Wed.’s Devo - The Final Chapter

Read: Malachi 1-4
Malachi is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible and some believe he might be Ezra under an alias name, but he was probably a man named Malachi that God gave a message to. His name mean’s “My messenger”. He was the last prophet before the New Testament. He has a great love for God’s people and the temple worship. God sent him to foretell the coming of Christ and call the people out of their sins and warn them of God’s just judgment.
He begins his rebuke with telling the people how much God loves them. Then he explains his sorrow in their worship of him. It is evident in their offerings because they offered polluted bread on his altar. The people weren’t giving God their best, only a token. God knows everything and especially the motives of our heart.
The priests were held responsible for the people because they weren’t teaching them to bring a perfect lamb. Every thing they were commanded to do was a picture of God. Jesus was to be the perfect lamb so God was very particular as to how people depicted him. The priest were not teaching truth or living it. He rebuked the men who abused and divorced their wives. He rebuked the priests for not teaching against sin but calling evil good.
Malachi three foretells of John the Baptist who would prepare the way before Jesus. He would preach against sin and tell them to purify their hearts so they would be able to receive Jesus. He would call them to tithe once again so that God could bless them.
He rebuked the people for thinking it was vain to worship and fear God. He reminded them that their words were recorded in God’s Book of Remembrances. The ones who feared the Lord were written about also. This is one of the books that will be opened on Judgement Day. Those that fear the name of the Lord shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. They will go forth and bear fruit. Before Jesus comes again, someone with the spirit of Elijah or John the Baptist will appear to turn the hearts of the children back to our patriarchs.
Lord, may we fear Your name and worship You in spirit and in truth.

Tues.’s Devo - Their Next Steps

Read: Nehemiah 11-13: Ps. 126
Nehemiah had a tenth of the people live in the city of Jerusalem and chose them by lot. Others willingly offered to live there. This reminds me of the tithe. The tithe is required but an offering is above the tithe and his freely given. How much more blessed is the offering above the tithe although both are blessed. We are given a list of the men who lived in Jerusalem and kept the temple. They dedicated the wall of Jerusalem with thanksgiving, singing and praise. The priests purified the people and princes were appointed and put in place. Their joy was heard from afar.
They read the book of Moses to the people and realized they needed to change some things. First, they needed to separate themselves from the Ammonites and the Moabites. God had cursed them when they tried to curse Israel and refused to help them when they came out of Egypt. Next, they needed to get Tobiah out of the chamber he had set up in the house of God. Tobiah was not a priest but he had been acting as one. Thirdly, they started paying the Levites and singers the salary they were suppose to be given so they could devote themselves to worship and not fending for bread. They reevaluated how the tithes were being spent and set up financial stewards over the money so it would go to the house of God. Next, they reestablished the Sabbath and shut the gates of the city on the Sabbath so no one could come in or go out. Levites were put in charge of the gates. Then they got rid of their foreign wives.
They did all this change when they started reading the Word. The Word of God will change you. It convicts us of sin, makes a distinction between what is holy and what is evil. It helps us get the Tobiah’s out of our temple. The Tobiah’s are all our man-made intentions and ways we try to get the honor and attention of God that aren’t God-sanctioned. Tobiah stands for our self-will. There is no place for our will in the temple of our heart. Thirdly, we need to pay the rightful attention to reading our Bible, praising God and worship. Reestablishing the Sabbath is about rest. It is about resting in the Lord and not letting stress and worry rule our lives and get through our gates. Our foreign wives are anything that is not of God in our hearts. Then we can pray like Nehemiah: “Remember me, O my God, for good.”

Mon.’s Devo - The Season's of our Lord

Read: Nehmiah 8-10
The people gather on Roshashana, the first day of the first month…also known as the feast of trumpets. That will be the day that Jesus will be revealed to the world so on this day the people read the book of the law and saw Jesus in a mystery. He is hidden all through the law but they heard it and were changed. They realized that they were not keeping the law and had drifted so far from God’s will. But this day is to be a day of feasting and joy so they put aside their sorrow and turned it to joy which is what will happen when Jesus comes back. After the feasting they repented and cried out to the Lord until the feast of Tabernacles which was ten days later. From the time of Roshashana to the time of tabernacles is the time of Yom Kippor. That is the time of repenting which is what they did. On the feast of tabernacles they were to build makeshift homes out of certain branches and sleep in them under the stars. As they gazed through their branches they were to be reminded that this was not their home. Where God is is where we are to live.
The priests led the people in praise and worship to God then told them the history of their people. It is always good to look back to where we came from and all the wonderful things God has done for us. At the end they sealed the priests which is a picture of what will happen in the end. Those that are priests to the Lord and ministered to Him will have their names sealed in His book.
Lord, thank you for the season we are in. Remind us that this is not our home. Our home is in You.

