Fri.’s Devo - Unleavened Bread

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15
God had fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham to make his family a mighty nation. Now, God was making this group of people, his people and teaching them his ways. He was drawing them out of bondage and saving them just as the Pharaoh’s daughter drew Moses out of the Nile and saved him.
God would give them rituals they were to practice year after year as signs to show his big plan for the future. The first of these rituals was Passover. It would represent the life and death of Jesus. For us, it means our salvation.
The next was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Leaven represented sin. They were to not have any yeast in their houses for seven days. They were not to eat anything with yeast in it during that time. This feast represents our sanctification from sin. Once we are saved, sin is not a part of our nature and we are no longer a slave to sin. Sin is crucified with Christ and he now lives in us. We make mistakes and fall into deception, but it is hard for a Christian, a true follower of Christ, to willfully sin. If we do willfully sin, we are instantly convicted and that is our invitation to repent and be restored. Sanctification is a process of changing our behavior to walk in righteousness and renewing our minds to think like God thinks.
When God gave them a new birth day, yesterday, he was giving them a spiritual birthday. We are born in the flesh on our official birthday but when we are born again, we get a new birthday and everything is new. We are born again into God’s kingdom. That is when Unleavened Bread starts for us. The week of Unleavened Bread represents our lifespan. We continually live in Unleavened Bread. We are constantly eating the Bread of Life and not the bread of sin. Jesus told his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which was their doctrine (Matthew 16:12). Their doctrine was man-made laws - not God’s laws. We walk in God’s law and his doctrine of grace.
Jesus did specific things on his way to the cross. He gave two men their sight physically which led to them being able to see spiritually. Once they saw, they followed Jesus.
Jesus walked the path to Jerusalem at the exact time the temple Passover Lamb was walking the path down to Jerusalem from the pool of Siloam. They would both be praised with palm trees and the song of “Hosanna to the Son of David” from Psalm 118. This Psalm is known as the Hallel which was sung each year during this feast. The people would sing it as they entered Jerusalem from all over the land.
Jesus entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple of the people who used God’s name to extort money from the people.
Jesus healed the blind and the lame and when the Pharisees heard the people singing the Hallel to Jesus they were indignant. Jesus told them that from the mouth of children, God perfects and ordains praise.
Jesus cursed the fig tree as a picture of him cursing Israel for not being ready to receive their Messiah.
Lord, may we live in constant renewal and change towards righteousness. May we hear clearer and see your hand on the earth. Thank you for our salvation!

Thurs.’s Devo - The Last Plague

Read: Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15a; Proverbs 6:6-11
After seven plagues, God lets Moses in on his secret. He has been hardening Pharaoh’s heart so He could perform his signs and miracles. All of their waiting and discouragement was a part of God’s plan. I wonder how many times this is God’s plan when we have prayed and prayed and it seems everything has gone the opposite way. Could it be God’s plan to do it in a way that he would get glory and reveal himself to us and others? I think so!
The next plague was to be locusts that would devour what little was left after the destroying hail. This time Pharaoh’s officials begged him to let them go, so Pharaoh came up with a compromise. Only the men could go, but their wives and children had to say in Egypt. Moses answered with locusts.
They destroyed everything and Pharaoh was ready to repent. God hardened his heart because he wasn’t finished with his signs.
The next sign was three days of darkness that could be felt. It must have been frightening because Pharaoh was ready to let the whole family go, but they had to leave their flocks and herds. Moses explained that they needed them for sacrifices. Pharaoh was so upset he told Moses to get out of his sight and not appear before him again. He was not letting them go.
God told Moses that there was one last plague and then Pharaoh would let them go. The people were to ask silver and gold and clothing of the Egyptians. By this time, the Egyptians were so in awe of the power of God, they would have given them anything.
The last plague would be the death of the first born son of all Egypt and their cattle. None of Israel would lose a soul.
Then he gave them a new birth day for their nation. It was the seventh month which would now be their first month on their calendar. They were to take a lamb on the 10th and examine it until the 14th. It was to be young and without blemish. On the 14th they were to slaughter it at twilight and put its blood on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they ate the lambs. They were to eat it roasted over the fire, also with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. It was to be completely consumed by morning. They were to eat it with their cloak tucked into their belts, sandals on their feet, and staff in hand as if they were about to leave. They were to eat quickly because it was the Lord’s Passover.
On that night the death angel would pass over the houses with the blood. He would take the first born of the houses without the blood.
We know that all of the things they did to the lamb were the things they did to Jesus. His blood is what keeps us from death and passes us to heaven to live eternally.
In Matthew, Jesus gave the parable about the king who hired workmen at different times of the day. He promised them the same wages and payed them all the same. The ones who had worked the longest complained but the king explained that he was giving them what he promised.
We are all called into the kingdom at different ages but we will all be given the same reward. We are also chosen to be born in different millenniums. Some eras are more difficult than others. We didn’t chose when we were to live but we will get the same reward as those who walked through the hard times of the Old Testament, and those who were greatly persecuted. It is God who chooses when we are to be born and where. He is a just God full of love and compassion.
The way we live here on earth determines the position we will serve in heaven. Jesus explained that the one who is last here will be first there. The one who serves here will reign there.
Lord, thank you for your perfect plan. Help us to walk humbly on this earth as your friend, serving others as you did.

Wed.’s Devo - The First Seven Plagues

Read: Exodus 7:25-9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5
Today we read the next six plagues. We can learn from these plagues the ways God responds to continual rebelliousness. God turned the drinking water to blood, killing all the fish. Seven days later he used that blood to produce an immense number of frogs. In Revelation 16:13 John saw there unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. So, these frogs which represented unclean spirits came out of unclean water and manifested on the earth.
The frogs got the attention of Pharaoh and he summoned Moses and Aaron and begged them to take the frogs away. When the frogs were gone, Pharaoh changed his mind.
The second plague was the dust that turned into gnats. God had promised Abraham that his seed would be as the dust of the earth and through it all the earth would be blessed. Satan’s seed becomes like gnats that sting and curse the people and the earth. God’s seeds are like trees of righteousness that bring fruit and blessing to the earth. Dust represents our posterity on the earth - our family line.
The magicians couldn’t reproduce this miracle and pronounced it as the “finger of God”. Satan can not produce life. Jesus would use his finger to write in the dust and save a woman caught in adultery. He rewrote her posterity.
Pharaoh didn’t repent so God sent the third plague of flies. Satan is known as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Flies bring disease and filth.
From this time on the plagues never reached Goshen and were only reserved for Egypt. Pharaoh did a quick repentance here which only lasted a short time and then he still refused to let them leave.
The fifth plague was against their livestock: horses, donkeys, camels cattle, sheep and goats. This was an attack on the goddess Isis. All their animals died along with their sacrifices and meat. Pharaoh didn’t flinch.
The sixth plague was boils. Moses didn’t warn Pharaoh about this one since he didn’t repent about the last one. Moses took soot from the oven and threw it into the air and it produced the boils. The magicians couldn’t even appear in public they were so stricken. Pharaoh refused to listen.
The seventh was hail from heaven. Moses told Pharaoh about this one first and gave him the opportunity to stop it if he would just let them go, but he opted to be stubborn.
God told Pharaoh that He could have him wiped off the face of the earth but He was sparing him for the purpose of showing him His power and for the purpose of spreading His fame throughout the earth. At that time, the Pharaoh was considered the god of the earth, but God was proclaiming to him that He was God of the whole earth.
Some of Pharoah’s own officials feared God and brought what was left of their livestock inside. The devastating hail fell and continuous lightning hit until it left Egypt in ruins. This got Pharoah’s attention and he confessed he had sinned by not listening.
His repentance lasted till the sun came out.
In Matthew, Jesus showed how much he honors and loves children. He used them as examples of how our trust in him should be.
The rich man who trusts in his riches thinks he is an adult, but really he is bound by his riches. That is why we need to have the heart of a child. Children have no concern for the cares of this world. Every thing he has comes from his father and that is the mentality we need to have.
Lord, help us to see that our abilities are given to us by you to bless your kingdom. Our riches are yours to build your kingdom.

Tues.’s Devo - Water to Blood

Read: Exodus 5:22-7:24; Matthew 18:23-19:12; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverbs 5:22-23
Things were not going like Moses thought they would. God had given him a commission and a promise, but the people he had come to rescue were now in more trouble than before he had come. They didn’t want him there.
Moses went to the Lord to tell him what was happening and ask why. God wasn’t discouraged. Everything was going according to his plan. He promised Moses once again that he would deliver his people and by his hand. He told him to tell the people again that he was going to deliver them and make them his people. They couldn’t hear because they were so discouraged and beaten down with bondage.
God sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him to let the people go. Moses told him that the Israelites wouldn’t even listen to him, what would make him believe that Pharaoh would listen.
God was not deterred. He commanded Aaron and Moses to speak to Pharaoh and they obeyed.
Moses was to do the miracles that God had given him to do. When Pharaoh demanded a miracle, Moses threw down his rod and it became a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians could do the same thing, only Moses’ rod ate theirs to show that God’s power was greater than Pharoah’s. Then Moses stretched that same rod over the Nile and it became blood. Their magicians could do that but Moses’ blood didn’t dissolve. It stayed and killed all their fish and polluted all their drinking water.
The Egyptians worshiped the Nile god Hapy. All of God’s plagues were against the gods of Egypt. God was declaring war against their gods.
In Matthew, Jesus explained what the kingdom of heaven was like. Then he told the story of the man that owed a huge amount to the king. When he asked for mercy the king cancelled his debt. That is the loving kindness of our Father God.
Sadly, the story didn’t end well for that man because he didn’t extend the mercy and forgiveness to his fellow man. His lack of mercy for him canceled the grace and mercy that God wanted to give him. We have to forgive others it we want God to forgive us.
The Pharisees came to Jesus with one of their trick questions. They asked if it was lawful for a man to put his wife away for any reason. Putting away and divorce are two different things. Jesus explained that marriage was a contract between two people. If God brings two people together, then they should not divorce. “Putting away” is divorce without a contract which is not legal in God’s eyes. So, to remarry would be to commit adultery because, they are still married, legally. Legal divorce is recognized in heaven. Another way to break the contract in God’s eyes is marital unfaithfulness which is a sin. It is the consummation of a man and woman that makes them one. Marriage is a picture of the holy joining of us with God. It is not to be taken lightly.
Lord, thank you for the covenant you made with us through your blood. May we remain faithful and true.

