Fri.’s Devo - The Feasts

Read: Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27 God told the people they were to keep a feast to him three times a year. The first season would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was to be kept in the month of Abib also called Nissan. It would last for 7 days representing the time when they came out of Egypt. (During this time they would also celebrate the Passover and the Feast of First Fruits.) *** The next feast would occur fifty days later and was called the Feast of Harvest (also called Feast of Weeks or Pentecost). The last group was in the end of the year and it was called the Feast of Ingathering. These were all times when they were harvesting different crops from their fields. The first was the barley harvest, then the wheat, then the fruit. *** The men were to appear before the Lord these times during the year with the first fruits of their harvests. *** They were not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. This commandment is given several times in the law. I believe spiritually it means that you are not to kill the baby for the mother’s sins. I’m sure there was a reason for why they were told this. *** God said he was sending his angel before them to guard them on their way and bring them to the place the Lord had prepared for them. When they got there, they were not to bow to their enemies’ gods. If they served the Lord only, he would bless their food and water and take sickness away from them. They would not miscarry or be barren. They would live out all the days of their lives. God would cause their enemies to fear them so that they would be confused. He would drive them out with hornets. He would do this slowly so they would have time to inhabit their land. They were not to make any covenants of peace with them because if they did, they would end up serving their gods. God called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and the seventy elders to worship him from afar. Then he called Moses to come near to him. Moses wrote down what the Lord told him and and would come and tell the group. They agreed to obey his words. *** Early in the morning, Moses built an altar to the Lord with 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes. He sent young men to offer burnt offering and sacrifices on the altar. Moses took half of the blood and threw it on the side of the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant he had written and read it to the people. They agreed to do all that it said. Then the Lord sprinkled the rest of the blood on the people. *** Moses and his appointed group went up and saw the Lord on a pavement of sapphire stone and saw a glimpse of heaven. They also saw that God did not harm Moses. *** God called Moses back on the mountain so he could give him the tablet of stone with the law and commandment written on them. He left Aaron and Hur in charge of the people. Moses took Joshua and went up the mountain. The mountain it was overshadowed by a cloud because of the glory of God and appeared to be on fire. *** God told Moses to let the people contribute things to make the tabernacle. He would need gold, silver, bronze, etc. (25:1-8). With all the metal, gems, yarns and skins, oils and spices, they were to make the tabernacle like he showed him in heaven. The tabernacle would be a replica of what was in heaven though much smaller. *** God gave Moses the exact measurements and how to make the ark to hold the covenant and the mercy seat that would rest on top of the ark with the two cherubs on it. This was where the Lord would meet with him. *** He was to make a table along with gold plates and dishes for incense, and cups and bowls to pour drink offerings in. *** He was to make a gold lamp stand (menorah) with a main branch and three branches on both sides. On the branches would be almond blossoms and a cup to hold the old for lighting. *** In Matthew, Jesus was explaining the last days. After the tribulation time, the sun would be darkened and the moon would not give light. The stars would fall from heaven and the sign of the Son of Man would appear in the clouds. God would send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they would gather his elect from the four winds and from heaven. According to Jeremiah 49:36, these four winds are the four quarters of heaven. Ezekiel 37:9 tells us that the ones from the four winds are those who were slain. So the Lord is calling the dead to rise and join him. We will not be able to see this from earth. On September 23, 2017 the sign of the Son of Man appeared in the sky. This day was also the Feast of Trumpets. We just read where God would sent out his angels with a loud trumpet call and then they would gather those who have been slain. We could only saw the sign in the sky. *** Jesus tells us it will be the same as the days of Noah where they had no idea what was about to happen, even though Noah preached and told them it was coming. That is the way it is now. Only those awake know the day we are living in. The rest of the world is going on with their daily living, unaware. They didn’t know till the flood swept them away and that will be the same now. Those swept away will be taken while we will be preserved on the earth. *** Jesus called us to be faithfully doing his work when this happens. When the evil see that they are getting away with all their crimes they will not repent, but they will not get away with their evil. They will be taken and face their judgment. They will be thrown into the pit where they will weep and gnash their teeth. *** Both our Psalm and our Proverb mention Sheol, the place of the dead. This is where the evil will end up. *** Lord, thank you for the promise of eternity with you. Thank you that your Word is true and every jot and tittle will be carried out before all this is done. May we be awake and aware of what you are doing and not be afraid. We rest with assurance in your arms.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Laws