Sun.’s Devo - Finishing the Work

Read: Nehemiah 6-7
Nehemiah had three enemies - the unholy trinity. He was almost finished with the wall and Sanballat couldn’t stand it. He had to stop the building so he first asked Nehemiah to leave his work and come and meet with him. Nehemiah refused to leave. Sanballat sent four letters to Nehemiah trying to intimidate him to leave. Nehemiah knew that they meant to kill him so he kept working and refused to let fear get in the way of God’s work. So Sanballat sent a fifth letter stating that they were planning a rebellion against the king. This was a lie and Nehemiah told him so and kept working. Next, Sanballat sent a false prophet to try to get Nehemiah to lock himself up in the temple in fear. He refused and kept working. Finally the wall was finished after working for fifty-two days. The heathen recognized this as the hand of God but some of the Israelites were loyal to Tobiah, Nehemiah’s enemy because of his status. They took his side and Tobiah used this against Nehemiah to intimidate him. Despite all the opposition, Nehemiah fulfilled his destiny and finished the work the Lord had given him to do. He put his brothers, Hanani and Hananiah to be the rulers over the palace of Jerusalem. Their names mean “grace” and “favor”. He put them in charge of the gates and gave them specific instructions to only open it at daylight.
God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to find the genealogies of the people who had returned to Jerusalem and cleanse the priesthood.
God is building his temple once again and its walls are salvation. Only the saved can come into his provision. We have a real enemy called the Devil who will lie, discourage and oppose us in every way he can. We need to learn how to resist him. The last thing to go up is the gates. Our gates are our mouths and our hearts. We need to order our conversation aright and watch our motives. Our confession is what we get. Once everything is in place, God will cleanse the priesthood. We are seeing this happen as we see leaders rise and fall and sin exposed. It is all to make us the spotless bride.
Lord, help us to watch over the gates of our mouth and our hearts. Let the priests be holy and just. May we finish the work.


Sat.’s Devo - Rebuilding the Walls

Read: Nehemiah 1-5
Nehemiah was a cupbearer in the same city Esther was queen. Esther’s King Ahazerus reigned 485-465 B.C. and Nehemiah’s King Artaxerxes 1 reigned after him from 465-424 B.C. Ezra had led the people in rebuilding the temple and now God was leading Nehemiah to rebuild the city and its walls.
Nehemiah means “God of comfort”. The comforter is the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that walls are salvation so once Ezra brought the presence of God into the city through reestablishing the temple, now Nehemiah could bring the salvation of God by building the walls. It is the Holy Spirit that goes before us and prepares hearts to receive the salvation of the Lord. No wonder Sanballat was upset. Sunbelt means “hatred” and “thorn in secret”.
Nehemiah led the people by fasting and praying for repentance and guidance. The remedy to Sanballat was to join together as one and assign people to do the building while others held their sword. Is that not the way we do anything in the spirit. We preface everything with seeking God and humbling ourselves before him. Then we join together and let some people do the physical ministry while others fight in the spirit for the others. God honors our unity and our prayers.
Lord, today, send your Holy Spirit to go before us and prepare the hearts of those who are destined to salvation.

Fri.’s Devo - Trust God and Put Away Your Foreign Wives

Read: Ezra 7-10
As I read of the generosity of King Artaxerxes I have to wonder what about Ezra’s lifestyle made the king want to honor his god. What a testimony of the goodness and righteousness of God Ezra must have been to the king that the king didn’t want to offend his god! He gave Ezra everything he asked for plus tax-exempt status and laws to protect the laws of God. That is what God can do for the church from an ungodly source.
Ezra sent out the message to his Jewish brothers and asked for volunteers to go with him and got a great response, but not one priest. So he sent a request to the Levites to send them some ministers. When he had gathered 258 Levites and the other people, Ezra proclaimed a fast to seek God for safety, guidance, and provision for them and their families. Ezra was just like us; he struggled with believing God to defend them or ask the king to give them a police escort to Jerusalem. He decided to trust God, so they left with gold and silver and holy vessels for the temple and all their families. God heard their prayer and they had safe travels to Jerusalem.
When they arrived they offered sacrifices and praise to God. Four days later Ezra learns that the people they had brought had married foreign wives who worshipped foreign gods. They must have started their worship because it came to Ezra’s attention. He was mortified and fell on his face in repentance and sorrow for the people. The leaders, who were the worse offenders gathered around Ezra in his state of prayer and told him they would put away their foreign wives. He met with the whole congregation three days later and entreated them to put away their foreign wives. They promised to do it. If they had taken a foreign wife their name was recorded. (Reminds me of a similar list that went viral recently…be sure your sins will find you out!)
Our foreign wives are anything we honor above God. It can be as simple as trusting in our own efforts. We can do nothing apart from God.
Lord, cleanse us of putting other things before you like they did with their wives. Set us apart to do the rebuilding of your temple.

Thurs.’s Devo - Possessing the Kingdom

Read: Esther 6-10
Yesterday, everything looked bleak for Esther, Mordecai and the Jews. In a day, everything turned. I wondered if Esther looked for Mordecai to come and encourage her before her banquet. He was out being paraded around the city by his adversary, Haman. Did Esther know this was going on? I doubt she did. She was left to face that night alone and had to lean on the Lord alone. But God had been working all night on her behalf. He had set up the whole scene to make her be heard and get what she was asking. While Haman was building a gallows to hang Mordecai, God was building a case for Mordecai and against Haman. He fell right into his own trap.
What a picture of Satan’s end. He will receive what he has given which is death. Esther was given the house of Haman. We will be given the earth again. Mordecai was given the ring of the king which is the power to make all the decisions. The Holy Spirit will be in control once Satan is defeated in our lives. The Jews were given permission to stand up and fight for their lives and take the spoil from their enemies. The fear of the Jews fell on the people. When we take our place and realize who we are and the power of God inside us, the world will be afraid of us. We are to be a power that cannot be stopped. God is looking for passion and commitment in his people so he can move on our behalf. He has given this earth to us to possess. We need to possess our kingdom in the name of Jesus and for his glory.
Lord, make us passionate for you and your kingdom on earth.