Tues.’s Devo - God is With Us

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-22; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21
God gave Moses two signs to show the Israelites so they would believe that God had sent him. The first was his rod becoming a snake and then a rod again, and the other was his hand becoming leprous then healed. If they didn’t believe the first two, then he was to take water from the river and pour it out as blood on the ground. All of these were pictures. God’s rod of authority had been given to the serpent, Pharaoh, but God was taking it back to himself. The sin of the people, represented by leprosy would be taken away as they hid in the garment of God’s wing. Their sin would cause the blood of Jesus to be shed upon the ground and only then would they be set free.
Moses begged God to send someone else because he felt so unqualified. God was angry that Moses wouldn’t trust him to help him but God relented and agreed to let Moses’ brother Aaron speak for him.
I wonder how many times we miss being used to do something wonderful for the Lord because we refuse to step out in faith. We think it has something to do with our abilities when it has nothing to do with our talents but everything to do with God’s great power. He is just looking for a vessel to use.
When Moses stepped out to obey him, he still had many trials to go through. He had to get some things straight. The first thing was his family. He hadn’t circumcised his youngest son. Once he got that done, he could continue.
Then there was convincing others to follow him. It was going well at first till opposition came. Then he lost his followers. When God asks us to do something, it doesn’t mean that the sea is going to part without having to fight the opposition first. Satan is not going to take defeat sitting down, so we have to know that there will be a battle to fight before the deliverance. God promises to be with us and fight for us.
In Matthew, the disciples asked Jesus who was greatest in the kingdom and he said the one keeps himself the most innocent, like a child. The one who receives the weak and untaught will also be great in the kingdom. Jesus cares greatly about the lost sheep and he wants us to care about them too. Ministry is messy and is all about dealing with hurting and hard to deal with people.
Jesus told them what to do if a person sins against you. You are to confront him yourself. If he refuses to listen, then you need to take a witness or two. If he still won’t listen and repent, then you need to treat him as a person who is not saved.
Then Jesus talked about binding and loosing. We can bind truth about our loins and loose our selves of sin. We can’t walk on this earth without getting dirt on us so we can loose it by a simple declaration of faith. We forgive people, but we loose sin.
Lord, we loose the sin that has gotten on our flesh and we choose to bind truth about our heart. We are the righteousness of Jesus and we choose to walk in truth.

Sun.’s Devo - The Power of the Name

Read: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14
Moses went out to survey what the Hebrews were building for Pharaoh. He witnessed the cruelty of the Egyptian slave masters on his people and secretly killed an Egyptian and hid his body. The next day, when he went out, he saw two Hebrews fighting and asked them why they were fighting each other. They asked him if he was going to do to them what he had done to the Egyptian the day before. Moses realized that everyone knew what he did and it would just be a matter of time before the Egyptians knew it too.
He fled to Midian and sat down by a well. Once again he met his wife by a well. “Wells” were the Match.Com of the Old Testament. Jesus met his bride by a well. We all come to the well of salvation to meet our bridegroom.
Moses met Zipporah and watered her flocks for her. He married her and had a son named Gershom which means “a stranger in a foreign land”. That line sums up Moses’ whole life. He was always the stranger in a foreign land. He was an Israelite who grew up in an Egyptian household. He didn’t belong there and he didn’t belong with his own people. He didn’t belong in Midian either. We are all aliens on this earth because our home is with Jesus in heaven.
One day while he was tending his father-in-law’s flocks he saw a bush that had caught on fire and it refused to die out. He went over to see why and God spoke from the fire and revealed to Moses who he was. God was Moses’ father as he was Abraham’s, Isaac’s, and Jacob’s. He told him his whole future and the future of his nation. God was sending Moses back to Egypt to lead his people into the land that he had promised to Abraham. When the Israelites asked him who had sent him to deliver them out he was to tell them, “I AM who I AM. I AM has sent me.”
Moses was to meet with the Hebrew elders first and tell them that God wanted them to take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord. The Pharaoh will not be favorable but God would make the Israelites so hated by him that he would finally let them go. They would need to ask the Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold and clothing for their children. They will plunder the wealth of the Egyptians.
In Matthew, the disciples were wondering about the prophecy of Malachi 4:5 that says “I will sent you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Jesus explained that a Elijah did come in the form of John the Baptist. Their question proved why they couldn’t heal the man’s son of his seizures. They still didn’t have faith that Jesus was who he said he was and that nothing would be impossible through his name.
When Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, Peter was approached about their temple tax which would be two drachmas a piece. It was suppose to be a voluntary tax but it was assumed that everyone would pay it. Jesus, who was the Lord of the Temple, asked Peter who paid taxes the people or the kings? Peter answered that the people pay taxes. Jesus was implying that they were the kings of the earth and should be exempt but because they would never understand this, he told Peter to go catch a fish and tax money would be in his mouth. God’s kingdom is supernatural and not of this world. We obey the laws of the world because we live here, but we also live in God’s kingdom where everything is free. We are to be kings and priests with God in the spiritual.
Lord, Help us to see the power in your name.

Sat.’s Devo - From Joseph to Moses

Read: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6
Jacob died and was mourned 70 days in Egypt and 7 days in Canaan. Joseph and his brothers took his body and buried it in the patriarch’s burial land. Joseph made his family promise that when he died, they would take his bones to the same place.
Years after Joseph had died, a new king came to rule in Egypt who didn’t know the story of Joseph and his family. All he could see was that the Israelites were becoming a greater nation than the Egyptians. He was afraid that they would rise up against him and prevail so he had the Hebrews treated as slaves. They were put to forced labor and treated mercilessly. They kept multiplying so the king told the midwives to kill the Hebrew boy babies. The midwives whose names meant “protection” and “intercession” feared God and let them live. They made the excuse that the Hebrew women were strong and had their babies before they got there. God blessed the midwives with families of their own.
The king stooped to killing the babies himself. He had all the Hebrew boys under the age of two thrown into the Nile.
That was when two Levite parents had a son who they knew was special. They hid him as long as they could then made a waterproof basket, put the baby in it and had their daughter, Miriam take it to the Nile and place him in God’s hands.
God watched over that baby and had the Pharoah’s daughter find him, love him and allow his own mother to nurse him. When he was older, he was brought to the palace and given to the Pharaoh’s daughter. She named him Moses.
In Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples who other people thought he was. Then he asked them who they thought he was. Peter answered that he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus told him that upon that fact that he was going to build his Church and anyone who believed he was the Messiah would be given keys to his kingdom. These keys would be able to bind together or put off and destroy.
Jesus said that to follow him would cost them their lives. It would be a daily dying to self.
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain and showed him his glory. They saw him talking to Moses and Elijah. Peter thought they were here to stay for a while and wanted to make them a Sukkot since it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and everyone was making booths for the celebration. But, before Peter could move, God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
The disciples fell on the ground in fear but Jesus touched them and told them to rise. They were not to tell anyone what they had seen till he had been raised from the dead.
Lord, thank you that your salvation is free to everyone who is willing to profess your lordship and lay down their lives to serve you. When we do this we can see you in your glory. May our lives reflect your glory.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Blessings

Read; Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27
Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own. Jacob was old and about to die so Joseph brought his two sons for him to bless. Joseph strategically placed his sons where the oldest son would be at Jacob’s right hand and his youngest at his left. Jacob strategically crossed his hands to place his right hand on the head of Ephraim instead of Manasseh’s. When Joseph tried to correct his father, Jacob explained that the elder would serve the younger. Ephraim would become a group of nations.
Then, Jacob gave Joseph one more portion of land than his brothers had. Joseph’s name means “he will add”.
Jacob called all his sons in to bless or curse them. Rueben was cursed to never excel because he went in to his concubines. Simeon and Levi were cursed because of the lives they took when their sister, Tamar was raped. Judah was blessed to bring forth rulers. All the nations would bow to him.
Zebulun would be a haven for ships and enlarge its territory. Issachar’s people would be active, patient, given to agricultural jobs. They ended up living in southern Galilee which was considered good land. They settled with the Canaanites where, for the sake of quiet, they became their servant.
From Dan would come judges who would be subtle and cunning.
Asher’s people would be blessed and prosper with rich land, corn and oil. Naphtali would be located in a fertile and peaceable territory. He would spread out like a deer’s branching antlers.
Joseph received the greatest and longest blessing. Joseph stood for Jesus. Jacob traced Joseph’s life of suffering, but the hand of the Lord was upon him which caused him to prosper.
Jacob’s word to Benjamin described all of the tribe’s future to a tee. Benjamin was almost eliminated because it became so barbaric and sinful. But, God had a plan for Benjamin and in the end he would divide the plunder.
Jacob gave instructions that he wanted to be buried in the same cave that Abraham, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah were buried. He understood that where you were buried was important. He wanted to spend his time in Sheol with his family until Jesus came to resurrect them.
In Matthew the people had been with him for three days without provision. Jesus fed the 5,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish. He picked up seven baskets of left-overs. The disciples didn’t get the significance of this miracle but hopefully they would when he left.
Jesus knew that he would not always be with them and they would have to carry on his ministry when he was gone. When he died, they would be without their teacher. Jesus would rise on the third day and then it would be their job to take the little faith and knowledge that they had and feed the multitude of people. He was trying to show them that what they had would be enough and more.
Lord, help us to realize that we have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had in him. If we just let you live through us, life is easy and fulfilling. When we don’t, we are miserable and life is impossible. We choose, today to let you live through us a

