the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Matt 2:9-10
When I was a child, I never sneaked under the tree to peek at my presents like my friends or classmates would, but I would like to shake the packages or imagine what was inside. I always saved the excitement and mystery for Christmas morning.
We never opened gifts on Christmas Eve. It was family tradition to open gifts on Christmas morning. All of my siblings would run down the stairs together with anticipation and excitement.
Christmas may not look or feel the same as it did in our youth. As my late mother would say, “Nothing in life remains the same.” Although times and season change, Our Savior, Our Father remains the same.
You may be dealing with grief and loss of a loved one, loneliness, health issues or anticipation for what the New Year will bring, but the miracle of Christmas brings us compassion for others and gratefulness for what we have.
We are living in instability and uncertainty of what life will bring, but God is faithful. He remains our anchor and the rock of our foundation.
Although our foundations may shake, Our Father is our spiritual GPS that navigates us through the uncertainties of life. Jesus brought joy to the world through His love for us.
“An angel of the Lord appeared to Him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is the Holy Spirit. And she will bring the forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matt 1:20-21
Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name “Immanuel” which is translated, “God with us.”
The magnitude of His love never changes. It’s not superficial or fickle. It’s stable and guaranteed. May you be blessed with His Christmas presence this season and may you walk with His peace throughout the New Year.
Merry Christmas and have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6
When I was a child, one game I loved to play was hide and seek. I believe every child enjoyed playing that game at one time or another.
There was such enthusiasm and excitement while your friends or classmates scattered to find a place to hide while you counted and waited in anticipation to search for each friend which brought so much joy and laughter when you found them.
The Lord is often hidden in our lives until we come to a place where we decide to seek him with our own heart. Although, the Lord is always working behind the scenes, we often do not know what He is doing or planning in our lives. The Lord makes it very clear to “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-12
Many of us, wonder through life, randomly, without acknowledging or asking the Lord for direction. As believers, we may allow Him into some areas of our lives but not fully allow Him to control every aspect of our lives.
The Lord wants to be a part of every area of your life. The deeper relationship you nurture with Him; the more He reveals himself to you. You begin to see life in new ways. Your choices begin to change and how you deal with challenges and obstacles shift.
Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
1 Chron 16:11
Life has its difficulties, but you will not allow life circumstances to grab a hold of you in fear, doubt and despair. Even when you feel discouraged, you can speak the word of God or listen to worship music and the weight of burdens and frustration will lift off of you.
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. Heb 11:6
You will become sensitive to the spirit as you continue your walk with Christ. He will nudge you in certain directions. He will cover you with a blanket of protection. He will open your eyes to his truth and reveal to you the mysteries of the Kingdom. You will begin to experience things that you know only the Lord could do. You will have a deep desire to please the Lord fully and not jeopardize your relationship by displeasing Him. You will be obedient to His laws and commandments and do His will without resistance. It’s not by the flesh but by His spirit.
Zech 4:6
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”
Having a zeal for Christ is within reach for every believer.
For the Bible forewarns us….
Revelation 3:15-17
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
You cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. A double-minded man is unstable in all His ways. James 1:8
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt 6:24
We are moving into a shifting world where believers must have a solid foundation in Christ to be able to withstand the wiles of deception coming upon the earth. [Click link here]: 2 Chron 20:1-34
1 Peter 5:7-9
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 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.
He can only devour those who do not know the Lord and live a righteous, holy lifestyle. Once you’ve accepted the Lord as your Savior by faith, you are a daughter and son of the Most High. His hand of protection is upon your life to guide you into all truth, wisdom and knowledge.
The Lord is a consuming fire. Let us run under the shelter of the Almighty King. Let us seek Jesus with all passion and dedication. Seek the Lord while He can be found. The Lord is available and waiting. He does not wish anyone should perish. [Click the link here for reference]: 2 Chron 20:1-34
2 Peter 3:8-10
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
The Lord is a just God and will meet you right where you are. So come with your wounds and brokenness. Come with your anxieties, doubts and fears. Come with your mistakes and confusion. Come with your pain and despair. Come with your anger and frustration. Just come!
Prayer
Lord, Father,
I pray for those who are entering into your presence at this very moment. May you comfort their heart and mind. Please take away all their confusion, doubt, pain and toil in this life. Reveal to them your glory for the sacrifice you gave to each person as a gift of love. Help them to draw near to you and keep a hedge of protection over their families, loves ones, households, communities, finances, health and relationships. May a fresh wind of vitality, strength and peace be upon them as they seek you and rest in your presence for the revelation of Jesus Christ. Amen
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.Amen. 2 Corth 13:14
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RELATED SCRIPTURES
Psalm 119:32-33
I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Psalm 119:133
Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Psalm 63:1
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Matt 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Deut 4:29
But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Col 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Theo 3:5
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Lam 3:25
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Psalm 105:4
Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Psalm 27:8
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.
