Tues.’s Devo - God’s Feasts

Read: Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9
The Israelites had two calendars. One was their civil calendar which began in Tishri. The other was their religious calendar which began in Abib or Nisan. Passover began in Abib and started their spiritual year. The first three feasts happened together: Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Seven weeks from that was Pentecost or Feast of Weeks. The sacrifice for Passover was mandatory but the sacrifice at Pentecost was voluntary. The last three feasts were on Tishri one, 10th, and 15th. These were Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles. These feasts were dress rehearsals for the times in history that God would come to earth and manifest some great event. He has done great signs on these feast days but the fulfillment of them - what they all point to was this: Jesus died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread, and rose on First Fruits. He sent his Holy Spirit on Pentecost in Acts 2 and he will rapture the final group on Feast of Trumpets, The Great Tribulation will start on the Day of Atonement and we will come back with him to set up his kingdom on earth on the Feast of Tabernacles.
The sacrifice on Passover was mandatory because without salvation, you cannot participate in the other feasts.
God was serious about justice and the fact that every decision had to be based on the testimony of two witnesses. Our two witnesses are the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament is the promise and the New is the fulfillment. Every doctrine will be found in both or it will not stand.
You can see how our government is crafted after the Bible. They had small courts for civil cases and Supreme courts for the big cases. The difference with them was that the judges in their Supreme Court were priests of God, not liberalists. We are slowly seeing things turn around, thank God.
God knew that one day they would want a king so he made provisions for him way before it happened. The king was to write the words of the law in the presence of a priest. Then he was to read the law every day so he wouldn’t forget who was really in charge.
In Luke, Herod is afraid that John the Baptist has risen from the dead. You would think Herod would be afraid of Jesus since he was the one who killed John the Baptist, but instead, he wanted to meet him. Either Herod was interested in knowing the truth or he was so arrogant he had no fear of God.
Jesus tried to quietly slip away from the crowd, but the crowd followed him. He ended up feeding 5,000 of them with 5 loaves and two fish. Jesus was showing us that he is the bread and he has enough for everyone.
Jesus gave the crowd the condition for being his follower. You must give up everything and take up your cross. That offer still stands.
Lord, to follow you is worth anything this world has to offer.

Mon.’s Devo - Jesus Power

Read: Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23; Luke 8:40-9:6; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7
Suppose a prophet prophesies something and it comes to pass. Does that mean they are a prophet of God? Many see into the spirit realm but their hearts reveal if they are a true prophet or a false prophet. A false prophet will want you to worship other gods. The New Age movement is a prime example of this. They have insight into many spiritual truths but their worship exposes their error. They don’t come to God through Jesus who is the door. That is the litmus test of a true prophet today.
Romans 7:14 tells us that the law is spiritual so every law had spiritual meaning for us today. They could only eat animals that had completely split hooves and chewed the cud. That means that when we digest truth it must the the Word that is rightly divided. We must meditate on this Word and chew it over and over to understand it. The Word is to be our daily food.
They were also to only eat fish that had both fins and scales. Fins help keep a fish balanced so it can swim straight and scales are a covering of protection. So we should only digest truth that is balanced and brings peace and hope.
They were not to eat anything that was already dead or that ate dead things. We are not to digest anything that does not bring us life. If reading the news today does not bring life but fear, I suggest subscribing to Breaking Christian News and the Elijah List for the good news. I would rather hear the news from a beacon of truth and a prophet, than from the world. And remember that the Word of God is alive and current with today’s news.
Over and over it tells us not to “cook a young goat in its mother’s milk”. In other words, don’t let the sins of your father’s or mother’s determine your future. Don’t doom yourself to your families mistakes. You are not “cooked” because you came from a bad heritage. Your heritage is God. He is your ultimate father and mother.
God had the ultimate plan for welfare and the good of his people. They were to invest in God. Their offerings would insure them health and wealth. It was like investing in a stock that was destined to prosper.
At the end of every seventh year they were to cancel every debt that anyone owed them. At the end of the seventh millennia every sin we have ever done against another person or God will be totally cancelled. Everyone gets a new beginning.
This insured no poor among them. They would lend but never borrow. They were to lend to the poor and be generous even if it was close to the year of cancellation. God would bless them and pay them back. Lending to the poor was and is giving to God. He will repay!
In Luke, we see three 12’s. The dying girl is 12. The woman has been bleeding for 12 years, and the 12 disciples were sent out to cast out all demons and heal all diseases. Jesus cast the spirit of death out of the little girl, healed the woman’s body and gave the disciples power to do the same. He has given his government of the Church that same power. (Twelve means “government”.)
Lord, may we walk in the power you have given us to do the things you are doing.

Sun.’s Devo -Changes are Coming

Read: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3
I want to interject a word I feel like God gave me concerning what the world is going through right now. God always waits to come through when it looks the darkest. We have not gotten to "the darkest" yet so I think this virus is going to get worse before it gets better. The answer is going to be a miraculous thing when it comes and we will meet in our churches on Easter and praise God for his miraculous delivery. I pray for all who have the virus or that will get it. I pray for recovery and health. I also pray that you will walk in peace because it is all good for God's people. Life is a blessing and death is a promotion. Do not be afraid. Satan has no power over us. Much love!!!
Moses reminded the people of their past. They had all been under 20 when they came out of Egypt and their own children had not been alive to see the miracles in Egypt, the miracle at Mt. Sinai, or the miracle at the rock. Their children had seen the miracles throughout the wilderness like the manna that fell from heaven. It would be their job to tell them their heritage. Their children had also not seen the rebellion of the people in Egypt, at Mt. Sinai and at the rock. But, they had listened to their parents’ complaining as they walked through the wilderness.
Moses reminded them once again of the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. He reminded them to totally destroy the places of worship of the inhabitants of the land, and not to worship their gods.
When they got to their promised land, their pattern of worship would change and they would bring all their offerings to one designated place. They would be able to eat meat again, whether they were clean or unclean themselves. They could cook it themselves in their own towns, but they had to pour the blood out on the ground like water.
God would designate a place for them to bring their sacrifices to him and there they would all eat with the Lord. They were never to forget to care for the Levites.
The Lord would drive out their enemies before them. This was to be a promised rest for them.
In Luke, Jesus got into his boat to “cross to the other side”. He does that over and over throughout his ministry. One side was the Jewish side and the other is the Gentile side. There were 10 towns on the sea of Galilee and he visited all of them. Today we read he was on his way to the Gerasenes. There is a huge principality that Jesus was going to face which presided in this man. Satan tried to stop them with the storm but Jesus is greater than the storm. Jesus delivers the man from his demons and the people of the crowd were less afraid when the man naked and living among the tombs than when he was sane, sitting at Jesus’ feet. They begged Jesus to leave. Go figure! I guess it was a little scary to watch a herd of pigs run and jump off a cliff.
The man begged to go with Jesus but Jesus knew he would be more effective staying there and being a witness to his town. Jesus was right because when he returned later, the people were no longer afraid, but welcomed Jesus.
Lord, help us to believe that nothing is impossible with you. You can completely change a person when you touch them. Thank you for touching us and changing us into a new person. May we extend that grace to others.

Sat.’s Devo - The Good Heart

Read: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3
It is so interesting to hear God tell the children of Israel that he was not giving the land because they deserved, it because they didn’t. God was giving them the land because the inhabitants were so evil and he wanted someone else to occupy the land and because he had promised that land to Abraham and his descendants.
God reminded them of how angry he got when they rebelled and made the golden calf. He had wanted to destroy them and erase their name from under heaven but Moses interceded for them. Moses fasted for 40 days and nights praying for mercy for them.
Then Moses reminded them of all the times they made God angry: at the rock when they wanted water, when they complained of no meat and God sent quail, or when the Kohath family wanted to take over the priesthood and the leadership from Moses.
They had broken all of the Ten Commandments just like Moses did when he broke the first copy. Moses went back up to God and he gave him another chance. This was their second chance to obey and he was begging them to change their stubborn hearts and fear God. Moses tried to tell them that God was a good loving god and he is the only God. He had done great things for them and was worthy of their worship.
In Luke we learn that we are to pay attention to what we hear and how we hear it. The seed is God’s word and he scatters it everywhere. The soil is our heart and the condition of our heart determines how we process the seed. The chances of the seed bearing fruit also is contingent on where we are. If we are in the broad pathway we are walking on the broad road that leads to destruction so no wonder that Satan doesn’t steal that seed. The rocky soil is the road with stumbling stones all in it. That is a heart that has not rid itself of offenses but it full of unforgiveness. Rocks stand for words and our hearts can get so full of all the words people have said to us or about us or that we have said about ourselves. These rocks need to be removed so that the seed can have room to go deep enough for roots. The third soil is full of thorns. Thorns are curses, bitter roots and hatred. All of these things lead us to look to what others have, and want their stuff and their life. This eventually leads to strife and murder. The seed is crowded out of this heart.
The good soil is the heart that is honest and has not let the world consume it. That heart will be able to hold the seed and allow it to grow. Our Proverbs says it well: “the godly have deep roots.”
The result of the seed growing is that they will produce photosynthesis which is light! They will nourish anyone who comes in contact with them.