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Wisdom and Graciousness

Read: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19
God calls his people to Egypt for seasons. He called Joseph in the New Testament to take Jesus to Egypt to spare his life until Herod had died. Now, God was calling Jacob to leave Canaan to go to Egypt to spare his life and the lives of his family. Joseph didn’t want them to have to come into the midst of Egypt but there was green pasture in Goshen where they could live in peace and worship God their way. It worked out perfectly that the Egyptians detested shepherds. The Pharaoh was glad to give them Goshen and even let them care for his animals.
Joseph and Jacob had a tearful reunion and Jacob got to meet Jacob’s wife and two children.
The people in Egypt ran out of food and money so they offered Joseph their cattle. I would guess who got to take care of those animals and receive payment. It was another way God continued blessing his people in a heathen land.
When all the Egyptian’s livestock was gone, they had nothing but themselves and their land. Joseph bought up all the land of Egypt and the people for Pharaoh. Joseph treated them fairly. He gave them back grain to plant. One fifth of their harvest would be the Pharaoh’s and the other would be theirs. They were grateful to give the fifth.
This makes me think of the graciousness of God. He gave us salvation and everything we have and all he asks of us is a tenth. We should be even more grateful!
In Matthew, Jesus exposed the Pharisee’s hypocrisy. They wondered why his disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate which was a law they had made up. Jesus countered with one of the Ten Commandments of honoring your father and mother. They had devised a law where you could opt to give your money to the synagogue instead of taking care of your aging parents. Giving to the synagogue gave you clout and position with man. Jesus said that their worship was in vain because they were following rules they made up while their hearts were far from God.
Jesus explained further, that food eaten with unwashed hands did not make the food unclean which was what the Pharisees taught. It was what came out of your mouth that makes a person unclean because words come from the heart and reveal the cleaness or uncleanness of the heart.
A mother from Canaan followed Jesus begging him to heal her daughter from sickness caused by demons. Jesus told her that it was not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs. (What a seemingly rude thing to say!) She didn’t take it as rude. She agreed, and responded that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. By her response, she was proclaiming that Jesus was her master and that she was his humble servant.
Jesus was impressed with her answer and granted her request.
Lord, thank you for the blessings of our lives and all you have given us. Help us to never forget that all we have is yours.

Wed.’s Devo - Repentance Reaps Rewards

Read: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13
Joseph had to make sure all of his brothers had repented and changed so he had his silver cup hidden in Benjamin’s sack. When they had gotten out of the city, Joseph sent his soldiers to find the cup and bring them back.
Jospeh rebuked them for stealing from him and made a big deal about what they stole. They had stolen his cup that told the future which was what Joseph’s life was all about.
Benjamin was the only innocent one of the group concerning what they had done to Joseph years ago. Joseph picked on Benjamin to see if they would throw him under the bus like they did him. No doubt, Benjamin had replaced Joseph in being Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph needed to see if they would treat Benjamin the same way they had treated him.
Judah stepped forward and offered his life for Benjamin’s and his brothers. Jesus would come from his line and do the very same thing 2,000 years later. When Judah did this act he was taking ownership of all he and his brothers had done. He knew he deserved to die for his sin. Now, Joseph knew that they were ready for him to reveal himself to them. When Israel repents as a nation, the glory of God and the Messiah will be revealed to them.
The brothers were shocked and amazed but as Joseph explained, it was God who sent him to Egypt to preserve the life of their whole family. I’m sure they were reminded of his dream of their sheaves bowing down to his.
Joseph sent provision and carts from Egypt to Canaan to get all their families and Jacob and bring them back to Egypt where they would be given the best of the land.
In Matthew, the crowds found Jesus as he was trying to get away by himself. He was filled with compassion for them and healed their sick. It was getting late and there was no place around to get food so the disciples told Jesus he might want to shut it down. Jesus told the disciples to feed them. They rounded up five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took the food, prayed and broke the loaves. He gave it to the disciples to give to the people. The loaves multiplied in their hands. Twelve basketfuls of leftovers were gathered.
Jesus sent his disciples across the lake, dismissed the crowd, then went up on the mountain to pray. (I don’t think Jesus required much sleep.) During the night a storm arose and the disciples were in the middle of the lake fighting the storm. Jesus was on his way across the lake, walking on the water. When his disciples saw him they thought it was a spirit and were scared. Jesus assured them that it was him and that they didn’t need to be afraid. Peter wanted to walk on water too, so Jesus told him to come and he did. He was doing fine until he looked at his circumstances and sunk. Jesus pulled him out and rebuked him for doubting. The storm died when they stepped into the boat.
They landed at the same place they had been going when they had the other storm and delivered the demoniac. Now the people, who had made them leave before, were ready for him. They brought Jesus all their sick people for him to heal. The demoniac that Jesus had made stay there had been a testimony to them of the power of God that Jesus possessed.
Lord, may we walk in the power that Jesus died to give us. Help us to keep our eyes on you and not the storms in our lives.

Tues.’s Devo - Freedom from Guilt

Read: Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47:14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10
Joseph changed his mind about keeping all the brothers. He only kept Simeon and let the others return home to get Benjamin. Joseph had planned for them to come right back but Jacob wouldn’t let them for fear that he would lose more than Simeon.
They found the silver in their sacks which was meant as a blessing but their guilt couldn’t see it as a gift. They felt that everything that was happening was their fault for what they did to Joseph, and it was. Joseph was testing them to see if they were repentant.
When they ran out of grain again, Jacob had to send them back. Rueben talked Jacob into letting them all go, promising that he would take full responsibility for their safety. Jacob had no choice, so they all returned with Benjamin. They offered double the silver but instead were told to keep their silver and invited for lunch. They were still afraid that any moment would turn into their own demise, but that was not Joseph’s intention at all. He sat them in the order they had sat all their lives - in birth order. When Joseph saw Benjamin, he had to leave the room to cry but came back composed. When the food was served, Benjamin was given 5 times as much as everyone else.
When I read this part of the story what sticks out to me is the way their guilt kept them from seeing the grace being extended to them. When we live in guilt, we will not understand others’ motives because we will see it through eyes of guilt and fear and condemnation. Only Jesus can take away our guilt of sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In the end, they did feast and drink freely so they were finally able to relax and receive. That is the position of a person walking in grace: we can eat and drink with the Lord freely with no condemnation.
In Matthew, Jesus told one last parable about the end time harvest and judgment. He explained that every teacher gives new revelation and old.
When Jesus came home, the people couldn’t accept the fact that one of their own could do such miracles. They took offense with him. Jesus explained that it is hard for a prophet or teacher to be accepted by those in his own hometown. It is hard for them to not see past the flesh.
John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod. Because John had condemned Herod of taking his brother’s wife, he had imprisoned him. Herod enjoyed talking with John and respected him but his wife couldn’t stand John because he made her feel guilty. She tricked Herod into killing him. Once again guilt caused deception which lead to death.
When Herod’s officers heard about all the things Jesus was doing, they told Herod that it sounded like John had risen from the grave. I bet that had Herod’s wife shaking in her boots.
Funny, they thought that Jesus got his power to do miracles from John, but it was vice versa!
Lord, help us to shed any guilt we might have. Thank you for your blood that cleanses us and makes us righteous. May we continue to walk with clean hands and pure hearts.

