too need similar shepherding to get to the fruit growth in our lives as well! Remember hard work always yield growth in our lives even the pruning stages are required to produce more fruit! Love Mel

Ez 28:25-26 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will dwell in their own land, which I have given to My servant Jacob. & there they will dwell securely, build houses, & plant vineyards. They will dwell securely when I execute judgments against all those around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God. Hosea 2:15 There I will give back her vineyards & make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. Romans 8:30-31  Those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? — The “I” had it! For our God is so great who or what can possibly prove stronger than Christ’s love for us! Nothing can stand against us! Love Mel

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect. Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. — Think on These Things! And Phil4:7 says, “the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, WILL guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from Me or seen in Me, put into PRACTICE. And the God of peace will be with you.— So what are you PRACTICING? We should PRACTICE excellence & praise worthy things! This is where His Peace is found! Love Mel

Bible History from Bill—Gen 1:14 “God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, & let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, & days & years.” —I am reading “Reversing Hermon” by Michael Heiser which is a fascinating study of Genesis 6:1-4 & the “watchers”. In one of his chapters I came across this gem I had to share. It is based upon scriptures from Matthew, Luke, Rev 5 and 12:1-7, & the signs in the heavens accompanying Jesus birth. Specifically when The regulus King star, Jupiter, the constellation Virgo, the sun & moon were all appropriately aligned. Credit to Heiser, Martin & others. Rev 12:1 states “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, & the moon under her feet, & on her head a crown of twelve stars; & she was with child; & she cried out, being in labor & in pain to give birth.” From the text & others, the woman represents Israel & is the constellation Virgo with the sun mid-bodied & the moon at her feet. The “child is Messiah” Rev 12:5). Above the woman’s head is the constellation Leo (the lion) which was a royal constellation with the “king star” Regulus dominating. Further at the time of Jesus’ birth, Jupiter (the king planet to first century Jews) was aligned with Regulus which is very significant. Jupiter is also the best candidate for the star guiding the magi as well. This is based upon astronomy now able to look back to that time to see this conjunction. From Heiser’s book ch 4: “This combination of astronomical signs produces a unique set of circumstances that can only be accounted for by one date (& in point of fact, a ninety-minute window on that date). This date, as we will see momentarily, has dramatic significance in the Jewish calendar. According to these signs in the heavens, the date of Jesus’ birth would have been September 11, 3 B.C.” How about that! From the Bible, the approximate month of Jesus’ birth can easily be demonstrated a number of ways starting with John the Baptist’s father ministering in the temple & Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. The year can be discerned by the verses regarding Herod’s death. But this is the first I read with the actual month & day called out. & that year it was the Day of Trumpets – Tishri 1!!  Trumpets always preceded the arrival of the King. How amazing. — Our King arrived with Trumpets blowing! Love Mel