Fri.’s Devo - By Faith

Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1
In the Old Testament the pagan people represented demonic spirits that we fight in the spirit. There were seven nations that the Israelites were to face in the promised land. They were the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They stood for fear, fornication, witchcraft, idolatry, envy, liars, and hate. Those are the enemies that we are to make ho treaties with and show no mercy to. They will lead us away from the Lord and we will end up worshipping another god that will destroy us.
God warned his people that these nations were a trap that would snare them. He told them not to be afraid of those nations because God is a great and awesome God. He would drive them out ahead of them little by little, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for them. He promised to throw their enemies into complete confusion until they were destroyed. They were to erase their names from the face of the earth.
That is exactly how God cleans out our enemies -little by little. God works on us issue by issue, memory by memory. There is no instant deliverance or 12 step program and then you are free from all your demons. God brings up memories as we can handle them. Then we have to forgive, ask for forgiveness and repent. It is a life-time process. There are great rewards along the way!
In Luke, Jesus is at the home of one of the Pharisees named Simon. If Simon had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, he would have washed his feet, greeted him with a kiss and anointed his head with oil. Instead, a prostitute had to show him the way to salvation. She understood that Jesus was the Messiah, so her sins were forgiven and her faith saved her.
There are many people who want to know about God but only the humble and repentant will be saved.

Thurs.’s Devo- God’s Ways

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31
Moses wanted to read to them the ten commandments that God had given to them on Mount Sinai when he spoke to them “face to face”. This was the event when God betrothed Israel to himself. Rejecting these commandments would cause a penalty on the parents and the entire family, even to the third and fourth generation. Those who loved and obeyed them would be rewarded with God’s lavish love for a thousand of their generations.
Moses reminded them of God’s display of power on that first Pentecost when he first gave them his marriage contract - the Ten Commandments to his people. He wrote them on stone tablets.
Moses told them over and over that if they obeyed his commandments when they came into the land that God had promised them, they would be blessed with many children. They would be given land with prosperous cities they didn’t build. Their houses would be stocked with goods they did not produce. They would draw water from wells they didn’t dig and eat from vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant. When they became prosperous they were not to forget God.
In Luke, Jesus brought resurrection life to a young boy in the middle of his funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus’ heart overflowed with compassion. I wonder if he wasn’t thinking of his own mother and how she would feel about his death.
Jesus walked over and touched the coffin which would have made him unclean, then he talked to the dead boy and told him to wake up. Can you imagine the shock when the boy immediately sat up and spoke? Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
John the Baptist was in prison and had preached that the Messiah would set the prisoner free. I’m sure he was wondering why Jesus hadn’t come and “set him free”. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was indeed the Messiah. Jesus told them to tell John all the miracles he WAS doing. Jesus then made the statement: “Blessed is he who is not offended in me.” In other words…Jesus was prompting John to focus on the things he was doing instead of the one thing he wasn’t doing. God’s ways are not our ways, but his are always the best. This is a great reminder to us to remember all the wonderful things God has done for us and to trust him with the one thing we are still waiting on.
When Jesus had finished preaching, the crowd and even the tax collectors agreed that God’s way was right. They could receive Jesus’ words because they had received John’s baptism. The Pharisees couldn’t receive Jesus’ words because they hadn’t received John’s baptism. We have to humble ourselves and repent before we can be saved.
Lord, thank you for your perfect ways! We submit our lives to your plan especially when we don’t understand it.

Wed.’s Devo - Our Graven Image

Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28
I have to remind myself that Moses is talking to the children who had stood at Mt. Sinai and were probably scared to death as they felt the earth quake and saw the lightning and thunder and the fire on top of the mountain. They had heard the voice of God speak out loud. It had to have made a lasting impression on them. Although, they were quite forgetful as we all are.
God told them that his laws were so wise and fair that other nations would be amazed. Our Founding Fathers of America wrote our Constitution based on the laws of the Bible. We are looked at with envy by the people of other nations. Right now we are in a battle to protect our freedoms and laws. There are laws that we have added that need to be eradicated, but God is raising up lawmakers who are doing that very thing. We need to pray that they prevail.
God was very specific about them not making a graven image to represent him. In Hebrews 1:3, the writter of Hebrews wrote that Jesus was the “express image” of God’s person. “Express image” means a graven copy. Jesus was the graven image of God. He did not want them to make something they thought he would look like because they would never make something to look like Jesus. God didn’t want them to have any preconceived notions of what Jesus would look like so they wouldn’t miss him when he came. Sadly, many did miss him when he came because they had images in their head and Jesus did not match their images. We are guilty of doing the same thing when we imaging what God should do in our lives. When he doesn’t do it our way, we get discouraged and it affects our faith. God wants us to totally trust him because we can not imagine his great plan. His ways are beyond our imagination.
Moses tried to imprint on their minds and hearts how special they were that God would chose them, reveal himself to them and personally deliver them from their bondage and give them a new land of their own. Isn’t that the perfect picture of what God has done for us! He reminded them that God was in heaven and on earth and there is no other god than him. All they had to do was to obey his commands and they would have a good long life.
In Luke, Jesus told his disciples that they would never be greater than him but they could be like him. What a great promise! Jesus went on to explain that we grow fruit from allowing Jesus to change our hearts. Fruit grows from our heart. Then he demonstrated it.
There was a Roman officer who had good fruit in his heart. He sent some respected Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal his slave who was sick. He even sent news to Jesus that he was not worthy of a visit to his house, but if he would send healing by his word, it would be enough. Jesus marveled at his faith and sent his word and the slave was healed. This man had a heart of compassion and faith.
Lord, help us to have a heart full of fruit. Thank you for delivering us out of our bondage and giving us freedom.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Ways

Read: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27
It is interesting to realize that God gave land to other nations as well as Israel. Israel was to respect their opponent’s land and pay them to pass through their land. They were not to take any land that God didn’t give them. God had destroyed the Rephaites so that the Ammonites could have their land. He also helped the Ammonites occupy the land of the Horites. God owns the land and he decides who can live and where they can live.
If a nation refused to let Israel pass through their land, then they had to get God’s permission to destroy them or go around them. God let them destroy King Og of Bashan and The king of Sihon and take their land because they refused to let Israel pass through their land.
Moses begged God to let him cross over and see the promised land but God would not budge. He told Moses he could climb Pisgah Peak and from there he would be able to see it. Joshua would be the one to lead them over the Jordan into their land.
I wonder if Jesus needed sleep. He spent many nights praying and then spent the whole day ministering to the people. His food came from doing the will of his Father and his energy came from the same source. Jesus gave his famous sermon from the mount explaining the ways of God which are contrary to man’s. Those who suffer now will laugh later. Those who are rich now, will be poor later. What he was saying was the ones who follow him will receive their reward in abundance when their lives are over. Those who want everything now and feed their flesh will suffer in eternity. Our enemies are not flesh and blood so if we are kind to our enemies we will be imitating God who is compassionate to all.
Lord, may we have your compassion and walk in kindness and forgiveness.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Government