Mon.’s Devo - Double Fruitful

Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6
Pharaoh told Joseph his dream about the skinny cows eating the fat cows and remaining skinny. Joseph explained that the fat cows stood for years of plenty followed by the skinny cows which were the years of famine. He suggested that he store up during the years of plenty so that the people would be preserved during the days of famine. The king thought it was a brilliant idea and set Joseph in charge of making it happen. Joseph was given authority to rule and promoted to second in command to the king. He was given a Gentile bride who gave him two sons during the days of plenty. The sons were named Manasseh, which means “causing to forget”, and Joseph which means “double fruitful”. God was causing Joseph to forget the pain of his past and see his great blessing now.
Jesus has chosen a Gentile bride in his church and we have caused him to forget the rejection of his own people. He is double fruitful through the church. When we become a Christian he does the same thing for us. He causes us to forget the shame of our past and see the blessing of our future.
The famine hit and spread across the land to Canaan. Joseph’s brothers were starving but heard that Egypt was selling grain so Jacob sent his 10 sons to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin stayed home.
Joseph recognized them but his identity stayed hidden from them. He questioned them about their family and they told him about their father and Benjamin. Joseph tested them to see if they had changed. He accused them of being spies and held them as prisoners. He planned to send one of them home to get Benjamin. He kept them for three days so they got to experience the prison that he had lived in for years. We are called to identify in Jesus’ sufferings.
In Matthew, Jesus told them many parables. The first one had to do with good seed that God sowed and bad seed that Satan sowed. They would both produce. God’s good seed would produce people represented as wheat and Satan’s seed would produce his followers represented by tares. They were to remain on the earth until the end of time when the angels will harvest them. The wheat will go in God’s barns in heaven and the tares will be burned in the fires of hell.
The next two parables meant the same thing. The seed and the yeast were examples of how the kingdom of God would start small but it would grow and many would come into it.
The next two parables had to do with the Jews and the Gentiles. The believing Jews were the treasure hidden in the field. The Gentile Church were the pearl of great price. Jesus died to save the whole would just to recover the treasure and the pearl. They both are hidden throughout the earth but God bought the whole earth with the price of the blood of his son to unearth them for all the see.
Lord, thank your for your great plan! May we walk as treasures and pearls in this earth displaying your glory so others can come to the light of your salvation.

Sun.’s Devo - Understanding Mysteries

Read: Genesis 391-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35
Joseph was sold to Potiphar who was chief of the executioners for the Pharaoh. Right away he noticed that Joseph was blessed with administration and that everything he touched prospered. Potiphar entrusted everything he had to Joseph and didn’t worry about a thing. Potiphar worked out of town much of the time so Potiphar’s wife started noticing Joseph when Potiphar was away. She tried to seduce him to have sex with her but he wouldn’t do it. She was relentless and when she was spurned the last time, she lied and said he had tried to force himself on her.
When Potiphar came home, she told him her lie. He must have seen through it because it would have been nothing for him to execute Joseph since that was his job. Instead, God intervened and Joseph was put in prison.
Joseph stayed there for years. One day both the king’s cook and wine taster were put in prison. Someone must have plotted to poison the king since they were in charge of what he drank and ate. They were put in prison till an investigation could be made to find out which one or if both were guilty.
God gave them both a dream on the same night and Daniel interpreted them both. The cup bearer would be restored to his job in three days. In three days, the baker would be hanged and the birds would eat his flesh. Joseph asked the cup bearer to please remember to mention his plight to the king and get him out because he was innocent. The cup bearer forgot about Joseph until years later when the king had a dream and it needed to be interpreted. Then the cup bearer told him about Joseph. Joseph was brought out of prison and shaved his head and changed out of his prison clothes. Joseph was wise enough to know that if he was going to appeal to an Egyptian, he needed to relate to him as much as possible.
When Joseph was asked by the Pharaoh if he could interpret his dream Joseph told him that God would tell him what it meant. Good answer!
Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph and faked his death as a picture of the Jew’s killing Jesus on the cross. Jesus was resurrected and sold to the Gentiles where he prospered and help them prosper. The Gentile church went through tough times when they had to go underground as Joseph was in prison but he came out of prison to rule over the Gentile world. We are living in that season right now but soon the Jewish eyes will be opened and they will realize that their Messiah has been alive all this time.
In Matthew, Jesus’ mother and brothers came for him. I am guessing that Joseph must have just died and they expected Jesus to come home and take over the family business. Jesus explained that his spiritual family was much bigger and just as important to him as the ones in his own house.
He didn’t go home, he followed his heavenly Father’s will. Jesus stood in a boat and told the crowd the most important parable of all. To understand all the other parables, you must understand this one. It was the one of the seed and the sower. He explained it to his disciples, who asked, what it meant. The key to understanding anything about Jesus and his kingdom has to do with the soil of your heart. If the soil is not ready and willing to receive the seed, the seed will not live. The seed is the Word of God. The farmer, God, throws out seed everywhere but it will only grow where the heart is ready and wanting to receive it. The more seed you devour, the more seed will be given you.
Lord, make us hungry for the seed of your Word. Remind us that your mysteries are for us to understand. Open our eyes to your kingdom.

Sat.’s Devo - God Always Finds a Way

Read: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32
Today we begin the story of Joseph who was a type of Jesus. He, like Jesus, had to learn obedience through the things he suffered. He got on his brother’s wrong side when he tattled about what they were doing wrong. (Notice that it was the son’s of Jacob’s concubines who were tattled on.)
Joseph was also their father’s favorite from his favorite wife. Jacob had a beautiful coat made for Joseph to show his favor. But, the thing that topped it off for the brothers was Joseph’s dreams. This showed them that even God favored Joseph over them.
They understood how important dreams were and did everything they could to kill Joseph and his dreams. They thought they had found a way to make some money and get rid of him too, but little did they know it fell right into God’s plan. Reuben, who had planned to save Joseph, wasn’t around when they sold Joseph. They came home with Joseph’s coat they had covered in blood to leave Jacob to his own conclusions. Jacob was left distressed and Joseph became a slave.
In the middle of Joseph’s tale we have the story of Judah and Tamar. Judah left the home of his father and went to live in the city of Adullam and married a woman there. They had three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah found a wife for Er named Tamar. Er was so wicked that God killed him! By Mosaic law, Tamar would be married to Onan and their first son would carry on Er’s line. Onan didn’t want to carry on his brother’s line so he refused to impregnate Tamar. God saw his wickedness and killed him also. Judah told Tamar to wait until Shelah grew up and she would be give to him. It is important to remember that having babies and carrying on posterity was most important then.
When Shelah grew up, he was not given to Tamar so Tamar took matters into her own hand. She disguised herself as a shrine prostitute and waited for Jacob to walk down her road. His wife had died by then and he took the bait. He left his staff, seal and its cord in lieu of payment.
God blessed Tamar and she became pregnant. When Jacob found out she was pregnant, he wanted to have her burned to death until he realized she was carrying his offspring. She bore twins and was paid back for both of Jacob’s sons who never gave her children. When birthing them. an arm came out first so they tied a scarlet thread around it. But when the first baby came out it didn’t have the thread on it. It had broken through to be first. This is a constant theme throughout the Bible. The first born stands for our natural sin-natured self. The second born stands for our born-again nature of God. It is the one that has been washed in the blood.
In Matthew, we have a dividing line drawn. The Pharisees had been following Jesus to see if he was the Messiah like all the people were saying. They had their own litmus test for the Messiah. He had to cleanse a Jewish leper, heal a man born blind and and open the mouth of a dumb man. He just did the third one and the Pharisees had to make a statement about whether he was the Messiah or not. Their jealousy would not let them pronounce Jesus as the Messiah so they said he got his power from Satan. This was the final blow to the religious order. Jesus cursed them with spiritual blindness which will remain on their people till the time of the Gentile’s is over. Many Jews have come to know Jesus as their Messiah, but as a nation, they are still blind. One day their eyes will be opened.
Lord, help us to walk with eyes that see and ears that hear you. Thank you that you always find a way!

Fri.’s Devo - Bethel

God told Jacob to go back to the angel’s camp where he saw them climbing the ladder from heaven to earth and where he wrestled with one of them. There, in Bethel he was to build an altar. Bethel means the “house of God”.
Yesterday we read where Levi and Simeon ticked off the whole region by killing all the men of Hamor but today we read that God put terror in the land so that no one pursued them.
God told Jacob to get rid of all their foreign gods and when he built the altar in Bethel, Rebekah’s nurse died and was buried there. Jacob hadn’t been able to mourn his mother’s death, but he was able to mourn his mother’s maid who was probably like a mother to him.
When Jacob returned to Bethel, God changed his name to Israel and told him that nations and kings would come from his descendants. He built another altar there and poured oil on it. Upon leaving Bethel, Rachel went into labor and died having Benjamin. She named him Ben-Oni meaning “son of my trouble”, but Jacob changed it to Benjamin meaning “Son of my right hand. She died outside of Bethlehem, the place where the Son of God’s Right Hand would be born many years later. Jacob buried Rachel in the same cave that Abraham, and Sarah, were born. (See Genesis 49:31) Jacob stayed with Isaac in Hebron till he died at the age of 180. Both Esau and Jacob buried their father then parted.
We have a list of Esau’s descendants who formed the Edomites, their kings and their chiefs. They ruled in the hill country of Seir in Canaan.
In Matthew, we find the Pharisees wanting Jesus to conform to their law. They considered picking heads of grain to be “work” so the fact that the disciples were picking the grains of corn because they were hungry made them breakers of the law. Jesus reminded them that the priests were exempt from that law because they ate the shewbread and lived. He was trying to explain to them that priests were anyone who believed he was the Messiah and followed him. He was the Lord of the Sabbath.
Jesus got to demonstrate what was to happen on the Sabbath in the next town. There was a man there with a shriveled hand and the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus explained that to do good on the Sabbath was not work it was good works. He healed the man’s hand and the Pharisees left to plot his death. (This is looking a lot like Congress!)
Lord, help us to see the bigger picture and put our confidence in your plan. It is always good!