Wed.’s Devo - The Plan of the Lord Will Always Win

Read Esther 1-5
The devil hates God’s people. While he was raising up Haman to get rid of the Jews, God was raising up Esther as the antidote. Whatever the devil has planned against us, God has an answer. Esther was not just another pretty face, she was to be a living sacrifice. God gave her favor in the sight of a heathen king so that she would save her people. She was a type of Jesus who willingly sacrificed her exalted place in the palace to lay down her life for her people. Mordecai was a type of the Holy Spirit who intercedes and exposes hidden things. He exposed the conspiracy of Bigthan and Teresh against the king and the plan of Haman against the Jews. He called the nation to repentance and encouraged Esther in her destiny. He was the strength of Esther. Haman was the type of the anti-christ or Satan. He hated the Jews without a cause. He used the king’s favor to get what he wanted. He was motivated by flattery and position. King Ahasuerus was the type of God. He was in control but moves when petitioned. He is motivated by passion and commitment. Esther is a type of the Church. She will rise up and take the kingdom by the plan of God.
When it was time to go before the king the first time, she only took what her servant told her. While she lived in the palace, she was still subject to Mordecai and did what he told her to do. When she was to go before the king to petition for her people, she followed the the advise of the Holy Spirit inside her. She had learned to submit herself to others and now it was not hard to submit herself to God. She wasn’t impulsive but very strategic. That is the way God is. He never acts impulsively because he has planned everything out in his timing. This is a word for me.
Thank you, Lord for giving us this to read today. May we rest in Your plan because it is always right. Give us rest and a heart to pray. Today is the Feast of Tabernacles so may we tabernacle in your courts today!

Tues.’s Devo -Cleanse Your Church

Read: Zechariah 8-14
Zechariah eight is God’s promise to one day bring life and prosperity to Jerusalem. God will turn their curse to a blessing. He gave them this commandment: speak the truth to everyone, be truthful in all your judgments and bring peace to your inhabitants. He summed it up with saying love the truth and love peace. Then, all will see that God is with them.
In Zechariah nine, God attacks Israel’s enemies with curses. He tells Israel to greatly rejoice for their King is coming. He will be just and bring salvation. He will be lowly, riding on a donkey. (Of course he was speaking of Jesus first appearance.) His renown will cover the earth
In Chapter ten, God tells us to ask for rain in the time of the latter rain and God will give it. We are living in the day of the latter rain and we need to be asking God to rain down his Spirit on us. Then the prophet will not be able to prophesy lies. God is against false prophets and shepherds who don’t keep watch over their sheep. I think we are at the place of verse eleven. We are passing through the sea of affliction and the storms of the seas and the deeps of the river and God is strengthening us so that we can do anything in his name.
Chapter eleven is an allegory showing what was going on at the time. The elders who should have been the moral and spiritual leaders were actually fleecing the sheep. The branch named Beauty stood for the privileged and the one called Bands stood for the poor. The rich of Jesus day rejected him so he went to the poor who accepted him. The prophet who wanted to be paid for his prophecy was incensed by how little they paid him so he threw the thirty pieces on the floor of the potter. He stood for Judas who betrayed Jesus for such a little amount and it cost him his life.
We are witnessing chapter twelve in our day. Jerusalem is the church and she will rise up and defeat her enemies. Everyone will rise up against us but the weakest of us will become like David. Great repentance will fall. Chapter thirteen continues speaking of this revival. Cleansing and humility will come to the church. We who have come through the fire will come out shining like gold.
Chapter fourteen is the coming of the Lord! God’s holiness will be upon the earth.
Show us today what our part is in Your story.

Mon.’s Devo - Double Grace

Read: Zechariah 1-7
Where Haggai was sent to encourage the people to rebuild the temple, Zechariah was sent to get them to build the temple in their hears. He called the nation to repentance.
Zechariah was given a vision where he witnessed a conversation between God and his angels that watched over the earth. He was shown four horns or leaders of nations that had risen up against Israel, but God always has an antidote. His antidote was four carpenters. One of the carpenters had a measuring line to measure Jerusalem. God was going to build a wall of fire around Jerusalem and his glory would be contained in her. God’s deliverance was on the way.
In Zechariah three, Zechariah sees the high priest Joshua. Joshua, in this vision stood for the priesthood. It was now clothed in dirty robes because the priesthood had become tainted and compromised. But God promised to give them new robes and a fair mitre for their head. This new priesthood would judge righteously. Out of this priesthood would come Jesus, the Branch.
In Chapter four, Zechariah saws the menorah amid two olive trees and when he asked what it was the Lord said it was the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. Zerubbable means “born in Babylon”. God’s word to Zerubbabel was to lead the people to rebuild the temple. He stands for the church rising out of sin and anointed to do the work of building the kingdom. This is our word today: It will not be done with might or power but by God’s spirit. Obstacles will flatten before the church and its motto will be double grace!
In Chapter five, Zechariah saw a flying book that was the curse for everyone who stole or prophesied falsely. Next, he saw a measure for grain. He said that this is what they would become…an empty measuring cup. Two angels came and took that cup to Shinar which is a place in Babylon. In other words, the curse would go back to where it came.
Then, God told Zechariah to have a golden crown made and put it on Joshua’s head to symbolize Christ who would one day be crowned King of Kings.
Chapter seven reminds the people to live righteously: don’t oppress the widows, the fatherless, the stranger, or the poor and don’t conjure up evil plans against your brother in your heart.
Lord, purify our thoughts and let them be your thoughts. Thank you for double grace!