Read: Numbers 36:1; Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26
The land was to stay in the tribes first laid out, so if a daughter owned property, she must marry someone from her own tribe to keep the property in that tribe. Land was not to be altered.
It should have taken the Israelites 11 days to travel from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but instead it took them 40 years because of their lack of faith.
God’s plan of government was that Moses was their leader and judge were appointed to help him settle the disputes of the people. Moses and the judges were to be God’s representatives down on earth. That is what we are suppose to be. Our existence on the earth should bring justice and right government. When the Body of Christ is functioning as it should, there should be peace in the land. We are suppose to be affecting and governing our society. We have a real enemy who uses intimidation and fear to keep us from doing that but we need to rise up in our Spirits, be fearless and bring righteousness to our generation.
In Luke, Jesus couldn’t please the Pharisees. They got mad that he chose to eat with sinners and tax collectors instead of them. They got mad that he didn’t fast regularly like John the Baptist did. Jesus explained that he ate with the sinners because they understood that they needed a savior. The Pharisees thought they were righteous because of all their pious works. Their self-righteousness kept them from being able to enter into God’s kingdom. Jesus explained this in the story of the new cloth and the new wineskins. They had to be born again and new to be able to hold the new thing God was doing on the earth. Instead, the teachers of the law refused to change.
Jesus healed the man with the deformed hand on the Sabbath and they were irate. They called it “work”. One of the reasons they got so mad about Jesus’ miracles was that these deformed people bribed the Pharisee’s to bring their offering to the Lord because the law states that no deformed person could offer an offering to the Lord. Once Jesus healed them, there was no need to bribe the Pharisees any more. The priesthood had become so corrupt and cold. In spite of the majority, there were a few priests who were genuine in their search for the Messiah and they would eventually come to believe.
Lord, help us to not be deceived by our preconceived ideas about You and how you work. We lay down our ways to follow your’s. Give us your thoughts and renew our hearts.

Sun.’s Devo - God is in Control!

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23
The king of Arad in Canaan heard that the people of Israel ere approaching his land. The Israelites continued journeying till they came to the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. God told Moses to tell them that when they crossed over they were to drive out all the people living there and destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. If they didn’t it would be a thorn in their side and splinters to their eyes.
The land was to be distributed according to the number of people. God gave them the borders of their land and told them to set up towns within every tribe for the Levites. Their town would include 2,000 cubits or 1,500 feet of land outside their walls for pasture. That is the same distance that the ark had to have between it and the people when it was carried (Joshua 3:4).
Six cities of refuge had to be set up to try murder cases. If their was a witness and the man was guilty, then a close relative was the avenger of blood and his job was to kill the murderer. If he had no witness and he pled innocent, the community would investigate his case and if they believed he was innocent they would escort him to the city of refuge. There he would stay until the death of the high priest and then he could return to his land innocent. If he ever left the city before the death of the high priest, the avenger of blood was free to kill him.
This is a picture of what happened after death. If a man was righteous, he stayed in Sheol in a city of refuge. When Jesus, our High Priest, died, he descended into Sheol and led captivity captive. He released them from their chains and took them with him to heaven after his resurrection. Jesus was the first fruit to rise from the dead. Many people saw these resurrected people walking the streets of Jerusalem awaiting his rising (Matthew 27:51-53).
God explained that murder pollutes the land and no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder. Jesus became our scapegoat that took on himself the sin of murder so that we could be purified and our land could be purified.
In Luke, Jesus healed a man with an advanced case of leprosy. No one had ever been healed of leprosy except the captain of Syria. The Pharisees believed that one of the signs of the Messiah would be that he would heal a Jewish leper. That is why Jesus told him to present himself to the priest. It would be a sign to them that the Messiah had come. Of course, they were too blind to see past their jealousy and the fact that he wasn’t coming in the earth suit that they were expecting him to come in. God’s deliverers don’t always look like we want them to look. Great men of history have been adulterers, murderers, sinners and addicts, but God used them because they had what it took to be a leader and get his purposes done. God is in control of a nation, not the leader. The leader is his pawn and he choses the least likely candidates. May that wisdom help you in the days ahead. History books remember their accomplishments, not their blemishes.
Lord, help us to see through your eyes and not our own opinions. You are in total control!

Sat.’s Devo - With God, Anything is Possible

Read: Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22
The tribes of Rueben and Gad were the farmers and saw how green and perfect the land was right in front of the promised land (Gilead). They asked Moses if they could just have it for their inheritance. At first, Moses was irate because he thought they were refusing to go into God’s promises and was thinking…40 more years of wandering if we don’t make it in this time. But, the Ruebenites and Gadites met with Moses and assured him that they would leave their women and children on the east side of Canaan, but their men would go into the land and help all the other tribes fight the inhabitants of the land and conquer it for their families. When Moses heard this, he told Joshua to let them do this if they kept their word. He warned them that if they didn’t to be sure their sins will find them out! That is an adage that I have reminded myself often through the years.
The tribes of Rueben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh took the territory that had been the King of Sihon’s and the king of Og’s. They got over 15 towns and made the land their own.
Moses gave the people the history of their salvation. On the first Passover that the people of the earth celebrated, the gods of the Egyptians were defeated. They had left Egypt in full view of their enemies. They left and the first place they came to was Succoth which means “booths”. From the time that we come to salvation through our own Passover, we are now citizens of heaven and this world is our temporary residence.
Moses ended his journey with the death of Aaron on Mt. Hor. It had been forty years since they left Egypt.
In Luke, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Truth brings manifestation. A demon defied Jesus’ words and manifested in one of the people. Jesus cast it out of the man and the people were amazed. Then Jesus went to Simon’s house where his mother-in-law was sick. Jesus healed her and she got up and cooked a meal for them.
Jesus went all over Galilee preaching. One day, he was along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw two empty boats at the shore. the fishermen had come in from a night of fishing and catching no fish. They were washing their nets to go home and sleep. Jesus finished his teaching and went to the fishermen and told them to go out again to where it was deeper and let down their nets.
When they finally did, they brought them up so full of fish that they nets began to tear. Other boats had to come to help. The miracle was that fishermen only catch fish at night. The sun makes it too hot for fish to come to the surface. With Jesus, anything is possible. He can make your stock soar in a down market. He can make your business prosper when all other businesses like yours is suffering. He can deliver your child out of bondage when their seems no hope. Nothing is impossible with Jesus.
Lord, thank your for the great reminder that nothing is impossible with you. We lay down our nets and all the things we do to make things happen and follow you.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Word Stands

Read: Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 11:20-21
Today’s reading was encouraging to me. Moses told them about vows and which ones counted. A vow is a promise or a covenant that you make with your mouth. You were bound to that promise if you were a man. The man stands for God who is bound to his Word and it is never revoked. The woman who makes a vow in her father’s house is a person who makes a vow before she is saved (married). If her father is God, he can object to it if he desires. If God doesn’t object, then the vow stands.
If you were a woman, which stands for the bride of Christ and you make some foolish vow, Jesus can nullify it and you won’t be held responsible for fulfilling it. If he doesn’t nullify it, then you are bound to fulfill it. A woman who doesn’t have a husband is a person who is mature enough to make their own decisions and has chosen not to be saved. They are bound to every foolish word that comes out of their mouth.
God wanted the Midianites and Balaam punished for leading the children of Israel into idolatry. Each tribe was to send 1,000 fighting men to battle against the people of Midian. They attacked and killed all the men and five of the kings along with Balaam. The kings show is the principalities of the Midianites. Their names mean “my desire”, “variegation”, a rock to besiege”, “a white hole”, and “a fourth part”. This tells us that they were willful, manipulating, warring, deceiving, and power-hungry.
They defeated them but got in trouble when they allowed the women that had led them into idolatry live. Moses had them kill all women who were not virgins. The plunder was divided in half. Half went to the fighting men and half to the people. Both groups were to give the Levites two tenths of their total. The Levites gave a tenth of their total to the Lord. Not one person died in battle!
In Luke, we read the temptations of Jesus. Notice that every temptation was a promise that God had given the one who would be the Messiah. 1) He would take the stone tablets of the law and make them bread for the people to eat. 2) All the kingdoms of the world were to be given to him. 3) Death would not be able to hold Jesus.
Jesus left his encounter with Satan full of the Holy Spirit and power. He taught in the synagogues and everyone loved him until he went home to Nazareth and read from the scroll of Isaiah. He read his own prophecy which they knew was about the Messiah, then claimed it was about him. As they were trying to wrap their heads around what he was saying, he went on to say that they wouldn’t be able to understand it because he was from their town. His popularity took a nose-dive when he brought up the two people in the OT that God did amazing miracles for. One was the widow from Zarephath and the other was the Syrian that God healed of leprosy. Both of these examples were not Jewish people which makes them irate. Jesus was trying to say that because they wouldn’t accept him, he would go to other people, just like God did in those stories. They stood for the Jewish nation, so Jesus would take his message to the Gentiles.
Lord, thank you for your divine plan was always for the whole world.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Mystery of Numbers

Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
God uses numbers like words. In the Hebrew alphabet every letter represents a number and a sign or picture. As I was reading today’s scripture in Numbers, I started writing down the numbers of the sacrifices in the margin. For instance, on Passover they were to offer 2 bull, 1 ram and 7 lambs. On Pentecost they were to offer the same number but when it came to the Feast of Trumpets that represents when Jesus will rapture his believers on the earth, the numbers changed. The Feast of Trumpets began the new year. On that day the numbers are: 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs. Ten days later is the Day of Atonement when the Great Tribulation begins and the people left will have to make a decision. They got to start over and the numbers are 1,1,7 Five days later is the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days. That is when the count down begins. The sacrifice on the first day is 13 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs. The second day it is 12 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs, the third day it is 11 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs, then 10,2,14, then 9,2,14, then 8,2,14 on down to the seventh day where it is 7 bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs. Then on the eighth day which means “new beginnings”, the sacrifice goes to 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs. During that countdown we will be living in temporary dwellings (booths or tabernacles) awaiting the new heaven and the new earth (1,1,7). Super cool!
In Luke, we have Joseph’s family line. Joseph was of the tribe of Judah. Mary was of the Levite tribe making Jesus both priest and king. When it gets down to Adam we see that he is called “the son of God” - the same thing Jesus is called because Adam was a type of Jesus. Sin entered through Adam and sin exited through Jesus - both sons of God!
Lord, thank you that your Word is alive!

Wed.’s Devo - Our Significance

Read: Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22: Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17
The Levites were numbered differently than the other tribes. They were numbered from age one month and up instead of the age of 20 like the others. The Levites are representative of the remnant of God’s people who stay strong even when the world is rebelling against God. The word in the Hebrew for “month” is “new moon”. So it is saying that the Levites are counted from the time of their new moon - their salvation or new beginning. Our lives are counted from the time of our salvation - from that time on our days will be recorded in heaven. That is our moment of our beginning of significance on the earth.
The Levites were not given an allotment of land because God wanted them scattered among the tribes to be there to teach the tribes the law of God. They lived in cities of refuge in every tribe.
One of the reasons God did this census was to show the people that not one of these people were listed on the first census when Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Just like his word said, they would all die out. Now, even Moses and Aaron would have to die.
You can see the way God honors women when the daughters came to dispute their inheritance since they had no brothers. This should be encouragement to widows and single women. You still get your spiritual inheritance whether you have a husband or not. God can still use you just as much.
John’s beginning was miraculous and his life was far from usual. He lived out in the wilderness but people flocked to hear his messages. He preached that the kingdom of God was very near and they needed to get their heart ready to receive it. When they asked him how they could do, that he told them to give to the poor, be fair and to not make false accusations about people. Then he told them to be baptized to wash the sins away and walk in righteousness. Many believed that John might be the Messiah, but he told them that he only baptized in water but the Messiah would baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire.
Lord, may we walk in the fire of the Holy Spirit and realize that our days are being recorded in the annuls of heaven.

Tues.’s Devo - The Importance of our Walk

Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15
The children of Israel had just been cleansed of the people who served false gods. They were at the entrance of the promised land when God told Moses to take a census of all the men able to go to war twenty years old and older. These lists may be boring to read but I took one of the smallest tribes - Asher, and broke it down by the meaning of the peoples names. This is the meaning of verses 44-47: The people of Asher were happy and prosperous by the work of their hands. God justified the evil done to them in their past and made them a company whose king was God. In the end their service was measured and found fully matured into the image of God.
That is what names and numbers can tell us. Every name and number means something. We are living out our story and our family line is fulfilling the prophecy of our family. What we do greatly affects the next generation and our family line.
In Luke, Mary and Joseph met the second witness who was the prophetess, Anna. Jesus said in Matthew 18:16 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses were word may be established. Simeon and Anna were their two witnesses to confirm who Jesus was.
Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Passover but on Jesus’ twelfth visit he would have been at the age where boys joined the business of their fathers. Jesus spoke prophetically when he asked his parents, “didn’t you know that I would be about my father’s business?” His business was God’s temple and his father was God.
Jesus submitted to his parents and came home where he grew in wisdom and stature with God and man in obscurity until it was time to came out and present himself to the world.
Lord, help us to see that our lives are important not only to our time but for generations to come. May we add blessings to our family for now and for the future.

Mon.’s Devo - Prophecy Fulfilled

Read: Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14
The third time Balak made Balaam try to curse the Israelites, Balaam didn’t resort to his divination, he looked out at the people and the Spirit of God came upon him and he could see clearly how God felt about his people. Israel was God’s delight and he wasn’t going to let anyone oppose them. He knew they were blessed and he would be blessed by blessing them but cursed by cursing them.
King Balak was furious and told Balaam he would not be paid, to which Balaam knew that to be cursed by God was much worse than missing out on a paycheck. But, he didn’t leave before he turned the tables on Balak and cursed his people. He prophecied that a king would rise up from Jacob who would crush the Moabites, the Edomites, the Amalekites, and the Kennites. Then, the two of them parted.
Even though Balaam came out looking like the “good guy” he was far from it. Balaam was a sorcerer whose name means “lord or swallower of the people”. He taught Balak how to conquer them from within. Balaam later fought on the side of Balak against Israel (Numbers 31:8).
Balak infiltrated Israel through his seductive women who invited the men of Israel to sacrifice to their gods. It cost Israel the lives of 24,000 of their men. Eleazar zealously killed one of the men who blatantly brought his Moabite woman into is tent to have sex with her. Eleazar ran in and drove the sword through both of their bodies which gained him much honor with God.
In Luke, God moved Mary to the place of prophecy through the decree of the Roman emperor, Augustus. Little did he know, he would be used to fulfill prophecy. Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born in a stable and wrapped in cloth that had been garments of the priests. His arrival was announced to shepherds who were watching over the lambs that would become sacrificial lambs for Passover. Jesus would become the Great Shepherd and our High Priest though his beginnings was most humble. The earth was oblivious to his coming, but all the angels of heavens celebrated it. The prophet, Simeon recognized Jesus because he had been looking for him. He prophesied his destiny and was then released to leave this earth and go to his reward.
Lord, may we be found looking for your return.

Sun.’s Devo - No Curse Can Touch God’s People

Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13
The story of Balaam is one of the strangest stories in the Bible. Balaam was a sorcerer that Balak hired to curse Israel because they were headed into his land. Balak was a Moabite and their main god was Baal. Balaam means “many Baals”. The main Baal was represented as the sun. Baal was also the chief god of the Canaanites. Each locality had its special Baal, and the different local Baals were summed up under the name of Baalim, or "lords." Each Baal had a wife, who was a colorless reflection of himself.
God got angry at Balaam because he wanted to go to curse Israel even though he was told he would only be limited to say what God told him he could say. (Reminds me of Jim Carey in “Liar”.)
God even allowed his donkey to see into the spirit while he was blinded proving that he was more blind than a donkey. It did get his attention and put the fear of God in him. The king of Balak wasn’t near as scary as the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword.
Every place that Balak took Balaam to overlook the tribes of Israel was a Baal stronghold. The first place was Bamoth-baal which means “high place of Baal”. There they sacrificed to God and God responded with a blessing instead of a curse.
The next place was Zophim on Pisgah Peak means “watchmen on survey peak”. Interestingly, Samuel was born in Zophim who became Israel’s main “watchman”. Here Balaam said, “no curse can touch Jacob; no magic has any power against Israel.”
Balak told Balaam that if he couldn’t curse them then the least he could do was not to bless them. Balak wasn’t finished. He wanted to take him to one more place and see if he could get a curse from there. Balak was relentless!
He took Balaam to the top of Mt. Peor which means “the opening”. I would guess it was a spiritual portal. We will revisit this place in tomorrow’s reading.
In Luke, Elizabeth has her son and Zechariah’s tongue was loosed when he wrote his name. Everyone knew that this was a special boy. Zechariah prophesied that his son would be God’s prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah. He would tell the people how to find salvation. No wonder so many people went out to the wilderness to hear what John had to say.
Lord, may we bless what you have blessed and be a light to help people find salvation. May we be as relentless against evil as Balak was against Israel.
In the light of this corona virus I want to remind us not to fear. No plague can come near our dwelling. We can drink poison and it will not harm us. Satan has unloosed a fear campaign to cripple our economy and take away our hope. Don't get duped into believing it. More people have died in Oklahoma this year with the flu than the corona. It is all a smoke screen that Satan has thrown up. Put on your combat boots and walk by faith! It will disappear when we ignore it. Fear is fueled by fear. Faith is fueled by faith!