Read: Exodus 21:22-23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23 As you read the ordinances of how to deal with property loss, bodily harm and the laws of pain and suffering you will realize how much our laws follow this wisdom given by God. *** God himself is the avenger of the widow and the orphan if they cry out to him. God will make sure that their perpetrator is killed and his wife and children are left without their husband and father. *** God had laws about how he was to be treated also. He told them not to be slow in offering him their first fruits of their harvest and the firstborn of their sons and animals. The sons were to be circumcised on the eighth day of their life and the animals were to be sacrificed on the eight day. *** There were laws commanding them to treat your enemy as you would your neighbor. They were told not to pervert justice with false charges, taking bribes, acquitting the wicked and killing the innocent. *** They were to treat those passing through their land with kindness, remembering how they were sojourners when they came out of Egypt. *** They were to work the land for six years, then let it rest the seventh. During the seventh year they were to allow the poor and the beasts of the field to eat from their land. *** They were not to even mention the names of false gods. *** In Matthew, as Jesus and his disciples were leaving the Temple, the disciples admired the Temple buildings. Jesus told him that there was coming a day when none of the stones would be left standing. They would all be thrown down. He was speaking of both physically and spiritually. *** As Jesus sat with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, they asked him when the Temple would fall and when would he return and when was the end of the age. Jesus told them all the things that would happen first. Many would come in his name and say they were the Christ and lead people astray. They will hear of wars and the rumors of coming wars. They were not to be alarmed because this was all part of the plan. There will be wars and famines and earthquakes and these are the beginnings of the birth pains of the new age to come. *** His followers will the persecuted, and many will not stand but fall away from the faith. False prophets will arise and lawlessness will increase causing some to become hopeless and bitter. But, those who endure through all this will be saved. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole earth. Then the end will come. *** Then, Jesus warned them that an abomination was coming to the Temple. When they see this happen they are to flee to the mountains. Pray this won’t happen in the winter or on a Sabbath. Then, there will be great tribulation and those days will be cut short so that there will be survivors. False Christs will arise and do miracles and great signs and wonders. These are only imposters. The coming of the Son of Man will be light lightning that comes from the east and shines to the west. Jesus light will shine across the earth. *** The abomination Jesus was talking about happened after his death on the cross. Antiochus Epiphanes came into the Temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar and sprinkled its blood all over the Temple. The believers fled into the hills and many were killed. We have been under the tribulations written in Revelation ever since. We are in the cusp of the new age Jesus was talking about and are about to see Jesus’s kingdom come to earth, through us. This is not his second coming. That is way up ahead. Jesus will come and dwell on the earth and set up his kingdom through us, first. *** Lord, help us to discern the day we are living in and rejoice! This is the day that Jesus spoke of and we are privileged to live in this day. May we live the kingdom of God and endure till the end.