Thur.’s Devo - The Face of God

Read: Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; Provers 3:19-20
Yesterday, we read that Jacob was met by angels sent from God. There must have been so many, he called it the camp of God. (Gen. 32:1,2) Jacob stayed there while he came up with his strategy for meeting Esau. He chose 550 animals to send ahead as a present to Esau. That night he wrestled with one of the angels of God’s army. They wrestled until dawn to get a blessing and when the sun started to come up the angel gave in. He had to hurt Jacob to get away, but he gave Jacob his blessing. Jacob named the place Penuel which meant “face of God”.
I have a feeling that that blessing had to do with his meeting with Esau. He was blessed in that Esau was not mad any more. He was convinced to take Jacob’s gifts as a peace offering for all Jacob had done to him and then they parted ways. Jacob went to Succoth which is symbolic for the tabernacles the people would make for the Feast of Tabernacles years later. Jacob had made it home. Jacob bought his first piece of land in the Promise Land of Canaan for 400 pieces of silver. It was right outside of Shechem. That was the same price that Abraham bought his first piece of land in Canaan. Jacob set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel which means “Mighty is the God of Israel”.
Leah had a daughter named Dinah who went into the city of Hamor to visit the women of the land. The ruler of the area whose name was Shechem saw her and took her and violated her. Then he decided he wanted to marry her so he went to Jacob to make a covenant with their people. Dinah’s two blood brothers, Levi and Simeon heard about what Shechem had done to Dinah and were furious and wanted revenge. They came up with a plan to get back. They told them they would only make a covenant with their people if they would all be circumcised. The men agreed and got circumcised. Three days later, Simon and Levi came into their city and killed all the men and looted their city. When Jacob found out he was not happy. He was afraid that what his sons did made him a threat to the other nations. I wonder if God didn’t allowed this to happen so they wouldn’t make a covenant with the people of the land. They were not to join them but subdue them.
In Matthew, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for not having spiritual eyes to see. The prophets were sent to lead the people back to God, yet the kings killed them. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and he was the greatest because his job was to welcome the Messiah. They killed him also. They were always coming up with a reason for not liking the prophets but Jesus said, no matter what God sent them, they rejected. So God hid his best treasure from them and revealed it to children. The only one who really knew God was Jesus and whoever he chose to let see. No one knew Jesus, except God.
He gave the invitation to all who were tired and heavy to come to him. His laws were easy and light and he would teach them with kindness and love.
Lord, thank you that you reveal yourself to all who will diligently seek you. We seek your face.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Way is the Best Way!

Read: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:26-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18
Jacob fled with everything he had. He had worked 14 years for his wives and 6 for his flock. Laban found out three days later and took off after Jacob, catching him on the seventh. The night before, God had given Laban a warning in a dream not to speak harmfully or good to Jacob.
He did speak his mind and he was not happy that Jacob left without telling him, and he was most unhappy that he had taken his household gods. Jacob told him he fled because he was afraid of him and that whoever took his gods would not live. He had no idea that his beloved Rachel had taken them.
Household gods were idols. It would cost Rachel her life and she would not get to see Jacob’s promised land or her boys grow up.
Jacob and Laban made a covenant and set a stone as a witness and a dividing line. Neither would cross it and God would be their witness as to how they lived their lives. They offered a sacrifice and ate their last meal together. Laban left but he was only the first of Jacob’s obstacles. The next one would be Esau. Jacob sent messengers to Esau that he was coming. In response, Esau came to meet him with 400 men. Jacob was sweating bullets. He decided to divide his people into three groups. He would send out the first group and if Esau attacked them, the rest could escape.
Jacob reminded himself that he had come with nothing and God had blessed him with a huge company of servants, wives and children. God had also given him a promise to bless him and multiply him as the sand of the seashore. Now, his faith would be tested.
In Matthew, Jesus continued to encourage them of the persecution that was to come. He told them not to be afraid of men who could kill their body because they couldn’t kill their eternal soul. They had to choose who was going to be their master. They had to choose Jesus over family, friends, reputation and their own life. To follow Christ would cost them everything but the reward would be great in heaven. Heaven is for eternity, this life is a fleeting moment.
John the Baptist was still waiting in prison for Jesus to come and rescue him. He had prophesied that the Messiah would open the prison doors and set the prisoner free. Why hadn’t he done that for him? Jesus knew John’s heart and told his men to report back to John the things he was doing. He was giving sight to the blind, walk to the lame, life the the dead and preaching the good news to the poor. Then he said, “Blessed is the man who does not fall on account of me.” In other words… Jesus was telling John to look at the things he was doing instead of the one thing he was not doing.
We all tend to judge God by what he does for us instead of praising him for who he is. God’s ways are not our ways but his are always the best. John would never get out of that prison, but when Jesus was resurrected, he would be released and rewarded for everything he did. John had done what he was sent to do and got his promotion early. He fulfilled his mission of preparing the way for Jesus. Well done, John.
Lord, help us to accept your will as the best for our lives and rest in your love. You are always right!

Tues.’s Devo - Time To Go Home

Read: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-25; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15
Rachel and Leah were typical sisters. Rachel was jealous of Leah because she could bear children and Leah was jealous of Rachel because Jacob loved her. Leah and Rachel named their children based on what was going on in hearts at the time. They competed with each other and their sons were the scoreboards, while Jacob was the referee trying to be fair to both sides. They all needed counseling!
After the 11th son, Jacob decided it was time to go home. He negotiated with Laban for his wages. He would take the spotted and speckled sheep and goats. That way it would be obvious which was which. Jacob stayed on for a while to fatten his take. He used his trickery to make the strong sheep turn out speckled. He put poles that looked speckled in front of where they mated. You become what you behold, so he made them behold speckled poles and they produced speckled offspring. He faced the weak animals towards Laban’s so they would produced solid colored animals. Genius!
Laban didn’t think it was so great and Jacob could tell he had lost his father-in-law’s favor. God spoke to Jacob and told him it was time to go home. Jacob went to his wives and asked them if they were ready to leave. They felt no connection to their father so they were ready to leave, too.
In Matthew, Jesus had chosen his twelve disciples and was sending them out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead a, cleanse the lepers and drive out the demons. He told them to take no provisions with them. He wanted them to walk in faith like he had demonstrated to them.
He told them what to do if they were rejected, what to do if they were arrested, and warned them of the persecution that was awaiting them. They would experience the same rewards and rejection that he had because they were his students.
We are told to do the same things. If it were impossible to heal the sick, raise the dead, etc, then he wouldn’t have told us to do it.
Lord, may we walk in the same anointing that you walked in with the same results.

Mon.’s Devo - Have Faith

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12
Jacob was sent to Paddan Aram to escape Esau’s wrath but mostly to find his wives and learn a lesson. Jacob was a trickster but he moved in with an even greater deceiver than himself. God knows just how to crucify our flesh. For Jacob it was Laban whom God used.
Esau learned that his Canaanite wives were not liked by his mother and father so he married one of Ishmaels’ daughters, too. I’m not sure that that was a great choice either.
Jacob stopped in Luz and slept under the stars with a rock as his pillow. He dreamed of a ladder that went up into heaven with angels going up and down. Above the ladder stood the Lord who told Jacob that he and his descendants would be like the dust extending to the north, south, east and west. They would bless all people and He would watch over them and bring them back to this land.
The next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it up as a memorial of what God had shown him. He poured oil on it and promised God that if he would provide for him and bring him back to his father’s house, then he would give God a tenth.
Jacob continued his journey till he came close to his uncle’s land. He came to a well where three groups of sheep were waiting with their shepherds. There was a stone on the well and they were waiting for the other shepherds to arrive so they could all remove the stone together and water their sheep. The shepherd they were waiting for was Rachel, Laban’s daughter. Jacob must have found out who she was because he lifted the stone, by himself, and watered all of her sheep. (Just the opposite of Rebekah who watered the servant’s camels). Then, Jacob kissed her and she took him home to meet her father, Laban.
Jacob stayed there and worked for seven years for Rachel. When he got Leah instead, he waited a week and got Rachel also. Poor Leah! It does sound unfair in our culture but in their culture a woman lived to marry and have children. If not for the fact that she was the first born and had to be married first, she might never have had that opportunity.
God blessed her and gave her three sons which she named out of her desire to be noticed and loved by her husband. The first was Rueben which means “see a son”. The next was Simeon which means “heard”. She wasn’t noticed with the first son but she realized that God heard her on the second. The third was Levi which means “joined”. She was hoping it would join her with Jacob. The fourth one was Judah which means “praise”. She had learned to praise the Lord because he was her ultimate husband who noticed, heard, connected and loved her.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captives free; to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He healed all these things but most of all he came to make people whole in their soul. A 12 year old girl had just died and her father came to Jesus to ask him to raise her from the dead - what faith! On his way to her house a woman who had been bleeding the whole life of this little girl - 12 years, touched his garment and was healed. Jesus told her that her faith had healed her.
Jesus raised the dead daughter and as He was leaving the girl’s home, two blind men called out to Jesus for mercy. He touched their eyes and told them that their faith had caused them to see again. Jesus told them not to tell anyone, but they told everyone.
Then Jesus healed the man who was demon-possessed and couldn’t talk, the Pharisees said he did it through the power of the devil.
In spite of the Pharisee’s rejection, Jesus kept healing and doing miracles because of his compassion for the people. As he looked out into the crowd of people who needed help he told his disciples that they needed to pray for more people to do what he did.
Lord, help us to walk in faith and do the works that you did so that many will be set free, healed and brought to the truth of the gospel.

