Fri.’s Devo - Ishmael to Isaac

Read: Genesis 16:1-18:15; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5 God and Abram had the conversation about an heir and then years went by and Abram had to wonder if God had forgotten his promise, but Sarai didn’t forget. She convinced Abram to take her servant, Hagar and have a son through her. When Hagar became pregnant, she began to treat Sarai with contempt. It upset Sari so much that she complained to Abram. He told to that Hagar was her servant and she could do what she wanted. Sarai was so mean to Hagar that Hagar fled into the wilderness. God found her on the road to Shur. “Shur” means “a place of observation” and it was there that God observed her. God sent an angel to ask her where she was going. The angel told her to go back to Sarai and be submissive. God had put a son in her she was to name Ishmael. He would be wild and be against everyone and everyone would be against him. He would be openly hostile to his own relatives. When Ishmael was born, Abram was 86. Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram and announced himself as El-Shaddai, “God Almighty.” God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that he would be the father of many nations and that kings would come from his line. God told him to circumcise his sons and male servants as a covenant. He would give him the whole land of Canaan and Sarai would be now called Sarah - from “princesses” to “a princess”. She was not just one of many women, she was significant and called out for this purpose. She would have a son and they would name him Issac. God’s covenant would be with him. As soon as the angel left, Abraham did exactly what he was told to do. He circumcised the men in his care. A few days later an angel came back and Abraham ran to have a meal made for him. While they were eating, he asked about Sarah. He told her that he would return about the same time next year and Sarah would have a son. Sarah was listening from the tent and laughed because it was so unbelievable. The angels asked why she laughed and Sarah denied it. The angel told her that she did laugh. He told her, ‘Is there anything too great for the Lord?’ Let’s let that be our theme this year…Is there anything too great for the Lord? Jesus continues his sermon on the mountain. He warned us not to do our good deeds to be seen of man but let God be the one to reward us. When we pray, do it in private so God can be the one who satisfies us. Jesus gave a simple prayer for us to use as an example. We begin by acknowledging who we are talking to. Then we pray his will to be done on earth like it is being done in heaven. He told us not to store up treasure here on earth but know that our treasure is Jesus and he is storing up treasures for us in heaven. We are to pray for daily needs and forgive others. We should pray to not be led into temptation but for the Lord to rescue us from the evil one. It is paramount that we forgive others so we will be forgiven. When we fast we do it in secret. What we put before our eyes will affect our hearts so to stay spiritually healthy, we need to be always looking at the light of Christ. He will enlighten and heal our mind, soul and body. Lord, thank you for your Word that is a light unto our path.

Thurs.’s Devo - Victory

Read: Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33 As Abram and Lot traveled and their crops and possessions grew, their shepherds began to quarrel over wells and green grass for their herds. Abram and Lot met and discussed the problem. Abram told Lot they needed to separate and go different directions so they would have enough land and the quarreling would stop. Abram gave Lot his choice of land. Lot chose the green fertile land of the east which had wicked cities and civilization. Abram would go west. When Lot had left, God told Abram to look in all the directions because He was giving Abram all the land…even Lot’s. Abram settled in Hebron near the oak grove belonging to Mamre, the Amorite and built an altar to the Lord. War broke out with nine of the wicked kingdoms. Five of the kings had been subject to King Kedorlaomer of Elam and they decided to rebel and stop paying him. King Kedorlaomer and his five allies faced the other four in the area by the Dead Sea and defeated the four. Lot lived among the four defeated kingdoms so he and his family was taken captive. One of the captives escaped to tell Abram. Abram gathered his family of 318 men and his allies Mamre with his relatives Eschol and Aner and went to fight King Kedorlaomer. They caught up with them at Dan and attacked the king from Elam. Abram won and recovered Lot and all the people and spoils of their war. The king of Sodom, where Lot was from, and Melchizedek, the king of Salem, met in the valley of the Kings. Melchizedek was not only the king of Salem (heavenly Jerusalem) but also God’s High Priest. He brought bread and wine and he and Abram had communion. He blessed Abram with God’s blessing and blessed God for giving Abram victory. Abram gave Melchizedek one tenth of his spoils. Then Abram negotiated with the King of Sodom. The king of Sodom wanted his people and told Abram he could keep the spoils. Abram refused to take anything of his lest he take credit for Abram’s success. He did ask that his friends Mamre, Eschol and Aner be paid out of the spoils. Later, God told Abram that He would reward Abram greatly. Abram lamented that a reward was useless without an heir to give it to. Right then his heir was his servant . God said that he would give him an heir and it would not be his servant but a son from his own loins. Then God told him to look up into the sky and count the stars. That was how many descendants God would give him…enumerable. Abram asked for a sign and God told him to make kill a three-year old heifer, female goat and ram plus a turtledove and a young pigeon. He was to cut them all down the middle. As the sun was going down, Abram went to sleep and God spoke to him. He told him that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years as slaves. Then God would bring them out with great wealth. After four generations his descendants would return here to this land. God would punish the nations that enslaved them and they would someway with great wealth. As it grew dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. God made a covenant with Abram. He told Abram that he had given this land to his descendants all the way from the border of Egypt to the rest Euphrates River. It was the land of Canaan. (Remember when God cursed Canaan and gave Shem his land. This is the result.) Jesus continues his sermon in Matthew. He is going through the Ten Commandments giving the spiritual side to it. God’s laws are not just physical acts but to truly obey you must have your heart in the right place. Our actions flow from our hearts. Committing adultery is not just an act but it starts with the heart. Jesus said that if your eye (what you are putting before you) causes you to sin, then get rid of it. In their day, men were putting their wife away without giving them a writ of divorce, a legal document of divorce. This caused her to commit adultery if she remarried because she wasn’t legally divorced from the first husband. Jesus gives a different twist to fairness. He told them to not try to be fair but give more than what was required and don’t be upset if you get treated unfairly. He told us to love our enemies and those that persecute us because anyone can love those who love them back. Jesus loved those who crucified him. He was our example. Lord, help us to love and forgive and endure unfair treatment for your sake and your name. May Your name be glorified.