Wed.’s Devo - The Third Day -

Read: Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5 On the third day, Pentecost, The people saw lighting and a thick cloud on the mountain. They heard thunder and a very loud trumpet blast that grew louder and louder like a siren. God called Moses to come up the mountain to the top. He told them to warn the people not to come, or the Lord would break out against them. God sent Moses to get Aaron only. *** Then the Lord spoke and gave them the 10 Commandments we know today. Moses didn’t have to worry about the people rushing the mountain because the voice of God along with all the thunder and lightning and smoke scared them so much they stood far off. But, Moses was drawn to the thick darkness where God was. *** God gave them specific rules forbidding them from making gods of silver or gold to use to worship him. His altar was to be made of rough stones that were not smoothed with tools. They were not to have steps leading to the altar. *** Then he gave them rules about their Hebrew slaves. They were only to serve them six years then go free the seventh. The slave should go the way he came. If he chooses to stay to be with his family or because he loves his master, then his master was to bring him to the door of his house and pierce his ear on the door. Then he would be his slave forever. *** Fair and honorable laws were given to protect the women. These are the things that were to be punished by death: intentional murder, buying or selling a trafficked man, cursing your parents, and beating a slave to death. *** If two men quarrel and one strikes the other with his fist or a stone, if the man lives, then the one who hit him only has to pay for the loss of his time he wasn’t able to work and is to have him thoroughly healed. *** All of the laws God gave the people have spiritual meaning to us. In the law about the Hebrew slaves, we are slaves in this world to our Creator God. We will serve the Lord until we are judged on the seventh day. If we decide we love him and his ways and want to willingly serve him, he will bind us to his son who is the “door” and mark us as his. Then we will dwell with him forever. *** In Matthew, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not entering into the kingdom of heaven and not allowing anyone else to enter, either. He called them children of hell, blind guides, hypocrites, serpents and vipers for all their false teaching. They made gold and their gifts more honorable than God’s temple and his altar. They tithed but neglected to show mercy and faithfulness. They worried about how they appeared to others and yet neglected cleansing their hearts, which, Jesus explained, if their hearts were clean then their actions would follow. *** The Pharisees built elaborate tombs for the prophets claiming that they would have never killed them if they lived during that time. Jesus made it clear that they were still doing the same thing. (And, they would be the ones to crucify the Messiah.) *** Jesus cried out for Jerusalem who rejected all who God sent to her. He told then they would not see him again until they say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This will happen when Jesus returns. *** Lord, may we renew our commitment to hear only your voice and serve you with our whole heart. May our hearts be clean and may we fight for mercy and justice and righteousness.

Tues.’s Devo - Their First Battle

Read: Exodus 17:8-19:15; Matthew 22:34-23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35 The Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses told Joshua to choose some men to fight them and he, Moses, would stand on the top of the hill with his staff in his hand. Aaron and Hur went with Moses where they watched the battle from the hill. As long as Moses had his hands up with his staff, they would win, but when his hands grew tired and he lowered them, they would begin to lose. Aaron and Hur found a rock for Moses to sit on and they stood on either side holding his hands up until the sun went down. Joshua and his men prevailed. *** God told Moses to write down the events of that day because He would one day blot out the memory of the Amalekites. Moses built an altar to the Lord where he had stood and named it “The Lord Is My Banner.” *** Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and their two sons Gershom and Eliezer to stay with her father Jethro during all the plagues of Egypt. Jethro brought them back to reunite with Moses. Jethro rejoiced when he heard all the stories of what God had done for them in Egypt. Jethro saw that God was greater than all gods and brought a sacrifice to the Lord. *** Jethro watched as Moses sat and decided every dispute the Israelites had. He told him he would burn out fast if he continued doing this and advised him to train some fair and just men to take all the small cases for him and leave the big ones for Moses. Moses took his advice. Jethro soon left and went back to his home. *** Forty-seven days after Moses had left Egypt they reached Mt. Sinai. God told Moses to tell the people to sanctify themselves because in three days God was going to speak to them. If they listened to what he said and obeyed him, he would make them his treasured possession and they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They all agreed to listen and obey. *** Fifty days after Passover is Pentecost. God came down on Mt. Sinai on Pentecost bringing his Spirit to rest on Moses and the mountain. In the New Testament, the Spirit of God came to rest on the people - they became the mountain with fire on their heads. *** In Matthew, the Pharisees heard of how he shut the Sadducees down, so one of their lawyers asked Jesus which law was the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. The second greatest was to love your neighbor as yourself. All the laws hang on these two commandments. Then, Jesus asked them a question. They asked him whose son would the Messiah be and they answered “David’s son.” Then Jesus asked them about the Psalm where David called him Lord. They were not able to answer him. *** Jesus turned to the crowd and told them to obey the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, but not their works because they did not practice what they preached. They used the scriptures to bind the people and control them. They loved the honor they got from their position, but lorded it over the people instead of shepherding them. He told them never to call their teachers, Father because there is only one Father and that is God. And, call no person your Teacher because their Teacher is Christ. Those who exalt themselves above another will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. *** Lord, may we love you with all our hearts, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. May we be humble and teachable.