Sat.’s Devo - Nothing is Too Big for God

Read: Numbers 21:1-22:20; Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11
As the Israelites got closer and closer to their land, the inhabitants of the land were watching everything that was happening. The king of Arad was one of these people. They attacked the Israelites and took some of them prisoner. The Israelites vowed to completely destroy all their towns which was exactly what God wanted them to do, so he helped them do just that.
The Israelites continued their journey around the land of Edom, since the Edomites refused to let them go through their land. The children of Israel started complaining about everything - the lack of water, the manna, Moses, etc. So, God sent poisonous snakes which killed many of them. They got the message and repented. The Lord told Moses to have them make a replica of the snake and attach it to a pole. If they got bit by one of the snakes, they could look at the pole and be healed. The snake on the pole represented the cross that if we are dying of sin, we can look upon the one who was cursed for us and receive eternal life and be healed.
When the Israelites came to the land of the Amorites, Moses asked King Sihon if they could travel through their land peacefully. He refused to let them and mobilized his entire army to fight them. The Israelites won and captured all their cities with Heshbon being their capital. Heshbon means “reason”. Carnal reasoning is the enemy of seeing spiritually.
Their next challenge was King Og of Bashan. They killed them and kept going toward Jericho. Balak, the Moabite king had seen what they had done to the others and needed a better strategy than war. He hired a sorcerer by the name of Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. Balaam was the son of an Edomite king so he was an enemy of Israel also, but as a sorcerer, he knew spiritual authority and God was at the top of the structure. He told Balak that God would not let him come and do that. Balak appealed to Balaam’s pride and desire for fame and fortune. Balaam had gone to God three times about this till finally, God let him go but he had told him he could only say what God told him to say.
In Luke, Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist when the same angel came to Mary, her relative and told her she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and this baby would be named Jesus. He would be called the Son of the Most High and God would give him the throne of David. He would reign over Israel forever and his kingdom would never end. The angel told her that Elizabeth was pregnant too. His last words to her were: “the word of God will never fail.”
Mary ran to see Elizabeth and when she walked into her house, John leaped in her womb. They praised God and fellowshipped together until John was born. Then Mary went home. She was in her forth month of pregnancy by then.
Lord, thank you that your word will never fail. We stand on that.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Pictures

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1;1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8
I love God’s not-so-subtle hints. When they offered the red heifer, it had to be perfect and one that had never been yoked to a plow. Its blood was to be sprinkled seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle. As the High Priest watched, the heifer was to be burned completely. Then the priest threw in a stick of cedar, a hyssop branch and some scarlet yarn just in case we didn’t get it.
The heifer was the exact picture of Christ’s death on the cross. All the props were there. The cedar - the cross, the hyssop branch, the scarlet yarn - the blood thread that started in the garden of Eden and continues to the end, the perfect lamb, and the fact that Jesus had never became part of the religious system - he had never been yoked to their laws.
There is so much in today’s reading, I’m going to have to pick what to explain. The third and the seventh days are mentioned a lot today. The third day represents our day of salvation - the fruit conforms to the seed (Gen. 1:10-13). The seventh day represents the day we will rest in heaven.
To touch a dead person represented sin. We have all sinned so we have all touched or been exposed to death. We have to be cleansed with the ashes or the remains of the cross. Fresh water has to be poured over the ashes to make the memory of the cross fresh and alive in our hearts at the time of salvation.
It was the time of Passover and Israel had come to the entrance of the promised land once again. The same rock that gave them water before was waiting for them. That rock was Jesus (1 Co. 10:4). Moses was to speak to it this time instead of striking it because Jesus was struck once for us on the cross and there is no more need for another sacrifice. Now we pray or speak our faith into existence which was what Moses was suppose to do. Instead, Moses struck the rock twice and it cost him the promise land. God was serious about his pictures and Moses messed this one up.
Miriam died at Kadesh, which became a city of refuge and Aaron died at Mt. Hor where the Edomites refused to let them have passage through their land. Before he died, Aaron passed his robe on to his son Eleazar who would be the new high priest.
Luke was written for the Greeks, yet he addressed it to Theophilus who was a Roman. Luke was written in chronological order so this helps up put things in the right timing. He begins his narrative with the birth of John the Baptist. The promise of John came through an angelic encounter that his father, Zechariah had at the altar of incense. After 200 years of silence, God spoke to the nation of Israel that their Messiah was coming.
Thank you, Lord for your voice in the wilderness. Thank you for always letting your people know what is coming and how to prepare. Thank you that we are being prepared to bring your kingdom down to earth in great power and demonstration.

Thur.’s Devo - Promises for the Remnant

Read: Numbers 16:41-18:32; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 11:7
God killed Korah and his family because they rebelled against the Lord and the people all rise up against Moses and Aaron. God came swiftly to their defense with a plague. He would have killed all of the people had not Moses and Aaron ran and burned incense between the dead and the living to offer an atonement.
God instructed the leader of each tribe to bring a staff with their name written on the staff and lay them inside the tabernacle. The next day, they went to get them and Aaron’s rod had budded, brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms and had produced almonds. It had completed every stage of maturity. This was God’s stamp of approval on the Levites as his people to minister before him.
God then told the people that since they complained about everything about God, only Aaron’s sons would do the ministry in the tabernacle. They would be his. It was a picture of the remnant getting smaller and smaller. First it was the first born who were set apart, then it was the Levites - a smaller group and now it was Aaron’s sons, an even smaller group.
The Levites were paid by the sacrifices the people brought, but they even had to give a tenth of that to the Lord.
In Mark, Mary, Mary and Salome went to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. They wondered how they are going to roll the heavy stone away. That reminds me of Jacob when first met Rachael. Rachael was waiting till all the women shepherdesses arrived so they could together roll the heavy stone off the well. Jacob walked up and single-handedly took the stone off the well. Jesus is the well of salvation that was now available for all to drink of. The stone had been rolled away by the time the women reached the tomb and the angel explained that Jesus had risen …just like he had told them he would. They were to go to Galilee to see him. Jesus appeared to them many times and taught them. Then he sent them out to preach the Good News to everyone and told them that signs and wonders would be with them, they would speak in new languages, handle snakes without being harmed, and lay their hands on the sick and they would recover.
When Jesus was taken to heaven, they did all these things. These are the promises for the remnant too.
Lord, help us to walk in the authority and power you died to give us. Let us not be afraid or weary.