Sun.’s Devo - Give to the Kingdom

Read: Haggai 1-2
Today we read Haggai’s word to the people calling them to rise up and start building again. He brought to their attention that while they were spending so much effort trying to make a life for themselves and build their own houses, that God’s house was still unbuilt. If they put that first then they would not see all their efforts done in vain. Have you ever gotten discouraged because no matter how hard you work, something always goes wrong and you end up spending your money doing maintenance? That is what they were doing. Haggai explained it as putting their money into bags with holes. Haggai told them to consider their ways. Build God’s house first and he will help them maintain theirs. That was Haggai’s message in a nutshell.
God had called a drought upon the land, their leaders, their business, their anointing, their joy, and all their plans. This was just to get them to repent and call out to God.
Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest’s son understood and rose up and led the people to rebuild. God promised them that even though before there was not enough to go around, now there would be plenty. God had sent blight, mildew and hail to turn them to him and they hadn’t turned but the day they turn will be the day God starts to bless them. God promised to overthrow the kingdoms of the heathen on their behalf.
What an encouraging reading for today. We are on the cusp of a huge revival but it is going to cost us something. It is not a call to sacrifice but a call to blessing. We give and then God can bless. It is a no-lose situation. We have to let go of our bank accounts and our fear and freely give.
Lord, help us to be willing to give graciously into the building of your kingdom. Rebuke the devourer on our behalf. (Malachi 3:11)

Sat.’s Devo - Don’t Give Up.

Read: Ezra 4-6; Ps. 137
It should not surprise us that the devil would want to stop the building of the temple. Look at his tactics. First he comes to them with flatteries and deceit saying they wanted to help. They even said they served the same god. I have heard that so many times lately. There is only one God and he is Jehovah and there is only one way to him and that is the door, Jesus.
When they couldn’t get to them with their deceit they started troubling them and hiring counsellors to frustrate their plans. In other words, they tried to infiltrate their ranks using people on the inside. Next they wrote letters to the king telling them that these people, the Jews had a past of rebelling against kings and if they were allowed to finish their temple, they would not pay their taxes. The king did some research and found out what they were saying was true and commanded that they stop building.
God raised up prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the Jews to turn to God and trust him alone. Zerubbabel and Jeshua heard what the prophets were saying and rose up and started building again. Of course, the governors were upset and sent a letter to Darius telling him what the Jews were claiming. They were claiming that Cyrus decreed the temple be rebuilt.
This was the best thing that could have happened because when the king went into the archives he found the decree and ordered them to continue building and funded the rest of the project. They finished the temple and had a great passover celebration.
Let this be an encouragement to us. When God wants to build the church or bless our family or whatever he has promised you…there is no man who can stop him. We might have to fight for our promises but we will win!
Lord, don’t let us stop building when the enemy comes against us with their lies and deception. Give us strength to persevere till the end.

Fri.’s Devo - Rebuilding the Temple

Read: Ezra 1-3
This book is the amazing power of God to move on the heart of a foreign unbelieving king. Cyrus was the king of Persia. The Jews had been brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and held captive and now God has moved Cyrus’s heart to send Jews back to Jerusalem and rebuild it. And… he is funding it! Nothing is impossible with God. We are about to see things like this happen in America. God is going to turn over the wealth of the ungodly to the godly to do the work of the kingdom. Cyrus even gave them the vessels that had been taken from the temple. Talk about restoration! We are entering the year of Jubilee starting September 13th and the year of Jubilee is when everything is restored to the rightful owner. We are going to see things return that were stolen and doors open that have been locked shut. God is going to bless his people like never before because he wants to rebuild his temple in us for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
When they asked for volunteers, 42,360 came forward to travel back to Jerusalem and restore it. They came with their talents and their gifts.
They gathered in the seventh month which would be Roshashana according to the religious calendar and offered sacrifices on the altar for their sins. Ten days later was the feast of Tabernacles and they kept that too. The next year they set up the foundation for the temple. They laid it with praise and worship. This is where we are in history. We are laying the foundation for the temple and it has to be laid with praise and worship. It said that the people that remembered the first temple cried because it was not like the old. This new church God is raising up is not going to look like the old and we just need to get over it! God is doing a work from the inside out, not the outside in. Sometimes it doesn’t look so nice on the outside but it is a much deeper work.
Lord, prepare our spirits to walk into this new season of restoration.

Thurs.’s Devo - Future Events

Read: Daniel 10-12
Daniel has his last and most moving encounter with God by the river Hiddekel which means “riddle of light”. God was about to give him the answer to the revelation of the end times. It is truly a riddle of light. Daniel sees Jesus in his glorified state and is undone. Jesus’ touch strengthened him to stand and understand what he was about to see. The first thing the messenger tells Daniel is that he is greatly loved. How sweet is that? Daniel is undone with his own unrighteousness and God extends love and mercy to him. That is our God!
Daniel’s vision was the revelation of the future - our times. Daniel had been fasting for 21 days and his fast allowed the angel, Michael to break through the demonic forces of the prince of Persia and give him this message. Persia means “division”. Division is a huge factor in the church today. We need to fast and allow God to break through this barrier of division.
In Chapter 11, Michael shows Daniel the succession of the Persian and Grecian empires. The anti-christ in verse 21 refers to Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a cruel and violent persecutor of the Jews. He sacrificed a pig on the altar which was the abomination of desolations. Mark 13:14 talks of a future abomination of desolation that will be set up. I wonder if that isn’t the Dome of the Rock on the temple mount. But, we know that chapter 12 says that God’s people will be delivered if our name is found in the book. Then all who have lived will be called to the judgment seat of Christ and be judged. The rest of the story was sealed up for now. Now, God is revealing what is going to happen in the end and it is nothing like I thought it would be. All I am certain of is that we are privileged to live in this time and a revival is coming that is going to supersede any revival in the past. We get to be a part of it!
Lord, give us your eyes to see the joy that is set before us and make us brave!