Mon.’s Devo - The Rock - 2-2-26

Read: Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26 When the children of Israel saw that they walked through the Red Sea on dry ground and the Egyptians drown in the same water, Miriam brought out her tambourine and began dancing and singing to the Lord. Other women joined her with their tambourines. *** Moses led the people through the wilderness of Shur and they traveled the three days they had been told by the Lord. They found no water so they continued to Marah. There the water was bitter and the people complained against Moses. God showed Moses a log to throw into the water, and it became sweet. *** The Lord made them a promise that if they would do what he said, they would suffer none of the diseases that he put upon the Egyptians, because He was their healer. *** They came to Elim where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. What a place of refreshing! *** They would need it because the next place was the wilderness of Sin which was between Elim (“mighty ones”) and Sinai (“my thorns”). It had now been a month to the day since they had left Egypt and they were out of food and becoming “hangry.” They complained to Moses who took their complaint to the Lord. *** God told Moses he was going to rain bread from heaven - manna which they would find on the ground in the morning. Moses explained to pick up two quarts per person. Those who picked up more than the two quarts still had no more than those who obeyed. When some of them saved some for the next day it was rotten and stunk. *** They were to make it into bread. On the sixth day they would prepare what they picked up and it would be enough for two days because the manna would not fall on the Sabbath. This time it didn’t rot and stink. Those who went out to gather manna on the Sabbath were disappointed. God rebuked them and told them that the Sabbath was a day of rest and they were to remain in their place and rest on this day. *** The Lord also promised he would give them meat in the evening. The manna fell that morning and quail flew into the camp that evening. The manna tasted like bread made with honey. He told Aaron to put a sample of it in a jar and place it before the Lord as a testimony of how God sustained them until they came into their promised land. *** The people traveled on to Rephidim but there was no water again. Again they complained against Moses. God told Moses to take some of the elders and his staff and stand on the rock at Horeb. He was to strike the rock and water would come out. He did and called the place Massah which means “testing” and Massah which means “quarreling” because the people quarreled and tested the Lord by asking if the Lord was among them or not. *** The rock that Moses stood on and struck stood for Jesus according to 1 Corinthians 10:4. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. “ When Moses struck the rock it was representing Christ being struck down on the cross for our sins. That it why the second time they came to this same rock he was instructed not to strike it but to speak to it. Jesus died once for our sins. All we have to do now is speak in faith and it will be done. *** In Matthew, Jesus gave them another parable about the kingdom of heaven being compared to a king who sent out invitations to his son’s wedding feast. The people were too busy with their own lives to come to the wedding. Some of the people killed the messengers. The king was so angry he sent his troops to destroy the murderers and burn their cities. Then the king sent out invitations to those who were not worthy, until the wedding hall was filled with guests. *** When the king entered the hall he saw a man who had not dressed in a wedding garment. He asked him how he got in and had his attendants bind him and cast him into the outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus ended the parable with, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” *** All are given the call to salvation but few have been given the faith to answer it. In the parable, the religious elite didn’t honor God and killed his prophets. The unworthy received him and welcomed Jesus as the Messiah. The man without the wedding garment was the thief who entered over the wall in John 10:1. He will be thrown into hell. *** Jesus’ parables were putting the Pharisees in such bad light they looked for a way to trick him. They began their question by flattering Jesus but he saw straight through their lies. They asked him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Jesus called them hypocrites and then asked him for a coin to pay taxes with. He asked them whose face and name was on the coin. They told him Caesar’s, so he told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was his. This shut them up. *** Next, the Sadducees came to him and asked a trick question about the resurrection since they didn’t believe anyone would be resurrected. He saw right through their question and told them that they didn’t know the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Mic drop!) *** He proceeded to say that in the resurrection people are not married, but were like angels. Then he addressed the question of the resurrection. He reminded them that God said he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He wasn’t a God of the dead, but of the living. This shut up the Sadducees. *** Lord, we honor you as the way the truth and the life. Thank you that you have opened our eyes and given us the grace to believe who you are and who Jesus is. We are so grateful and honored to be called your children.