Wed.’s Devo - Hope Comes in the Morning

Read: Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6
Moral is extremely low in the camp. The people have been told they will never enter the promised land and are doomed to 40 years of wandering till they die.
Inspire of them, God keeps giving Moses instructions for their children who will enter in. They are to always give the first portion of their harvest of wheat to the Lord. If they unintentionally forget this law and realize it, they can make up for it by offering a female goat to remove their sin. If they willingly refuse to bring their first fruits to the Lord, they will be cut off from the community and suffer the punishment for their guilt.
When they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath, he was taken outside of the camp and stoned.
God told them to make tassels to wear at the bottom of their clothing. They were to be attached with a blue cord. They were to be a constant reminder to follow God’s commands. As the threads of the tassels brushed their feet when they walked they would remind them to walk uprightly. The Holy Spirit is our tassel that brushes against the thoughts of our mind and quicken us to walk uprightly.
“Korah” which means “ice or bald” was a Levite from the Kohath family that attended the most holy job of the tabernacle. We know by Korah’s name that his heart was cold and he had no covering over his head so he was exposed to all sorts of sin. Korah conspired with Dathan and Abiram who were Ruebenites. He was suppose to be a spiritual leader but he abandoned that because of his jealousy of Moses. Korah played the part of Satan who rebelled against God before creation. He like Korah had been jealous of God’s worship and led one third of the angels with him in the rebellion. They and their families were sent straight to hell just as Satan and the angels. The fear of God was reestablished in the camp.
These three families had been offering their own incense to the Lord, so their incense burners were taken and beaten flat and overlayed on the altar as a warning of anyone else who dared offer their own incense to the Lord.
In Mark, we find Pilate, a known hater and killer of Jews ready to sentence Jesus. He took Jesus apart from the crowd for questioning but the only question Jesus would answer Pilate was whether he was king of the Jews. Pilate knew that the Jewish priests had arrested Jesus out of envy. He also knew that Jesus was innocent, so he was in a dilemma as to how to handle the mob. He brought the worse person out of jail and stood him beside Jesus for the crowd to choose. Much to his dismay, they chose Jesus to be crucified and Barabbas to be released. Pilate turned Jesus over to his guards to do the rest.
They took Jesus, dressed him as a king and made sport of him. They scourged him till he was unrecognizable. Then they nailed him to the cross, played dice for his clothes and mocked him as he hung between two thieves.
Jesus referred his disciples to Psalm 22 as he quoted the first verse, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” The whole song describes what was going on at that moment. At Jesus’ last cry which was “It is finished,” (not given in this book), the veil to the temple was rent from top to bottom as a picture that now all can come before the throne of God.
Joseph of Arimathea went and begged for Jesus’ body and put him in his tomb. They rolled a stone in front of it so the disciples couldn’t steal his body and claim he had risen from the dead like he said he would do.
Just like the people in Moses’ day, the followers of Jesus went to bed hopeless.
Lord, let this remind us that in our lowest times, resurrection comes in the morning. Joy comes in the morning. Your loving-kindness is new every morning. Thank you for the morning.

Tue.’s Devo- Looking Ahead -

Read: Numbers 14:1-15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 11:4
The whole community was sick with remorse but refused to accept the responsibility. Instead, they blamied Moses and formed a conspiracy against him. Joshua and Caleb did all they could to try to convince the people that God was more than able to take them into the land and give it to them, but they wanted to return to Egypt.
God, their father, had to discipline them for their rebellion and lack of faith. Their punishment was 40 years in the wilderness till they all died out. Then their children would march in and possess the land (with Joshua and Caleb).
The ten spies died immediately of a plague and a group of rebels decided to go in to Canaan anyway… without God. They learned really quickly that we could do nothing apart from God. They were killed.
God gave Moses instructions for sacrifices when they got into the land. God was thinking ahead to their victory. He was preparing for future.
In Mark, Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a lamb is silent before its accusers, he spoke not a word. That is what Isaiah 53 prophesied about Jesus and that is exactly what he did. Jesus had already spoken his words of truth and lived the sinless life and that was his testimony. They could find nothing to accuse him of because there was nothing he had done but good.
When the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, he said the words, “I Am.” The same words God spoke to Moses when he asked him who he was. This made the high priest so mad he tore his clothes and pronounced him “guilty”. Jealousy killed Jesus.
Peter denied Jesus three times which just proved that without the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have no power against sin. Peter would turn into a bold and radical preacher once he received his gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts.
Lord, the theme of today is that we can do nothing apart from you and your Spirit. Thank you that you are always lookin ahead to what we are going to become instead of at our failures.

Mon.’s Devo - From God’s Perspective

Read: Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3
There is a great take-away from reading verses 24-30. When the Holy Spirit is being poured out, he is no respecter of persons. He falls on anyone who will let it. When these new men started prophesying, Joshua tried to get Moses to make them stop. Moses refused to be jealous but rejoiced with them, instead.
That needs to be our response when we see God’s blessings fall on others. We are one body so when another Christian being blessed, we should sincerely rejoice with them.
Yesterday, we read that the Egyptians stirred up the Israelites to crave meat and complain about the daily supply of manna. This is a great lesson to remember. Manna was food from heaven that had every nutrient they could need. The complainers remembered their past pleasures and lusted after them - food from the earth. God gave them so much of what they craved that they ate themselves to death. Their gluttony stirred up God’s anger to send a plague that killed many of them. Second Peter 2:20-22 explains this perfectly:
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
Miriam and Aaron probably felt neglected when Moses added the 70 leaders instead of giving them the responsibility. To get back at Moses, they criticized his marriage to Zipporah since she wasn’t an Israelite. God stepped in and took up for Moses.
Bottom line is we should never criticize our leaders. God is the only one who should do that and he knows just how to do it. God has a chain of command and we are to honor those in authority over us, knowing that God is the chief and he will take care of his officers.
The sending out of the spies is one of the saddest stories. They were on the outskirts of the promised land and about to go in and get the reward of all their slavery and oppression in Egypt. Instead of seeing with eyes of faith and remembering all God had done for them in the past, all they could see was the giants in the land. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who saw the fruit and believed God could take care of the giants.
In Mark, we continue to see man’s failures. Peter will deny Jesus three times, the disciples weren’t able to stay awake to pray even for an hour, and one of Jesus’ own disciples betrayed him with a kiss. As depressing as this is, it is also encouraging because God was not surprised at any of these things and yet he chose these men to be Jesus’ disciples because he knew the story would not end in defeat. They would be empowered by his spirit and change the world…later.
We have no idea, who will end up changing the world for Jesus, but we can know this - it is not over till God says it is over, and we are not the judge. God loves to take the most unassuming person and change them into a man after his own heart.
Lord, let it be us who are after your heart and change our world for you. Help us to see people as what they can become and not what they are now. Give us Your perspective.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Order

Read: Numbers 10:1-11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32
God instructed Moses to have two trumpets made of hammered silver to use to call the people to assemble, call just the elders, signal them to begin moving, celebrate the feasts and holy days, and go to war.
When they traveled they were to go in this order:
1 Judah
2 Issachar
3 Zebulun
Gershonites and Mererites who carried the building materials for the tabernacle
4 Rueben
5 Simeon
6 Gad
Kohathites who carried the holy furniture for the Tabernacle
7 Ephraim
8 Manasseh
9 Benjamin
10 Dan
11 Asher
12 Naptali
By the time the Kohathites reached the camp, the Gershonites and the Mererites had finished setting up the Tabernacle so they could just bring the holy furniture and accessories in and put them in place.
Each tribe had a banner with their symbol on it.
The people began to complain about their hard life and God heard every word. He got so mad at the ones who camped in the outskirts that he sent a fire to consume them. The the non-Jews from Egypt complained that there was no meat. They stirred up the Jews and they complained with them. God was sending them manna from heaven that tasted like pastry but that wasn’t enough.
So Moses carried there complaints to the Lord. He was tired of carrying all the weight of these obstinate people. God told Moses to choose 70 men to help him with complaints and leadership.
God responded to their desire for meat and sent them meat for a month. He told them they would eat it till they were gagging. Moses doubted how God was going to do that for so many people. Moses was in God’s school of faith.
In Mark, it was Jesus last two days on earth. Jesus was in the home of Simon who had been healed of leprosy and a woman came in and anointed Jesus’ head. He was now anointed for sacrifice. Then he went to have his last meal with his disciples - the Passover meal. God had arranged everything for this meal and the place where it would be celebrated. At the meal, Jesus explained that one of them that dipped from his bowl would be his betrayer.
Each of the disciples asked if he would be the one. The disciples sat in order of birth so the youngest sat on his right and the oldest sat on his left. Peter was probably the oldest and John was probably the youngest so Judas could have sat across from him. Who knows, but he was close enough to dip from the same bowl.
Lord, may we carry your presence in the midst of everything we do. May You, O Lord, arise and let your enemies be scattered!