Wed.’s Devo - God Always Sends the Prophets First

Read: Daniel 7-9
It is easy to get overwhelmed by Daniel and his imagery. He saw the same thing Ezekiel did in a different way. The 8th chapter refers to Jerusalem and the remnant of Judah under Zedekiah. Ezekiel had laid on his side 349 days to stand for the time God would humble his people for their sins. Daniel saw it in forms of weeks.
Daniel, like Ezekiel, was taken in the spirit to the temple where he was shown the abominations of the priests. They worshipped the gods of all the nations around them and rejected their own god who was the only true god. Manasseh had set up and image of Ashtarah in the temple. Ashtarah is the same thing as Astarte, Venus and the queen of heaven. She was the mockery of Jehovah God.
God always judges his spiritual leaders first and the 70 elders who were supposed to be leading the people in worship to him would be judged the harshest. It is true today. To whom much is given, much is required. Everyone wants to be on top but their are higher prices to pay to get there and to stay there.
Lord, may we content to draw closer to you and stay there. May we hear what the prophets are saying today and heed their warnings.

Tues.’s Devo - Take Heart!

Read: Daniel 4-6
Today was such an applicable reading for us in the world we live. Daniel was our prototype of how to live godly in an ungodly nation. He prospered under three ungodly kings by using his spiritual gifts without excuse. Nebuchadnezzar needed his dream interpreted and only Daniel could do it. He told Nebuchadnezzar that he would lose his mind if he didn’t repent of his pride and show mercy to the poor. It all came down that very hour and for an appointed time, Nebuchadnezzar was like a wild animal exiled from his kingdom. He came to his senses and was given back his kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar ruled in his place and decided to drink from the cups taken from the temple. As soon as he did God started writing on the wall four words. It scared Belshazzar and his men half to death till they brought in Daniel and he could interpret it. Because he had ruled his nation in pride God had numbered his days and his kingdom was about to be divided between the Medes and Persians. He lived long enough to reward Daniel with a gold chain and promote him to third in the kingdom. That night Belshazzar was killed by the Chaldeans and Darius, the Mede took over the kingdom.
Daniel was promoted under Darius to number one over the whole kingdom. The other presidents were jealous and found a way to trick Darius into sabotaging Daniel and he ended up in the lion’s den. I think Darius was more upset than Daniel but he encouraged Daniel that his God would deliver him. He was right and we have the great story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The lions were rewarded with the accusers of the brethren.
These few chapters are such powerful reminders of what our God can do for us in the midst of ungodly rule. Take heart because our leader is the Lord!
Lord, give us your viewpoint when we are tempted to tremble and be afraid. You are in control and you lead the heart of kings. There is nothing to fear but You and You are on our side.

Mon.’s Devo - Stand Up for the Truth

Read: Daniel 1-3
What a powerful reading! If God be for us, who can be against us. Today should encourage us to stand up against the world and not compromise. Daniel didn’t when he was commanded to eat the best food of the land. Daniel and his friends knew that eating what God’s Word said would be healthier than eating the king’s meat and wine. He and his three friends chose water and vegetables and God proved them right. When all the wise men were to be killed, Daniel stood up for all of them and asked for time because he knew his God knew everything, even things hidden and would reveal them to him if he asked. God proved him right. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah put their life on the line and refused to bow to the golden statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up and God proved them right.
God is looking for men just like these four that will dare to love their life not unto death and prove God. God will come to our defense. He is the best lawyer and defender.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was prophecy about the future. I love that he couldn’t contain it but it took a believer to interpret the future. There are many seers in the world but God’s seers have the total truth.
Lord, I thank you that you know what is in the darkness and the light dwells with You. Thank you that you give us wisdom and might and will make known unto us whatever we desire of you. (Daniel 2:23)

Sun.’s Devo. - Roshashana!

Read: Joel 1-3
I wondered what today’s reading would be and knew it would be prophetic. Today is the day of the full moon, the blood moon and Roshashana starts at sunset. It is also the beginning of a new year in the Jewish religious calendar and the beginning of a Jubilee year. Could this be the day when Jesus comes down to tabernacle with his people and call them to the huppa? He will do that on a Roshashana and this one is prime for it. The prophets have had a lot to say about this day and some say because of the Shemitah or Sabbath rest, the stock market will crash. I don’t think this is the end but I believe that something big is going to start on this night in the spirit world that will overflow to the natural. Just remember when it happens who is in control.
Joel is addressing a people who have lost their joy. He tells them to gird themselves up and repent for the sin of their nation. They are to fast and assemble together to pray. I think we are going to see more and more of this happening in these days.
God told them to blow a trumpet and sound an alarm. Roshashana is the feast of trumpets. It is the warning of the Lord coming. After the feast of trumpets is a 10 day period called the Days of Awe or Yom Kippor. Joel 2:2-14. Ezekiel uses language which depicts the Assyrian army as locusts who swarm in and destroy everything in their path. This is the time of great tribulation in which people are given a time to repent. God’s gates open at Roshashana and close at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sept. 23rd) When God fulfills this prophecy it will be during these 10 days that people will have the last time to repent. The judgement day is at the Feast of Tabernacles. Ironically, my husband’s birthday is September 13 and mine is September 23.
Though this sounds awful and it is hard not to be afraid, God says “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things.” Then he goes through a list of blessings that will be given his people. The best one being that God will pour out his spirit upon all flesh… The moon will be turned to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord. We see this happening in preparation.
Joel three is the description of the Feast of Tabernacles. Everyone will be gathered to be judged for their works. God will cleanse the land.
Lord, make us ready for what is ahead. We say, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Sat.’s Devo- Jesus in Us