Sun.’s Devo - Salvation Through the Sea -

Read: Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19 God did not let Moses take the children of Israel through the land of the Philistines which was the shortest way. He was afraid that they would turn back if they faced war so soon, even though they were equipped for war. Instead, he led them with a pillar of cloud in the daytime which changed to a pillar of fire during the nighttime. It led them to the Red Sea. They carried the bones of Joseph with them. *** God had the Israelites camp in front of Baal-zephon which was the Lord of the North - the last Egyptian gods they would defy. God told Moses that the Egyptians were coming to pursue them, so he could do one more act to show Egypt that He was the Lord. *** Egypt came with six hundred chariots, plus and they overtook them in front of Baal-zephon. When the Israelites saw them coming they were greatly afraid and took it out on Moses. Moses told them to stop being afraid because they were about to see the salvation of the Lord. These Egyptians they see today, they would never see again. The Lord would fight for them, and they didn’t need to say a thing. *** God told Moses to start moving the people toward the sea and lift his staff over the sea to divide it. Then, he was to march the people through the sea on dry ground on the other side. God would send the Egyptians after them into the sea and he would defeat them to his glory. *** The angel of God who was in front of them went to the rear and the pillar of cloud went with him. It made it dark on the Egyptian side and light on the Israelite side so they could cross the sea all night. The waters were a wall on both sides of them, but God had sent a wind to dry the seabed so they could walk on it. When the Egyptians pursued, their chariot wheels were so heavy that they sunk into the ground. *** God told Moses to stretch his hand over the sea and it came back throwing the Egyptians into the midst of the sea and drowning them. But the way was still dry for the Israelites and they got safely across. Israel saw this great miracle and feared the Lord and believed in Moses. Moses taught the people a song of triumph and praise to the Lord. *** No other story is referred to as much as this story. It is the picture of salvation. We all live in Egypt, in bondage to sin until we come to the knowledge of Christ. Then we cross the Red Sea that washes us of our sins and sets our feet on a new path, a new destiny. Our lives are a walk through trials of the wilderness to get us to our promised land. He goes before us and behinds us and is our light. We are sheltered under the shadow or cloud of his presence. *** In Matthew, Jesus entered the temple and the chief priests and elders came to him and asked him who gave him the authority to preach like he knew he was right. Jesus told him he would answer their question if they would answer his. He asked them if John’s baptism was from heaven or from man. They discussed it amongst themselves. They were caught because they didn’t want to have to admit John was from God, because they had not accepted him, so they said they didn’t know. So, Jesus told them that he didn’t have to answer their question either. *** Then, Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons. He explained that John was the son who went and did the will of his Father. They were the ones who said they would do God’s will, but didn’t. *** He gave them another parable about a master who built a vineyard and leased it to tenants and then went to another country. He sent servants to get its fruit, but the tenants kept killing them. Finally, he sent his son, thinking they would respect him. But, they killed him to get his inheritance for themselves. Jesus asked the teachers the law what they thought the master would do to the tenants. They said he would put those wretches to a miserable death and give his vineyards to more responsible tenants who would give him his fruit. *** Jesus explained that he was the stone that they had rejected that God made the cornerstone. *** The religious leaders were the unrighteousness tenants that had killed all the prophets and were now going to kill the son. They perceived that Jesus was talking about him and though they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds who honored him to be a prophet. *** Nothing has changed since then. We still have the keepers of religion who hate the Spirit of Christ. We as the Body of Christ hold all the power to stand against them. They are more afraid of us becoming one and realizing our power. We never need to be afraid of what they will do to us because we are on God’s side and he will win. *** Lord, may we walk in your will and never be afraid of the weak enemy who stands against us. If God is for us, who can stand against us. Give us boldness to be bold as lions and harmless as doves.