Sun.’s Devo - New Wine

Read: Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10
Isaac left the Philistines and came to the valley of Gerar where his men had dug wells. The wells had been covered up by the Philistines so they redug them. The herdsmen of Gerar fought them over the water and took the first two. Finally, Isaac got to keep the third one showing that there was room for them too.
God came to Isaac and told him he was with him and he was not to be afraid because He would bless him.
Abimelech and his advisors came and found Isaac. They had seen the great favor of God on Isaac and didn’t want to end enemies. They wanted to make a covenant to save themselves because they knew God was with Isaac. Isaac made a covenant with them and fed them.
God blessed Isaac for being a peace maker and gave him water. He named the well Beersheba meaning “well of the oath”.
Isaac was getting old and wanted to bless his firstborn - Esau. He told him to hunt some game and after they had eaten, he would bless him. While he was out hunting, Rebekah had Jacob pose as Esau and take the blessing. Isaac blessed him with the riches of heaven and earth, along with abundance and power. When Esau found out, he was mad. He begged for a blessing so Isaac told him he would be the opposite. He would not be blessed with heaven and earth’s riches. He would live by the sword but one day break the yoke of Jacob’s rule over him.
Esau was so mad, he planned to kill Jacob when his father died. Rebekah found out his plan so she sent Jacob to her brother Laban’s house. Rebekah was left with Esau and his foreign wives which she didn’t like.
In Matthew, Jesus was doing a new thing. He was forgiving people’s sins, healing paralytics, and eating with tax collectors. The Pharisees couldn’t stand it. When they asked Jesus about his actions, he gave them the parable about sewing unshrunk cloth on a preshrunk garment. When wet and dried, the tear would be worse because the patch would shrink and leave a hole. Then he told them about new wine poured into old wineskins. It would not hold, and the wine would pour out. New wine had to be poured into new wineskins.
Their hearts were the wineskins which needed to be renewed because he was pouring out the new wine. They would never be able to contain it or understand it without having new hearts.
Lord, may we have new hearts to receive your new wine which you are abundantly pouring out.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Favor

Read: Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 101:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8
Isaac’s servant had found what he had come for and wanted to take her home. Rebekah’s parents wanted her to stay a week, but Rebekah agreed to leave then. Isaac met Rebekah in the field and it was love at first sight. Rebekah was a great comfort to Isaac after losing his mother. Sarah.
Abraham remarried Keturah and had six sons and seven grandsons. Abraham sent these descendants away to live in the east. He gave them gifts but his inheritance and all that he had went to Isaac. Abraham lived 75 years after Isaac was born. He was buried in the land where Sarah was buried. He was “gathered to his people” which means that he lived in Sheol with his family. Where you were buried in the Old Testament was where you spent your time waiting for Jesus to resurrect you if you had faith in God.
Ishmael had twelve sons and they all lived around Egypt. They lived in hostility towards themselves and still do.
Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah but she was barren. Isaac prayed for 20 years, and God opened her womb. They had twins: Esau and Jacob. When they were still in her womb, they fought so much she asked God about it. He told her that there were two nations in her but the younger one would be stronger and rule over the older.
Esau, the older was red, hairy and a hunter. He was Isaac’s favorite. Jacob was quiet and stayed among the tents and was Rebekah’s favorite. Rebekah must have told Jacob what God had told her because together they made sure it happened.
Esau came in hungry as a bear from hunting and Jacob had a nice pot of stew waiting. He bargained Esau’s birthright for the stew. Esau, who saw no importance in his birthright, sold it for stew. Jacob, knew the importance of the birthright and did everything he could to get it. God loved the heart of Jacob more than the heart of Esau. God wants us to know our birthright and our identity and be willing to go after it. Our enemy is the devil who thinks it is rightfully his. It is ours, but we have to take it.
A famine came to the land. Usually they would go to Egypt when a famine came. God told Isaac to stay in the land so he went to the Philistines for help. Isaac did what his father had done and told Rebekah to tell them she was his sister. The king found out he was her husband and rebuked him. Abimelech made it a law to not touch Rebekah. Isaac planted crops…in a famine and reaped 100 fold. That is a miracle in perfect conditions but impossible during a famine. It got the attention of Abimelech who could not help but see God’s favor on him. When his men fought over every well Isaac’s men dug, they finally gave up. Everything Isaac did prospered. Abimelech finally had to ask Isaac to leave because he was afraid he would take over his kingdom.
In Matthew, two men came to Jesus wanting to follow him. The first was a religious leader, no doubt very wealthy. Jesus told him that it would cost him everything to follow him. The second was a man with a dying father. He wanted to wait till his father had died before he could do the things that Jesus was telling him to do like preach the gospel. Jesus’ answer meant that you will always have excuses but none will be good enough. You can preach the gospel and follow him no matter what your situation is.
As Jesus and his disciples were crossing the sea, a huge storm arose. It scared the disciples, but Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and it calmed. Jesus saw that the devil was doing everything he could to keep them from reaching the other side where he ruled in this man of the Gadarenes. This man housed the principality ruling the area. Once they cast out the demons from him, the whole region could be reached for the gospel.
Demons have to live in something living to be able to function. They begged to go in the pigs since they knew Jesus wouldn’t allow them to enter a person. The pigs ran off a cliff! That was the spirit of violence that was in the man.
Lord, help us to go after our inheritance in You and stop at nothing to get it. It is worth everything to live in your kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo - Let Faith Rise Up in Us

Read: Genesis 23:1-24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6
Sarah died at the age of 127. Abraham bought his first piece of land in the promised land to bury Sarah. It was bought for 400 pieces of silver and was the land of Hebron which later became a city of refuge. Abraham had to buy real-estate in the land before he could purchase a wife for Isaac.
Abraham was getting old and needed to find the right wife for Isaac to carry on his name. He sent his best servant to find a wife in the land of his family. The servant was a type of the Holy Spirit who went to find this bride. He prayed through the whole process and God caused his journey to be successful.
He found Rebekah from the family of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. It couldn’t have been more perfect. God bought the whole field - the whole world, to find a bride for his son.
In Matthew, Jesus heals a man of leprosy because he was willing. He told him to present himself before the priests as a sign to the priest of who He was. Never in the history of their nation had a man been healed of leprosy. Only in Second Kings 5, a Gentile king named Naaman was healed of leprosy.
Another Gentile centurion came to him to ask him to heal his servant who was suffering and paralyzed. When Jesus offered to come to his house, the centurion told him that he was not worthy of him coming to his house. He said that all Jesus needed to do was to say the word and his authority with God would be enough to heal him. Jesus was amazed at his faith. That man’s servant was healed at that hour because of his faith. Jesus just said the words.
Jesus used this example to explain that many Jews would not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven because of their lack of faith, and many Gentiles would enter because of their great faith.
Peter, a Jew, had faith. Jesus healed his mother-in-law and she rose up and ministered to him. Many Jews who are in the law will rise up and be healed in the end and come to have their eyes opened. They will once again minister to the Lord in Jesus’ name.
Lord, help us to step out in faith and believe for the impossible.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Perfect Timing

Read: Genesis 20:1-22:24; Matthew 7:15-29; Psalm 9:1-12a; Proverbs 2:16-22
Abraham traveled to Gerar where Abimelech was the king. Abraham had told Sarah to tell everyone that she was his sister just like he did in Chapter 12. You would think that Abraham’s faith would have grown to trust God, but instead, he let fear cause him to lie. She did what Abraham told her and was taken into the royal harem at the age of 90!
God came to Abimelech in a dream and they had a conversation about Sarah. Abimelech feared and loved God and had innocently taken Sarah. God saved him and Sarah. Abraham was severely rebuked when the king woke up and returned Sarah to him. I don’t know how long Sarah was in his harem but God had closed the wombs of everyone in the palace while she was there. Abraham prayed for them to be fruitful and their wombs opened. It must have leaked out to Sarah because as soon as they left there, Sarah got pregnant. Actually, it was the set time for Isaac to be born. Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael and Hagar were cast out but promised to become a great nation because he was of Abraham’s blood.
Then, Abraham was tested to the max. He was told to sacrifice Isaac. Isaac was the obedient servant who allowed his father to tie him down to the altar trusting his father’s love. Isaac was the picture of Jesus who endured the cross for our sins.
God stopped Abraham in the knick of time and provided a ram for the sacrifice and restored Isaac to him. Then God called from heaven and renewed his covenant with him. His descendants would be as the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore. They would rule over their enemies and be a blessing to the earth.
Abraham was brought news that his brother Nahor had twelve sons.
Matthew warns us many times about false prophets. He gives us a clue about how to recognize them. You will know them by their fruits. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. False prophets will not have these fruit. They are from a different root that cannot produce these fruit. They also won’t teach with authority like Jesus did.
Lord, may we trust you when we face the fear of the unknown because there is nothing unknown to you. Thank you for your wonderful promises. May we not get weary in waiting.