Read: Ezekiel 46-48
The first verse of today’s reading says that the eastern gate to the inner court will be shut for the six working days but on the seventh day it will be open. Hebrews talked about this seventh day. It is the day of rest and it is the seventh millennium. This is the gate that the prince will then enter. This is a picture of Jesus coming to earth to tabernacle in us.
It says in verse nine that you enter one gate and exit another. You never leave the same way you came. That should be the way it is every time we come before God. We should never leave the same way. We should be changed.
Verse sixteen tells us that the gifts given our parents are our gifts also and are passed to our children. I can attest to this in my life. I have the same spiritual and natural gifts that my parents had and I can see them in my children.
Ezekiel 47 is a picture of how God is going to heal the land after it is destroyed by fire in the end. He is going to send forth water which is his spirit to flow across the land and it will heal whatever it touches. This is also a picture of the last days revival that is going to spread across the land. Many fish will be brought in to the nets of salvation. No matter what a person has gone through his spirit can bring healing and restoration.
Everyone is going to naturally be drawn to their tribe. We already are even though we don’t know it. I am a prophetic teacher and people that have the same calling are drawn to me and vice versa. My tribe is the tribe of Levi. You have a tribe that you belong to too. Just ask the Lord what it is and he will tell you. I love people from all the tribes and we all need each other. Together we make up the body.
Lord, may people see us and know that You reside in us. Show us our tribe that we might know our purpose in the kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo - Preparing for the Passover

Read: Ezekiel 44-45
The Jewish calendar is a little confusing since there are two calendars. One is the civil calendar which starts with Tishri. The religious calendar starts with the 7th month of Nissan. God gave them the second calendar when he gave them the feasts in Exodus 12:2. Today, God refers to the religious calendar because Passover is in Nissan.
Ezekiel is brought in a vision to the eastern gate. He is told that this gate will one day be shut because this is the gate that Jesus will enter through and teach the people. It is also the gate that he will return and walk through. To this day it has been shut and walled up with stones because the Islamic people know that Jesus is suppose to enter through it. They think that stones will keep him out. How absurd!
God gave the Levites a new job since they had profaned the altar the first go around. This time they will only be in charge of maintenance and killing the sacrifices. Only the sons of Zadok will be able to come into the holy place and the Holy of Holies and minister to the Lord because they remained faithful when all of Israel strayed away.
The priests were to have no inheritance in Israel because the Lord was to be their inheritance. They were given land around the temple to live in and the first of the first fruits and sacrifices of the people was to be their wages. Most of all they were to lead the people justly and fairly. They were to cleanse themselves and the people and prepare themselves for the passover. The passover is the feast of salvation.
Lord, may we prepare our hearts to carry your salvation to everyone we meet. May we be like the sons of Zadok who remain faithful when times are hard.

Thurs.’s Devo - We Are the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Read: Ezekiel 42-43
The description of the temple gets to be pretty wordy and complicated but after reading it the third time out loud I started seeing something. This temple is a picture of our individual spirits. 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” In us we have the holy and the profane and in this verse God is measuring it. Jesus said that he would tear down the temple in three days and rebuild it. He was talking about the old temple as being the old covenant of sacrifices and works. It was going to be rebuild through his blood on the cross. He was also referring to our individual temples of our bodies that would be rebuilt by salvation on the cross. I don’t profess to come close to understanding it but I do love chapter 43 because that is what happens when the spirit of God is poured into a person’s temple. 2 Corinthians 6:16 “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” In this verse, God says he will dwell in our temple. In Revelation 11, John is given the same reed to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those that worship in it. He was told not to measure the court because it was given to the Gentiles. I used to think he was talking about us, but he is talking about the enemies of God because they are the ones that are going to tread down the temple for 42 months. Once we become Christians we are considered Jews in God’s eyes. There is no longer Jew nor Greek. (Galatians 3:28). All the promises of God’s chosen people are ours. Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3:11: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
Lord, thank you for your sanctifying process. You are cleansing our temple so that we can be accepted by You.

Wed.’s Devo - The Temple of God

Read: Ezekiel 40-41
They have been in captivity for 25 years and Jerusalem has been destroyed 14 years. God comes to Ezekiel on the 10th day of the month. Since it tells us it is the beginning of the year I would think that would mean the 10th day of Tishri making it the Day of Atonement. This was the day the high priest would make atonement for the whole nation. He would bring two goats to the entrance of the tabernacle and present them to the Lord. He would cast lots and the one that was chosen would be the one sacrificed for their sins and the other one stood for the people who were free from the judgment of death. This goat was set loose to go free.
God appeared to Ezekiel on this day and told him to follow him as he measured every door, gate, building, chamber, porch, etc. He was to report everything he did to the people. Then he was taken to the temple to measure it. Remember a few days ago how we said that the number 10 means to measure. This is really portrayed in this reading.
The temple has the number six in it many times because six is the number of man and the temple of God is within us. The height of the door into the temple is 10 which is two fives - double grace and its width is five - grace. The way to God is only by grace.
The whole house was 100 by 100 cubits. A hundred is the number for fullness; full measure; full recompense or reward. This is our full reward! It is decorated with faces of cherubs and palm trees. These cherubs weren’t the faces of baby angels but young lions and the face of a man. The palm tree is a symbol of strength and flexibility in the storm. It can bend and be tossed around during a storm and still stand in the end. It’s fruit is at the top and you have to climb high to get it. So these palms were the picture of the over comers who make it though life’s storms. They may be a man on the outside but they have the lion of God standing behind them. These people will be pillars in the temple of God. Revelation 3:12 says “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
Lord, make us a pillar in Your temple. May we overcome in this life that we might reign in the next.


Tues.’s Devo - The End and the Beginning.