Sat.’s Devo - Jesus Enters Jerusalem -

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15 This Passover day was to be a memorial that was to be kept as a feast to the Lord forever. On the first day of the feast they were to remove all the leaven from their house and keep it out till the seventh day. Anyone who ate leaven would be cut off from Israel. On the first and the seventh day they were to hold a holy assembly and no work was to be done on that day. This week would be called the Feast of Unleavened Bread because on this day, God brought them out of the land of Egypt. This was to be celebrated on the 14th to the 21st of Nissan (Abib). *** They were to select a spotless lamb as the Passover lamb - kill it, and smear its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel at the top. Then they were to enter the house and not come out till morning. That night the Lord would pass through Egypt and strike the first born of every household that didn’t have the blood applied to their doorposts. *** They were to observe this ceremony when they came into the land that the Lord was giving them to remember when the Lord struck the people in Egypt and spared their houses. *** The people of Israel obeyed the Lord and the death angel passed over at midnight and killed the firstborn of Egypt and there was great wailing heard in Egypt. There was not a household that wasn’t affected by the death. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to go serve the Lord and take anything they wanted, and bless him also. The Egyptians were anxious to get rid of the Israelites and told them to hurry and get out of their land. They left with such hurry, their dough hadn’t even had time to rise. They had asked for gold and silver and clothing from the Egyptians and left with the wealth of Egypt. About 600,000 men along with their wives and children left with their livestock and herds. *** They had lived in Egypt 430 years to the day. *** The rules of the Passover were that no foreigner could participate. Slaves who were bought could participate only if they were circumcised. The lamb had to be completely consumed in the house. A stranger who was traveling with them they may participate if they are circumcised. No uncircumcised person could eat it. (Since this represented Jesus, all must be saved to share in his salvation.) *** The Lord told Moses to consecrate all their firstborn because they were his. He had saved them in the Passover. They were to represent the remnant, the set apart, redeemed from death. They were to celebrate this feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover when they came to the promised land so they could tell the story to their children of what God did for them. *** All the firstborn of their sons and animals were to be set apart as the Lord’s. If they had a firstborn donkey and they choose not to redeem it, they must break its neck. The donkey stood for the stubborn, like Pharaoh who refused to follow the Lord. *** Jesus fulfilled the Passover by becoming our Passover lamb and dying for our sins. We participate in Unleavened Bread when we consecrate our lives to him and allow him to remove the leaven from our lives. This takes a life-time thus the seven days. Our lifetime is expressed as our “week”on the earth. It lasts as long as God has ordained. *** In Matthew, Jesus came out of Jericho to meet two blind men. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem where he would die. The blind men cried out for him to have mercy on him. Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they recovered. This was a picture of why Jesus came to earth. He came to open man’s spiritual eyes to see God. These men immediately began to follow Christ. *** Jesus came to Bethphage and sent two of his disciples to go into the village and find a donkey with her colt. He was to bring them both to him. Jesus somehow sat on both the donkey and its colt and rode into Jerusalem on them. The people spread their own cloaks for them to step on them. They were singing the Hallel, the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), as they traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover. When they saw Jesus, they sang them over him. *** Once again, Jesus drove out the money-changers and said that his Father’s house was to be a house of prayer, not a den of robbers. *** Jesus began healing the blind and the lame. The chief priests and scribes saw all the miracles that Jesus was doing and heard the children singing praises to him and they were indignant. Jesus reminded them of Psalm 8:2 which talks about how the praises of babies stops the enemy and the avenger. *** Jesus spent the night in Bethany and early the next morning he was hungry. He saw a fig tree, but found it had no fruit. He cursed it to never bear fruit again. The vine immediately withered. The disciples saw this and asked him how it happened and he told them that they could do the same if they had faith. *** The fig tree represented Israel and the spiritual decline it was in. Jesus cursed its fruit and said that that root would never be allowed to prosper again. That vine was not the true vine but one steeped in religion and man-made laws meant to crush the people, not give them life. We have the same power to crush the religious spirit of death in our country. *** Lord, may we understand the fullness of what you have done for us on the cross. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the cross. May we have the faith to curse darkness and see it crumble.