Wed.’s Devo - The Cry of Sin and the Blessing of Righteousness

Read: Genesis 18:20-19:38; Matthew 6:25-7:14; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 2:6-15
The two angels that brought Abraham and Sarah such great news of new life and promotion were also on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to bring death and demotion. The cry of sin had reached the ear of God and they were coming to see if it was as bad as it sounded. The Hebrew for “cry” was “shriek”. Their sin had sent a shriek to heaven. It makes me think of the shriek of a raven. I wonder what righteousness sounds like in heaven - maybe the cooing of a dove.
Abraham knew that Lot lived in Sodom, so he started negotiations. He went from 50 down to 10 and stopped there hoping that 10 would be enough righteous men to save the city. There were only four and only three made it. The angels got their answer when they got there. In 2 Peter 2:7,8 it says that Lot was vexed with the filthy conversation and unlawful deeds of the wicked from day to day. His daughters were born and grew up in Sodom which was how they could come up with the horrific idea of getting their father drunk to have sex with him to carry on his line. From their seed we have the Moabites and the Ammonites.
In Matthew, Jesus covers the commandment about coveting. He told them to stop worrying about the peripheral things like what you are going to eat or drink, or what to wear because their spirit is much more important. He compares what man does to what God does. He feeds the birds, clothes the lilies and they don’t worry that God won’t take care of them. God knows our needs and promises to meet them. If we seek his kingdom first we will not only get our basic needs met but we will also get his righteousness. Then our outside and our inside will be fed and clothed.
Not only should we not covet the good things others have but we should not judge the wrong we see in others. For every wrong thing we see in others, we should look for the same thing in ourselves. That will cause us to hold our tongues.
God wants to give us his good gifts so all we have to do is ask for them.
Lord, we do desire to be clothed in your righteousness, and to seek your kingdom first on the earth and in us. We desire your gifts so that we can give them to others. Pour out your Spirit on our land.

Tues.’s Devo - Name Changes

Read: Genesis 16:1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5
Sarah is so relatable! She gets tired of waiting for her promised son so she starts figuring out how she can make it happen. Her plan is Hagar. But that backfires when Hagar becomes pregnant and throws it in Sarai’s face. Sarai blames Abram and Abram must have been afraid of both of them so he told Sarai to handle it however she pleased. She chose to treat Hagar the way she was being treated. Hagar fled.
The angel found Hagar and told her to return to her mistress and submit to her. Then he gave her some incentive. He told her that her son would have descendants too numerous to count. He gave her the boy’s name and described his character. She went back to Sarah and had Ishmael.
Thirteen years later, the Lord appeared to Abram and told him it was time to have his son. He changed his name from Abram to Abraham. From “father” to “father of many nations”. He told him to circumcise his men as a covenant between them. He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah which means “a princess”.
He gave Abraham the name for his new son, Isaac, meaning “he will laugh in mockery”. He would mock the fact that it was naturally impossible for Sarah at 90 to have a baby. Sarah laughed in disbelief. She even lied to the angels about it. In spite of all of Sarah’s faults, God chose her. How encouraging!
In Matthew, Jesus continues explaining the spirit behind the law. We should do our giving, fasting and praying so that God gets the glory and not us. Then he taught us a great prayer. First we acknowledge who the Lord is and praise him. Then we acknowledge his purpose which is to bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. This earth should mirror heaven. Next, we pray for our needs. Then we ask for forgiveness for our selves and others. Lastly, we pray not to be led into temptation but for deliverance from evil. We must forgive others to be forgiven ourselves.
Jesus said that we should treasure the things of God and heaven more than the things of this earth. We cannot serve both heaven and earth. We have to choose who our master is.
Lord, we choose to follow only You. Help us to have discernment to see the enemy and his deceitful tactics. Thank you for giving us your Name.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Unfailing Promises

Read: Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-30
God had blessed Abram and Lot so much that they had to split to find pasture for their huge flocks. Abram gave Lot first choice and he chose the most fertile grass with established cities in it. Abram went the opposite way but not before God told him that all the land he could see would one day be his.
Lot went to live in Sodom while Abram lived off the land.
Four of the kings from Babylon went to war with five of the kings including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. All nine kings were enemies of God and evil nations. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled with their army while their cities were plundered and their people taken. One man escaped and brought word to Abram. Abram took 318 of his warriors to fight them and recovered everything. Abram was met by Melchizedek, the King of Salem and God’s High Priest. Together they had communion. Afterwards, Melchizedek blessed Abram and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. He was also met by the king of Sodom who tried to repay Abram for what he had done but Abram wouldn’t take anything from him.
God came to Abram in a vision and told him that He was his great reward. Abram couldn’t imagine a reward being worth much without an heir to pass it to. He asked God about that and God told him to look up at the stars because that was how numerous his offspring was going to be one day. Abram wanted proof so God told him to bring a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon. He was to cut the animals in half and lay them opposite each other. All day, Abram had to shoo the fowls from trying to eat his meat. That night he fell into a deep and frightful sleep where God spoke to him and told him that he and his people would be a stranger in the land and afflicted for 400 years. They would come out of that foreign land with much plunder.
A smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the pieces and God made a covenant with Abram that he had given him the land from the Nile River to the Euphrates and all the nine tribes living in the land. This was Abram’s proof.
In Matthew, Jesus is teaching the spiritual lesson to the Ten Commandments. Yesterday he dealt with the commandment. to honor their father and mother. Only Jesus explained that the mother and father he was referring to was the law and the prophets. Then, he dealt with the commandment not to kill. He explained that murder was in their speech. Life and death are in the power of the tongue; we murder with words.
Today, he dealt with the commandment about adultery and explained that adultery is a heart attitude. Marriage is about covenant. To divorce is to break a covenant. If you divorce you are breaking a covenant and you have to make it legal.
He also dealt with bearing false witness against your neighbor. If you make an oath before God, you are to keep it.
Next he dealt with what to do if someone steals from you. You are to give them what they want and more. Then you are to love and forgive them. None of this is easy and it goes against our natural instincts; it takes God’s grace to be able to do any of this.
Lord, give us your abundant grace that we might live in your love and forgiveness. Help us to remember that you never lie and what you promise, you will do.

Sun.’s Devo - Unity

Read: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28; Proverbs 1:24-28
The whole earth spoke one language. They all went east and built the city in Shinar which became Babylon. The word for language denotes their speech, what they said and their attitudes. They all had the same determined goal which was to build a pyramid to heaven and control the earth from there. They made it of brick and bitumen from slime pits. Everything they did was to promote man as the god of the earth. God knew that their unity would bring the results they were wanting so he had to stop them. He confused their language and gave them different languages which caused them to scatter across the earth. Babylon is the seat of Satan which is the essence of confusion.
Just think of what the Church could do if we were one!
God chose Shem’s line to put his name on the earth. Shem means “a name”. Abram was the seventh in Shem’s line. God spoke to Abram and told him to leave his country and go to a land that he would show him and He would make him a great nation. Through Abram, the whole earth would be blessed and God would curse anyone who cursed him. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and left Haran and set out for the land of Canaan.
He stopped in a place between Bethel and Ai and built an altar to the Lord and offered sacrifices to the Lord.
There was a famine in the land so they had to go to Egypt to get food. Abram told Sarai to tell everyone that she was his sister instead of his wife so he would not be killed. If he died, she would be left defenseless also. Abram should have trusted God but he was learning. God did come to his rescue. They took Sarai which caused a curse on the men of Egypt. They came down with a serious disease and traced it to the time they took Sarai. The king gave Sarai back to Abram and rebuked him for lying. He sent them on their way. Abram had become a very rich man by then.
Abram returned to his altar between Ai and Bethel and offered more sacrifices and prayers to the Lord. He was back where he had started and ready to begin anew.
What a great lesson to us when we mess us. We need to repent and start over, not wallow in our mistakes and condemnation. Every day, God’s mercies are new and fresh and we can start over clean and forgiven.
In Jesus’ sermon on the mountain he gave great rewards to those who were humble, mourning, hungry and thirsty, merciful, peacemakers and persecuted for the right. They would receive the kingdom of heaven, be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled, see God, and be called his sons. He told us we are the light of the world because his light is in us. We are the salt of the earth because we bring flavor and eternity to the earth. He ended with something that is most important. He said that he didn’t come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. The law is our inheritance and we need to know what it says. The words of the prophets are still speaking to us today. He taught how important it is to have right relationships here on earth because it affects our relationship with Him. We must get our earthly relationships right first before we can bring an acceptable gift to God.
He encourages us to do it quickly before it has time for Satan to get involved because he is the unjust judge. He will turn a little misunderstanding into a huge bitter root.
Lord, help us to free our lives of wrong attitudes and judgments against your people. May we be one as you and the Father are one.

Sat.’s Devo - Change

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23
God’s rain cleansed the earth and after 150 days, the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat which means “the curse reversed”. It was now time to bless the earth again. Noah means “rest” which is what God did on the seventh day and why seven is mentioned so many times in this account.
The first thing Noah and his sons did when they exited the ark and set foot on dry ground was to offer God a blood sacrifice from the clean animals. They had brought seven of them for this very purpose. God promised them this: seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night as long as the earth remained. To me, this means that change will always be happening. When we are in despair we can know that it will not continue because day is coming. If everything is going well, we can know that a trial is coming. Change is good and it is how we mature and grow.
Everything changed after the flood. Lifespans shortened and even their diet changed. Before the flood, they didn’t eat meat but after the flood, they were given everything to eat. Animals that were once friendly were given the fear of man so they would have a chance. They were instructed not to eat an animal while it was still alive because that is merciless! That is also disgusting!
Moses was instructed to multiply and replenish the earth. He was also promised that God would never destroy the earth with water and to seal that promise he gave him a rainbow to remind him of that covenant.
Moses planted a vineyard and got so drunk he couldn’t dress himself. His son Canaan found his father naked and told his brothers who took a blanket and walked it backwards so they wouldn’t look on their father’s nakedness. This is a picture of honor. We are never to dishonor our parents or our leaders when they sin or make mistakes. We are to cover their sin and leave it to God to rebuke and take care of. How we speak of those in authority says much about our confidence in the Lords lordship.
Canaan and his family were cursed to serve his brothers because of what he did. What we do affects future generations for good or for bad.
In Matthew, Jesus began selecting his disciples. The first four were fishermen. They stood for the evangelists. We have to catch the fish before we can pastor or teach them. Jesus began his ministry with much freedom. He taught in the synagogues and preached and healed everyone who came to him all throughout Galilee.
Lord, may we honor you through all the changes in our lives.