Read: Ezekiel 38-39
The battle between Israel and Gog. Gog is believed to be located in the north east steppes of Central Asia, north of the Hindu- Kush, now a part of Turkestan, a region about 2,000 miles north- east of Nineveh according to Eaton’s Bible Dictionary. They will come against Israel and fight the last battle in the valley of Magog. Revelation 16:16 calls this the battle of Armageddon. Revelations 20 explains it further. It will happen after the thousand years of Satan’s exile from the earth. During these years Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit and not able to deceive the nations anymore. Those that were martyrs and over-comers during the tribulation will be judged and live during this thousand years according to Rev. 20:4. After the thousand years, Satan will be let out of prison and he will go out to the ungodly nations and gather his army through deception. God will come down as fire and consume Satan’s army and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented day and night forever. Then we will have the great white throne judgment where everyone will be judged for what they have done on earth. This is when people will be sentenced to hell or eternal life. It will be the end for some but the beginning for many.
Lord, keep us mindful of the big picture and what we are living for. We are living for eternity.

Mon.’s Devo - If God is For Us…Who Can Be Against Us

Read: Ezekiel 35-37
Finally some hope! I know Ezekiel must have been happy to be able to deliver more than one sentence of hope and thirty of doom. Today’s is just the opposite. We start seeing more of the end and it is good. We start out with a judgment against the people of Seir which were one of Israel’s enemies. They spoke curses against Israel and it is now time for them to pay. They were happy when Israel was down but now the tables are going to be turned on them. To Israel, God reminds them that He is for them. He is going to multiply them and build up their waste places. It will be better than in their beginning. God was going to bring people back to Israel and other nations were not going to harm them anymore. God promised to make his name holy and greatly esteemed once more. God was not going to do this because they deserved it but because he wanted to clear his name.
God gave them the illustration of what it would look like in the famous chapter of the dry bones. God took Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones and step by step showed him what death from life looks like. First there was a shaking and the bones got outer covering. Then their spirit returned and they could breathe the spirit of life. Then they became a great army. God gave him two sticks which stood for Israel and Judah and he told him to make them one stick because there was coming a day when his people would no longer be divided.
We have seen the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy when Israel became a nation in 1948. Even today, there is a prominent business man who is calling his Jewish brethren to move back to Israel. He was told by God to call His people home. God is not finished with his people. We, as Gentiles are spiritual Israel and God is calling us to become one people. Our covenant is through Jesus and he prayed that we all be one as He and the Father are one.
Lord, call us home to Your heart. Thank you that You are for us!

Sun.’s Devo - The Feast of Leviathan and the Promise of the Shepherd

Read: Ezekiel 32-34
It was the 12th year, 12th month and the first day that God sent his word to the king of Egypt. Twelve is the number of government. God is sending his government to earth and God is judging Egypt. It is time for the feast of Leviathan where the beasts and the birds will eat the flesh of the wicked. (Revelations 19:17-21.) What happened to the king of Egypt was a type of what will happen in the end. All of these people went to the pit or hell.
Ezekiel 33 speaks to the prophet and warns him to do his job. His job is to warn the people of what is coming. It is not his job to make them respond in the right way. He is only responsible for sounding the alarm.
Ezekiel 34 was a rebuke to the pastors of the land. They weren’t feeding the flock with the words of life. They knew the truth but they weren’t giving it to the people and they would be judged for this. They weren’t protecting and guarding over the flock but were only tending to their own families. But God promised to search for his people and find them. He promised to feed them and place them in a place they could prosper and grow. He would bind up those that were broken and heal them and make them strong. God did this through the ministry of Jesus. This ministry continues till he comes back. We are promised showers of blessings, fruitfulness and safety.
Lord, thank you for being the Great Shepherd to your people. Thank you for binding up our wounds and healing us. Help us to go do the same. 


Sat.’s Devo - Satan in the Garden

Read: Ezekiel 28-31
We talked about the prince of Tyre yesterday. His name was Ethbaal which means “with Baal”. He thought he was wiser than Daniel and had divine powers and authority. Ezekiel compares him to Satan. Satan was in the garden and was decked with every precious stone. He was the anointed cherub that was perfect until iniquity was found in him. His beauty caused him to have pride and his wisdom was corrupted because of it. He was cast to the ground. He will be destroyed by fire just as Tyre would.
Tyre was the center of commerce and especially known for its purple dye and its precious engraved stones. Their pride and opulence led to pride and idolatry. But one day they would no longer be a thorn in Israel’s side because the people of God that were scattered there would be sanctified and they would one day come back and build houses and be safe and life with confidence.
As Ezekiel continues to give us dates it is obvious that the number ten is used over and over. Ten is the number of testing and measuring. In Ezekiel 29, it is the Pharaoh of Egypt that is being measured and found ready to judge. He is called the dragon. Revelation 16:13 describes Satan as the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Revelation 20:2-3 says, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. Satan has three parts or personalities or beings just like God does.
Egypt would be judged and brought down never to rise above other nations. I have been to Egypt twice and can attest to the poverty and baseness of it.
As we continue to read we see how God compares the fall of Egypt to the fall of Satan in the garden. He compares Satan to a beautiful tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and how it was destroyed and sent to the pit.
Lord, how great you are and your mysteries. You have planned this whole world from the beginning. May we walk out our destiny on the earth.