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Presence

Read: Numbers 8:1-9:23; Mark 13:14-37; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29
God gave Moses instructions to place the menorah in the Holy Place where the light shined forward to light the room. The menorah stands for the revelation and illumination we get from God. It is to light our way. In a larger scale, that is exactly what He did with his cloud that looked like fire at night. It was the same presence but showed up differently in the day as it did in the night. In the day, the cloud led them but at night it was a light to them. When we are in the daytime and everything is going well, the Holy Spirit is not so obvious. He is like a comforting cloud. But when we are going through our nights of trial and things are not so clear, the Holy Spirit is a fire. He shines brightly for us.
Clouds are the promise of rain - they stand for hope, but fire cleanses and burns things up - it stands for trials. The good news is both of them stand for the powerful and glorious presence of God. God is glorified when things are going well for us and when things are hard. He is always with us; always leading us.
God doesn’t change in his nature, but he progressively changed his rules just as we change our rules with our kids. They have different rules for different stages of their development. Before, the priesthood started at age 30 and now God says they can enter in at 25. (The driver’s license age just changed.)
It used to be that the first-born were the Lord’s and now the Levites took their place. God had said that Passover was celebrated on the first month, but when some of the people couldn’t celebrate it then, he told them they could do it the next month. God is showing us his mercy. He is not the mean God with a stone waiting for us to make a mistake so he can stone us. He is very compassionate and merciful.
In Mark, Jesus told them what would happen in the very end. God wrote his book for everyone that would live on the earth. This particular passage is written for those “left behind” till he comes again. It will be terrible times on the earth for them, but they will read this and know what to do.
Jesus gave them a clue to know what season they were in - the fig tree. Israel is always the keystone. When its branches begin to bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you will know that summer is near. Then you know that Jesus is right at the door. Summer comes before Fall. Jesus will come again on Tishri One which is the Feast of Trumpets. It usually happens in September. So summer is when Israel will start budding and sprouting which means that they will start awakening to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. Many individual Jews are coming to the truth but this is talking about Israel as a nation. No one know the exact year this will happen, but we do know the season. Our job is to know our season and follow our cloud.
Lord, may we always be awake and looking for your presence to come. We trust in your timing and your plan. Help us to be diligent with the segment of your timeline that we are to uphold.

Fri.’s Devo - The Nazarite Vow

Read: Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28
The Nazarite vow is something that has baffled me for a while but I think I see some of it a little more clearly. A Nazarite vow was totally voluntary unless God required it like with Sampson and John the Baptist. They were Nazarites from the womb.
A person took this vow as a decision to do business with God. They did away with anything alcoholic or from the vine. They also let their hair grow long and couldn’t go near a dead body no matter who they were. So no funerals - even if it was your relative.
Naturally, wine accentuates everything, and it controls you. People who drink talk louder, act out and don’t make decisions they would naturally do. So to not drink wine would be to take control of your life and not have any other outside things to blame your actions on or to control your thoughts.
Hair represents your covering, but long hair represents your rebellion - letting your self go. This is like putting a mirror in front of you and seeing yourself as you really are. It is facing your faults. All of your vices are out there for you to see, so you can deal with them.
Not going near a dead person is to stay away from things that would cause you to slip and fall. It might be getting rid of some relationships that are toxic to you and bring death, even if they are your family. This vow was limited for a set time. Sometimes we might need to distance ourselves from particular people for a time to get the right perspective, then we can see more clearly and enter back into their lives with power to overcome - not be conquered.
The Nazarite vow is all about self-perception and repentance. When the vow was over, the Nazarite was to go to the entrance of the Tabernacle and offer a sacrifice for his sins, and one for fellowship with the Lord. Then the person would shave their heads, take that hair and place it on the fire underneath the peace offering sacrifice. The priest would receive his offering, put it back into the man’s hands and lift his hands as a special offering to the Lord. Then the Nazarite was free and could drink wine.
What a great picture! Once we see our sin and get perspective about our lives during our time of separation, we can bring all our stuff to Jesus. He lifts our hands with all our stuff in it to God and he takes it. Our rebellion is burned and our fellowship is returned. Then we can experience freedom and have joy!!!
The day the Tabernacle was dedicated, all the tribes brought offerings to the Lord. They brought 6 large wagons and 12 oxen. These were for the two clans to carry the material for building the tabernacle. Two wagons and 4 oxen were given to the Gershonite division and four wagons and 8 oxen were given to the Merarite clan. None were given to the Kohathites because they carried the sacred objects on their shoulders. That is why God got so mad at the priests when they brought the Ark on a wagon in David’s time (1 Chronicles 13:7-14). It was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests and they were never to touch any of the furniture - it was holy. Uzza found that out the hard way.
All the tribes brought their gifts to the Lord on their day. We are in the fifth day and the names of the leaders that day mean “peace of God”, “rock of the Almighty” and “hearing”. That is what God is teaching us about.
In Mark, Jesus explains that anything short of everything is not an appropriate offering. The Pharisees gave only to be seen of man. The widow gave only to be seen of God, and she was. Jesus saw her and made her famous for her gift. Jesus went further by saying that their magnificent temple was not impressive to God either. It looked awesome to man but would be torn down by God.
Jesus gave us some more information about the end of days. When the world goes to pot, it will be a great time to evangelize. The corolla virus in China is being used by God to bring great miracles and revival. The people are flocking to the church to hear about Jesus and see the power of prayer. Many are being healed of the virus. Where sin abounds; grace abounds greater!
Lord, may we find your peace, stand upon your authority and hear your voice today. You are the Almighty Rock!

Thur.’s Devo - Body, Soul, and Spirit

Read: Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14: Proverbs 10:26
The priest must be 30 years old to enter into the priesthood. Jesus entered into his ministry at thirty as our High Priest.
The three divisions of priests are explained further. The Kohathites had the duty of tending to the most sacred objects. Kohath means “waiting and obedient”. These represent those who wait on the Lord to renew their strength and bring the answer to their prayers. They are also obedient to do what he tells them while waiting. Notice, that they were cover the ark with its inner veil, then goatskin, then a blue cloth.
They were to spread a blue cloth, then a scarlet cloth then a goat skin cloth over the Bread of the Presence and its accessories.
The lamp stand and all its accessories were to be covered with blue cloth, then goatskin.
The altar of incense was to be was to be covered with a purple cloth but all its utensils were to be covered with goatskin.
Eleazar, the son of Aaron was responsible for the oil, incense, grain and anointing oil. He was the leader of all that the Kohathites did.
God’s presence was the ark so he was veiled in flesh (goatskin) and came from heaven (blue).
The Bread of God’s Presence was Jesus who came from heaven (blue) and shed his blood (scarlet) to identify with us (goatskin).
The lampstand is the revelation of God’s presence (blue) that is given to us (goatskin).
The altar of incense is the prayer of Jesus and his people. We are now royal priests to God (purple) even while we are flesh (goatskin).
Eleazar means “God is helper” who represents the Holy Spirit. He is in charge of anointing us with his Spirit and interceding through us.
The Gershonites were responsible for general service and carrying loads. The Merarites were only in charge of carrying loads.
These three clans represent our body (Merarites), soul (Gershonites) and spirit (Koathites). God is concerned with all three, but our first priority must be our spirit. Our soul will prosper as our spirit prospers and our body will prosper as our soul prospers. It is an inside to outside job!
The ritual of jealousy is super interesting. If a husband suspected his wife of adultery, he was to bring her to the priest and she had to drink this bitter water. The water was made of water and dust from the floor of the tabernacle. She had to proclaim a curse over herself and drink the water. If she was guilty her stomach would swell as if she was pregnant but her womb would shrivel and never produce a baby.
Jesus was called to judge a woman “caught in the very act of adultery”. She was doomed to die yet Jesus wrote in the dust and saved the woman from her deserved stoning. He sent her away fruitful. The law brings deserved death but grace brings undeserved redemption and life.
In Mark, Jesus corrected the Sadducees over their disbelief in the resurrection, explained the two commandments that sum up all the commandments and explained how the Messiah was not David’s son. The Messiah would be God’s son.
Lord, thank you for grace. May we live our lives to honor your grace that you have so freely given us.