Fri.’s Devo - Walking in Righteousness

Read: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19
Yesterday we read the genealogy of Cain and today we read Seth’s. Man lived so much longer because the ozone layer had not yet been pierced by the flood. The oxygen level was higher and the air healthier. The ground was full of nutrients that hadn’t been depleted like they are now.
We don’t learn much about their personal lives until it comes to Enoch. Enoch lived 65 years then he must have had some kind of encounter with the Lord because once he had Methuselah, he walked with God for the next 300 years. He walked with God so closely that he walked right off this dimension into heaven bypassing death. He was a picture of the rapture of the Church.
I wonder if when he had Methuselah, God didn’t tell him that when he died the end of the world would come. He named him Methuselah which means “when he dies, it will come”. The day Methuselah died, Noah walked on the ark.
Why did God destroyed the earth? I think we get a clue in 6:4. There were Nephilim on the earth which were the offspring of the union of Satan’s angels with the women of the earth. These offspring were covering the earth and could do mighty things under the power of evil. The Book of Enoch tells how they taught man how to make drugs from plants and weapons of destruction from the metals of the earth and much more. God found Noah whose line was not contaminated with this demonic seed and saved him and his three sons and their wives. They would repopulate the earth with pure seed.
Creation scientists tell us that when the springs of the deep burst open (6:11) that the ozone layer was pierced letting our good oxygen begin to leak out. Man’s lifespan from that time on became shorter and shorter.
Just like Enoch was a picture of the rapture of those who follow Jesus, Noah was a picture of the new believers who will follow God after the rapture and go through the tribulation. They go through the storm with God.
In Matthew, John the Baptist set the Pharisees and Sadducees straight. He made it clear that just because they were Jews didn’t mean that they were God’s children. Their hearts would decide that.
Jesus came to John to be baptized and God sealed his baptism by sending his Spirit to visibly rest on Jesus. He spoke from heaven declaring Jesus to be his son. Then Jesus was immediately sent to the desert to be tempted.
I don’t know if Satan appeared to him in a form or a thought but I think it is important that we understand that temptation is not a sin. It is what we do with temptation that determines if it is a sin or not. Having a bad thought is not a sin, it is a firey dart from the enemy. We will have those darts thrown at us but we can learn from what Jesus did that we can fight them with the Word. Satan used the Word against Jesus but He knew the spirit of which it was coming to him and answered it with the Word for the moment.
Our Proverbs tell us that if sinners entice us we don’t have to give in to them. We have been given power over sin and are no longer its slave. We can obey God, every time, because we have the nature of God in our beings and have crucified our flesh to the cross. As we mature in our walk with the Lord, I think that it is harder to sin than to choose rightly because we have trained our senses to obey. It is no longer us that live!
Lord, help us to live in the inheritance you purchased for us at Calvary. You are righteous and holy and we can walk in that same spirit.

Thurs.’s Devo- Redemption!

Read: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9
When Eve listened to the serpent and allowed herself to be deceived by him she was changing masters. Your master is who ever you listen to and obey (Romans 6:16). Interestingly, sin didn’t enter through her eating the fruit but it entered when Adam ate the fruit. He was not deceived (1 Timothy 2:14) and clearly knew the consequences of his actions, but to not eat it would mean that he would be forever separated from Eve. He chose to eat the fruit of sin just as Jesus chose to eat the fruit of sin to redeem his bride back. Adam had to leave Eden for his bride and death entered the world. Jesus had to leave heaven for his bride and through his death, death was defeated.
What Adam lost in the garden, Jesus redeemed in the garden.
Dust is mentioned several times in today’s reading so I did some digging. “Dust” is mentioned 103 times in the Bible and it refers to man at his basic beginning - his lowest denominator. Satan was cursed to be as low as that. He would be cursed to crawl on his belly and eat dust which is his goal - to kill and destroy man, who is made of dust. God was showing us that we are above Satan and we tread on him, not vice versa. Jesus would one day crush his head on the cross and all he would be able to do is strike his heel. A crush to the head is death. A strike to the heel was the picture of Jesus on the cross but it was death that lead to eternal life. There is definitely enmity between Satan’s seed and God’s seed. We see that in our country as there are two sides and no gray area.
We also see the two seeds in Cain and Abel. Abel was a type of Christ who modeled the sacrifice that God honored. Abel gave his first and best and it was a blood sacrifice. Cain offered his left-over and it was from the dust of the earth. Hebrew 11:4 tells us that Abel’s sacrifice was more excellent and it witnessed to the fact that he was righteous. His blood spoke from the ground just as Jesus blood still speaks and is alive.
Cain could have repented and corrected his offering but instead he murdered Abel just as Satan murdered Jesus out of jealousy. Cain’s fifth generation was Lamech who was also a murderer.
Adam and Eve had another son, Seth to take the place of Abel. Seth means “appointed” and he stands for the Body of Christ who are appointed to carry out what Jesus started on this earth.
In Matthew we see God giving Joseph dreams twice so he will know what to do. God still speaks through dreams if we are listening. God had to bring Jesus out of Egypt as a picture of how God brings his children out of bondage into light.
John the Baptist appeared on the scene at the right time to prepare the people’s hearts to receive Jesus.
Psalms says it so well: the devil plots great things against God and God’s people, thinking they can win. God sits in heaven and laughs. We are on the winning side!
Lord, we rejoice in our salvation. We rejoice that You are our Father, our Keeper and our Deliverer. Today we will walk in your Spirit, doing your mighty acts on the earth.

Wed.’s Devo - Our Inheritance

HAPPY 2020!
Prophecy is a wonderful thing. Last year my word was “clarity” and boy did God clarify some things in my life and in the world! I saw some prayers that I had been praying for for years manifest on the earth. I have been praying into next year and had a dream the other night that I think sums up what is coming to the Body of Christ.
I dreamed that an enemy entity had killed everyone but this small group of people I was a part of. We were in a house with a young couple who were worldly prosperous and I thought friendly. I copied something off the wife’s computer. Next thing I knew we were running across an open field to get away from the enemy. I heard silenced guns hitting the ones I was with and they all went down. I went down too but didn’t feel pain. The young couple came to assess the damages and I realized they had shot us.
As I lay on the ground, I realized they couldn’t kill me - I was supernatural! But, when I breathed in I sounded asthmatic so I knew I needed to get to a hospital.
Next scene, I’m in the kitchen of their house washing my hands. The man peeked in and stared at me, wondering why I am still alive. I said, “I can’t believe all this is over an inheritance.” He laughed nervously and left. I knew he was going upstairs to get his gun to finish me off. I had my phone and my keys in my hand and ran out the back door to get in my car and drive myself to the hospital before he could return.
The interpretation is that we hear so much about our identity in Christ but I rarely hear anyone say that we are supernatural. The enemy is afraid of us knowing our inheritance and what Jesus bought for us on Calvary. He is out to steal our voice on the earth. Until we realize that we are to do the same things that Jesus did and more, we won’t do them. But when we realize that is our inheritance, we will go for it. We need to go to God’s hospital and get healed. Whatever our insecurities or fears are, we need to let the Holy Spirit heal them so we can be whole and function with 100% of our God-given capacity.
My word for the next year is “inheritance”.

Read: Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-6
Genesis is the most doctrine-packed book in the Bible. We could spend hours on the first chapter but can’t so I’ll share something I had never seen before. God does everything in “three’s”. He is Father, son and Holy Spirit. We are body, soul and spirit. The earth is made of three components: earth, water and air. Everything God created for the earth came from the earth like the animals and vegetation that the earth produced. The water produced the living creatures. The sky produced the birds, the sun moon and stars.
God even made man out of the dirt of the earth.
When God made the trees, they bore fruit with seed in it to bear more. God created man and women told him to be fruitful and multiply because they were like the trees with seed in them to bear fruit.
Then God took one man and put him in a garden and set him aside to be the type of Jesus. He appointed him to name the animals so he would notice that he didn’t have a mate. When he did, God caused him to go to sleep and took Eve out of the bone in his side. She was the type of the Church. She was the fruit of his labor and all the seed he had scattered. She came out of him. We were chosen before the foundation of the earth to be in Christ. We are not born of the earth but of the spirit of God. We have the same advantage that Jesus had. We are half human/half God. When we became Christians the half God part is birthed out of us. Now, that is the part that takes over - the old man is crucified with Christ.
In Matthew we see how much the devil did not want Jesus to be manifested on the earth. That is the same objection he has to us being manifested on the earth. We are no threat to him as long as we stay in our churches and remain quiet, but when we know how supernatural we are and what our mission is on this earth, we become a great threat to his kingdom. Jesus was the greatest threat to his kingdom and he defeated Satan and won, so we can too.
Lord, may we grow in our knowledge of who we are in You and become a threat to your enemies and an asset to your kingdom.