Fri.’s Devo - The Pot of Judgment

Read: Ezekiel 24-27
In Ezekiel’s writing he does this countdown of the years Jehoiachin is in captivity in the Chaldea’s. It was the tenth month and the tenth day which was also the date that Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1). God told him to get a pot which would represent Jerusalem. He was to put the best meat and water into the pot. These would represent the best men of Jerusalem. He was to let them simmer over the fire just as Jerusalem had to simmer over the fire of Nebuchadnezzar. Even that did not get rid of the scum or sin of the people. Then he was to set the uncooked meat on a rock and let the blood run out to show that the rock could not cover the blood of the meat. Christ is that rock and his blood was not covering their sins…they were responsible for their own actions.
Next, Ezekiel was told to take the meat and cook it till it was totally consumed and burned in the pot. This was to show the people that because they didn’t respond to God’s discipline, they would be totally consumed. God told them he was taking away the desire of their eyes in one stroke yet they were not to mourn or weep. To show the people what that would look like, Ezekiel’s wife died that night and in the morning Ezekiel had to address the people. He was not allowed to weep or mourn for her.
In Chapter 26, Ezekiel speaks against Tyre. The king of Tyre though himself to be equal to God. He thought he would be able to divinely protect his people because of who he was. He was so wrong and was going to be punished by the king of Babylon.
In Chapter 27 we see all the luxuries that Tyre had enjoyed that were now coming to an end.
Lord, may we read this and tremble. Your name is great and Your power is endless. We trust in Your judgments.

Thurs.’s Devo - Aholah and Aholibah

Read: Ezekiel 22-23
Ezekiel 22 is God’s judgment on Jerusalem. He calls her the “bloody city” because of all the murders and children sacrificed to Molech. This once “set apart” nation had become so lewd and evil that other nations found them detestable. Their sins had reached heaven and it was now time for God to bring his fire and burn out the evil. The whole chapter is a list of all the horrible sins they committed and their disregard for justice and the rights of others.
Chapter 23 is an allegory about two women that represent the capitals of Israel and Judah. Samaria, Israel’s capital, was named Aholah which means “idolatrous sanctuary”. She had made the Assyrians her lover and adopted their idols and hideous forms of worship. Judah’s capital, Jerusalem was named Aholibah which means “my tent is in her”. God’s temple was in Jerusalem but they profaned it and sinned worse than Israel. She was drawn away by the lust of her eyes into the idolatrous worship of the Assyrians. She lusted after their brightly dressed soldiers and all their pomp. Because of these sins and more, God was going to strip all this from them and send them to a land they hated…Egypt.
This is so sobering because America could be called a bloody nation because of all the murder and abortion. As Christians our hope is prayer and repentance. We can repent for those who don’t know any better and God will bring them down. There is still hope for our nation because we are in it. God’s tent is in us and we can stand righteous in an unrighteous nation and turn away God’s wrath.
Lord, may we as your people repent for our nation of its innocent blood shed and its moral decline. Show us the things in our lives that are wrong and may we be quick to repent. Spare our nation and make it Yours again.

Wed.’s Devo - Choose Your God

Read: Exekiel 20-21
In the seventh year of their exile, some of the Israelite leaders came and sat before Ezekiel and asked him what the Lord was saying. God wanted to know why they were now interested in knowing what he said. He told them that if they wanted to lead the people then they needed to explain to them their sins. Ezekiel walked them through God’s plan for Israel and how he had sought out the best land in the earth to give them. He delivered them from Egypt and its idolatry but Israel brought the sins and idolatry of Egypt with them. God brought them out to the wilderness to get them away from the land of bondage and abominations. He gave them his laws and showed them how to worship Him but they chose to return to the evil practices of other gods even making their sons die in the fire. Since they chose to worship other gods, God had to rule them with fury. He is determined to make them his people.
When we rebel against the Lord he has to put us under his rod of correction to bring us into his covenant. Our trials are sent to purge us of our sins. He told the elders to go and serve their idols but to leave him out of it. He didn’t want them serving Him and their idols. They needed to choose who they were going to serve.
In Ezekiel 21, God spoke to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. He gave them the exact way the enemy from Babylon was going to come and destroy them. He even showed how the king of Babylon would come to a fork in his road and use his divination to decide which way to go and God would cause his evil compasses to go the way He wanted them to go. Whatever the enemy decided to do, it would be the Lord’s plan that would be done. If God wanted to spare them and take them to another land, he would and if he wanted to have them die by the sword, it would be done.
Lord, you are so long suffering but it is your call in the end. You control all the leaders of the land so we put our trust in You.

Tues.’s Devo - No Excuses!

Read: Ezekiel 18-19
There had been a saying in the land that if the fathers eat sour grapes then the children’s teeth were set on edge. They were blaming Manasseh for their calamity instead of searching their own hearts and seeing their own sin. God was not punishing them for something done in the past but for their continuance of that sin. Every man is judged for his own sin, not the sin of their father or mother. Everyone has a chance to choose for themselves which path they will choose. God was not allowing them to use this excuse anymore.
The answer to getting back into God’s favor was simple. They just had to turn from their life of sin and follow God’s laws. Then God would give them a new heart and a new spirit. It is still the same today.
In Chapter 19 the mother was the mother of Jehoiachin who stood for the progenator of David’s line. Her “whelp” was Jehoiachin or Jehoahaz (his given name) who was taken captive to Egypt. The next “whelp” was Jehoiakim, brother of Jehoahaz, who was placed on the throne by Pharaoh (2Ki 23:34). He was eventually taken to Babylon.
Both of these leaders were wicked and taught the people wickedness. In verse 10 it goes back to the infancy of Israel, the vine, and her life was pictured as a vine who was once fruitful but had dried up. She has now been planted in the wilderness where she has lost her influence and power in the world.
Lord, let us not be like this vine. Let us be fruitful in the land you have planted us in. May we take responsibility for our own sins.