Wed.’s Devo - A Change of the Law

Read: Numbers 2:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25
The tribes were divided into four different groups which traveled together in a certain order. Judah went first because we enter into God’s presence with praise which is what “Judah” means. When they camped they camped in their groups: three to the east, three to the west, three to the north and three to the south with the Levites in the center. The other tribes were a protection around the most valuable possession - the Tabernacle. When the tribes camped they looked like a cross from heaven’s viewpoint.
Within the Levites were three families with three different jobs. The Gershon family were in charge of all the coverings and the curtains. The Merari family were in charge of the poles, pillars and crossbars. The Kohath family was in charge of all the sacred furniture and the ark. Eleazar, the High Priest was in this family.
God changed the law about the first born and said that the Levites would be substitutes for the first born. There were not enough Levites to cover every first born so a price of five pieces of silver were given for every first born not covered.
When the Jews rejected Jesus, Jesus invited the Gentile. This is that picture. Five is the number of grace and silver means redemption. The Gentile was grafted into the vine and took the place of the Jew FOR A SEASON. I do not believe in replacement theology. The Jewish people will have their eyes open and come in. They are the first born son sof God and we are the Levites who are set apart but we will be reunited one day and be one happy family of God.
In Mark, we see the same shift happening. John the Baptist had come baptizing people and removing their sins. This was unheard of. No one had ever done that. The priest was the only one who could remove their sins on the Day of Atonement. God was doing something new which was good news to the people, but threatening to the religious leaders because they were losing control.
The religious leaders were afraid of the crowd so they were afraid to do anything to John or make a statement about what they thought of him.
Jesus gave them a parable that pointed out to the religious leaders just how he saw them. They had killed every prophet God had sent to point them back to God, and now they would kill God’s son.
They realized the parable was about them but they were powerless to act because Jesus was so favored among the people. They would have to be more crafty so they sought to trick him in his doctrine. Of, course it didn’t work. Jesus was much more shrewd than them.
Lord, we pray that the eyes of your first born and your chosen would be opened. We pray for revival in our land. We recognize that you are doing a new thing in our day. May we not miss it or be afraid of it.

Tues.’s Devo - A Nation of Prayer

Read: Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54; Mark 11:1-26; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23
Dedicating a “house” to the Lord in the Old Testament is the same as someone dedicating himself to be of the “household” to the Lord in the New. It can all be summed up in what it says in verses 28-29. That is that anything specially set apart for the Lord must never be sold or bought back. Once you have decided to follow Jesus, you must never look back.
It goes on to say that no person specially set apart for destruction may be bought back. That person must be put to death. In other words, no person who is of the seed of Satan can be redeemed. In Romans 9:21-22 God calls them vessels of honor and vessels of wrath. It is God’s choosing.
To buy back anything that has been dedicated to the Lord is to your destruction. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and lookin back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
God called Moses to count all the men who were 20 years or older and were fit to go to war, except those from the tribe of Levi. The Levites were in charge of the Tabernacle and were to camp around the Tabernacle to protect the community of Israel from the Lord’s anger. The Levites stood for the set apart ones. They stood for Christians of the New Testament. They were responsible for how their nation went. Our nation is in the trouble it is in because we as God’s people let evil slip in because we were not guarding God’s presence. God holds his people responsible for the sins of their nation. Thankfully, we are learning our lesson and are praying and are now taking responsibility. The challenge is going to be whether we can stay in God’s presence when we are living in prosperity. Let’s not forget the hard times when we are living in ease.
In Mark, Jesus lived a very strategic life and his last days were no different. He rode a donkey into Jerusalem to fulfill scripture (Zechariah 9:9). He rode this donkey up toward Jerusalem from the south while the temple lamb was being paraded to Jerusalem from the north. The people celebrated both with palm leaves and praises of Hosanna. People were descending upon Jerusalem from all over the land for the feast of Passover. Both lambs were brought into the temple.
Jesus cursed the fig tree because it, like Israel was not ready to receive him. It could not bear fruit out of season. Jesus was out of their box and they couldn’t make the change just like the fig tree could not break tradition and bear fruit out of its season.
Jesus returned to the temple and cleansed the temple. In the Old Testament the priests would cleanse all the furniture and vessels of the Tabernacle with the blood of the lamb. Jesus as the lamb cleansed the temple of its sin and hypocrisy (Isaiah 56:7). He proclaimed it to be a house of prayer.
He taught his disciples that the key to getting what you pray for is first forgiving others, then receiving your own forgiveness.
Lord, may we walk in forgiveness, repentance and prayer for ourselves and our nation. May we become of nation of prayer.

Mon.’s Devo - Humility is the Way to the Top

Read: Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 10:22
What if a person who is a Christian falls into an addiction and their walk with God seems non-existent. Is there hope for them? Yes! They can be bought back by a family member (prayer) or their own selves if they get strong enough to fight. That is what Lev. 25:47-55 is about. Satan will fight harder for a young person because they have more years left to live and do damage to his kingdom. But it is worth the cost of freedom.
Next we have the blessing of obedience and the utter devastation of disobedience. We have seen the result of disobedience in our nation and the nations of the world, but I believe we are turning things around and beginning to live in the blessings. In the blessings there is no lack, and instead of just having enough - there is abundance! There is peace of mind and safety. We become the offensive line against the devil and his demons, instead of the ones on the defense. We see the utter powerlessness of Satan. He only has the power that we give him. He has no power against God and God is within us. We will walk in favor with God and there will be no infertility or miscarriages in our midst. We will be fruitful in every area of our lives. God’s presence will so surround us that we will know that we are his chosen sons and daughters.
The key to coming out of slavery and walking in freedom is to confess our sins and the sins of our fathers and repent. We must learn to live in rest.
We see the advantage of offering a child to the Lord while he is young. The cost is less and the battle for his soul is established then. To wait till later in life will cost more and will be harder to pay. Selah!
In Mark, Jesus led his disciples to Jerusalem. On the way, he took them aside to prepare them for what they were walking into. He told them that he would be arrested by the leading priests and sentenced to die on the cross. He would be mocked and spit on but on the third day he would rise again.
All James and John could get from that was that they wanted him to let one of them sit on his right and the other on his left when he came to his kingdom. Clearly, they missed the point! Jesus told them the cost they would have to pay to get that honor and they thought they were up to the challenge …which they were not. Jesus gave up and told them that those places were already arranged by God. This is when, I would think, Jesus second-thought God’s selection.
Jesus explained that the way to get promotion in the kingdom was to be the servant. I’m sure that went over well.
Jesus then met blind Bartemaeus. Bartemaeus means “son of one unclean”. It also means “son of one esteemed” which is the opposite. Jesus had just talked about the way to be esteemed was to be humble. He took this man who was blind because of his father’s uncleanness and made him see - esteemed! Here was the example of what he had just preached.
Lord, I love this Psalm (45) that is such a powerful picture of the blessings on ourselves and our children. Thank you for your unfailing love and grace that you give to your children.

Sun.’s Devo - Jesus, Our Light and Our Daily Bread

Read: Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21
The priests do their duties to the constant light of the menorah. Every week they were to eat the shewbread which was offered to the Lord. The menorah is the light of God’s wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, authority and knowledge. That was theirs everyday just like we walk in that light every day. The shewbread was the Word of God that is our daily bread.
God could not tolerate blasphemous people and they had to be killed. The people who heard his words were to place their hands on him as testimony against him. The whole congregation was to stone him as one person in agreement.
Murder had to be punished and retribution had to be made for injuring someone or an animal. The blasphemer and murderer represent the devil and we must put him to death in our lives.
The land had to obey the laws of the Sabbath and rest the 7th year. Also on the fiftieth year, the Year of Jubilee, the land was to return to the original owner. Land was never sold for good. You were not buying land - you were buying harvests until the Year of Jubilee, then it would go back to the original owner. You paid according to the years remaining until the next Jubilee.
This was all to represent the fact that the Lord made earth and he is the original owner. We are just renting it till he returns in the Year of Jubilee. God told Moses that man would live to be 120. One Hundred and twenty Jubilees equals 6,000 years. We will be on the earth 6,000 years then the Lord will return to redeem it. A thousand years is as a day to the Lord so it is 6 days and he will cause the land to rest on the 7th. If this is true, the Lord should come back in 220 years according to the Jewish calendar. Let’s continue to work the land scattering seed and bringing in the harvest until then.
In Mark, Jesus addressed two groups of people: the children and the rich. The children came to him innocently and empty of anything they could bring to Jesus. He blessed them and wanted them around him. The rich man came to him full of good works. Jesus couldn’t give him anything because he already had everything he though he needed. Jesus, told him to get rid of his baggage of stuff so he would have room for God but he couldn’t do it. It had nothing to do with being rich or poor in the natural, it had everything with being rich or poor in the spirit. The children came to Jesus with only themselves and he received them. The rich man came with all his righteousness, and Jesus rejected him. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Nothing we give up in this life time will not be given to us in the next.
Lord, we come empty to you because you are the only one who can satisfy our soul. You light our path and give us your Word as our bread. We are satisfied in you.