John 16:13-14
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jer 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know of.
Jer 29:13
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Psalm 121:1
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
1 Chron 16:10
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all these people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Joshua 1:2
As the Israelites waited to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land, Pharaoh was in pursuit to destroy them. Pharaoh was a leader full of pride, arrogance, greed, and unbelief. He worshiped idols and did not believe in God, the maker of Heaven and Earth.
God sent several plagues upon the land of Egypt yet Pharaoh did not acknowledge God nor did he believe in him so he did not bow down to worship the Lord nor was his heart lead to repent for his evil ways. He continued to mistreat the people held in captivity and bondage due to his rulership.
Even after his son died from one of the plagues, Pharaoh did not submit to the Lord and his heart was hardened. His stiff-necked, stubborn attitude towards the Lord led him to pursue the Israelites even harder. However, God had a plan. The Lord performed a miraculous event that allowed a great escape in a situation that looked impossible to the Israelites.
It’s during the most impossible situations that the Lord delivers us out of the hand of the enemy. Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Red Sea despite the doubt and fear the Israelites experienced as they crossed through billowing waves held up high above them.
The situation we face today is not much different than Moses dealing with Pharaoh in the Bible. America was built on the backs of slaves similar to the Egyptian rulers of the past.
Whenever you have a leader who puts money or the economy before the well-being of their citizens and continues to ignore the problems of the oppressed, widow, and fatherless, it displays and highlights an enslaved system.
Unfortunately, some people are so conditioned by the Pharaoh system that they live and work in that they are willing to accept and rush back into a broken system that hasn’t worked for decades. Unfortunately, due to the lack of resources, many are forced to succumb to a system that does not have their best interest at heart.
Others accept the poor working conditions, corporate discrimination, low wages, workplace bullying, or lack of healthcare benefits and consent to a life “As is” because they do not feel they have the power to change it.
Instead of realizing the value of Godly leadership that reflects integrity and respect and leadership that honors their work ethic, commitment, and dedication, they fight and protest for things to remain the same when God is doing a new thing.
The times and seasons have shifted. Yet, the people are just like the Israelites who lived in the wilderness and grumbled and complained when God brought them out of Egypt after 40 years of slavery. They desired to go back to what was known to them as comfortable yet it was an enslaved system.
People have accepted this virus as the “New Normal” and have become comfortable in their ways once again. Some feel it’s important to voice their liberties instead of taking precautions for safety. They are rebellious, defiant, and undisciplined and always want to go their own way despite continuous warnings. Heading to the beach, going to nail or hair salons, having house parties, or dining out at your favorite restaurants are not a necessity in times of crisis.
The Corona Virus has magnified the arrogance, disobedience, greed, pride, and ignorance of this nation. People are blinded by the chaos and devastation just like they were blinded prior to the pandemic with political rhetoric and useless pursuits.
The times and seasons have accelerated. The Lord has been patient yet the people have not honored or developed a relationship with him but instead ignored his laws in disobedience and continued to chase after material wealth, status, titles, and positions.
The virus continues to spread due to the greed of this nation and the ignorance of the people. It is an undisciplined nation that cannot standstill despite all their eyes has witnessed. Oh, the foolish men of the earth People have accepted this as the “New Normal” and have become comfortable in their ways once again.
Americans snarl and groan rejecting a moment of stillness, safety, and protection in exchange for an act of disobedience and irresponsibility. You simply cannot throw people back into the workforce without appropriate measures which begin with available testing sites and safety protocols for their employees and staff. The CDC and OSHA guidelines containing new Corona Virus safety measures will need to be implemented into work environments before they demand people to go back to work. We all must come together to fix the problem before we can heal the economic wounds of the nation. It’s a complex situation that will take time, patience, and wisdom.
Due to the negligence of leadership, this situation has become a recipe for disaster. One will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again until they learn from their past mistakes and take heed to the lessons of the present. It will by no means be an easy process but we are all in this together and it will take everyone to do their part.
This is a wakeup call of judgment on all nations. They refuse to repent for their sins and let go of their idol worship just like the days of Pharaoh.
Judgment is upon the land. This is a wakeup call for repentance. Divine strategies come from the Lord. God’s priorities, orders, and plans are in alignment and are already set in place.
Will you continue to go your own way? Or will you continue to walk in your old mindset? And follow your own path? Or will you submit to the Lord, his truth, and his love for you?
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Related Scriptures:
Matt 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Jer 34:13-17
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, 14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother a Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. 15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: 16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, everyone to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
Isaiah 2:10-12
Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up— And it shall be brought low—
Isaiah 2:18-22
But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the [b]earth, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats, To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
Sever[c] yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For [d]of what account is he?
Isaiah 3:10-11
Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Eph 4:17-18
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
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:
Psalm 96:13
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Jer 30:23
Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
Deut 1:21
Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
Joshua 1:2-9
Arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Matt 12:25
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
Exodus 16:4
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
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