Wed.’s Devo - The Beginning of God's Family

Read: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28 All the earth spoke the language of Noah since they all came from him. Ham’s line had gone to the land of Babylonia and settled them. They began to build bricks for stone which was clay hardened in the fire. They used slime or bitumen for cement. All of these elements represent hell. They wanted to build a great city with a great pyramid and be infamous on the earth. God came down to inspect what they were doing and knew it was being done for evil purposes. They were literally building a portal to heaven for Satan’s benefit. God came up with a plan to stop them. He confused their language so they couldn’t agree. God knew that the power of agreement is very strong. They ended up scattering all over the world and stopped their building of the city. The city became known as Babel which means “confusion”. Shem’s family became the Jewish nation that Abraham came from. “Shem” means “a name” and God put his name on their family. Terah was a descendent of Shem who had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot. They lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans worshipped fire. One day Terah took Abram and Abram’s wife Sarai and his grand son Lot and moved away and was headed for Canaan. He stopped short in Haran and stayed there until Terah died. God spoke to Abram to continue his father’s plan to go to Canaan. God had told Shem that he would rule over Canaan and God wanted Abraham to begin that process. When Abram got to Canaan, God told Abram again that he would give him that land. Abram built an altar and dedicated it to the Lord. Abram continued through the land and built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord. A famine struck the land of Canaan forcing Abram to go to Egypt. There he was tested. He told his beautiful wife, Sarai to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt that she was his sister so he wouldn’t be killed. Sarai did and was taken into the harem of the Pharaoh who compensated Abram richly. God protected Sarai and sent a plague on the Egyptians. They figured out that the famine was because they had taken Abram’s wife. Pharaoh gave Sarai back to Abram and sent them from his country. Abram left with all his possessions. Abram was rich in livestock and gold and silver. Abram went back to the second altar he had set up and worshipped the Lord there. It was between Bethel and Ai. In Matthew Jesus preached that the blessed are those who are poor and realize they need God, those who mourn, who are humble, who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful and work for peace. He also blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. A reward is waiting in heaven for all who are persecuted on this earth. Jesus calls his followers the salt of the earth. “Salt” means “prudence’. We must stay innocent and pure to be useful on the earth. He also tells us that we are the light of the world so we need to not hide but let our light shine on the earth. Jesus came to fulfill all scripture and everything the prophets foretold. Obeying God’s law is important. It is the law of the Kingdom. Jesus took the law and explained that it was not just something you did but a law to your heart. For example, you can murder people with your mouth which is just as damaging as if you actually killed them. Even being angry with someone and calling them names can put you in danger of the fires of hell. When we have aught against our neighbor we need to be reconciled with them before we can approach God with a gift of our hearts. In other words, our relationships with others reflect our relationship with the Lord. It is better to settle our differences out of court than to let the courts decide our fate. Lord, thank you that you are our adversary and our peace. You enable us to be the salt of the earth because You are in us. You enable us to be the light of the world because it is your light in us. May we reflect you today.

Tues.’s Devo - Noah’s Landing

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 When the flood had done its work, God turned on his heavenly blow dryer to dry the earth. The flood had lasted 150 days or five months. The ark rested on Mt. Ararat which means “the curse reversed.” It was the 17th day of the seventh month. Another 2 and a half months went by and then 40 days later Noah opened the window and released a raven and a dove. The raven was the picture of Satan’s spirit and it did just what Satan does - it went to and fro through the earth. Noah also released a dove which represented God’s spirit. The dove came back to show that the waters were still on the earth. Noah water 7 days and released the dove again and it came back with an olive leaf in her mouth to show that it was almost dry. After another 7 days, Noah released the dove again and it didn’t return so Noah knew it had found a place to live. It was exactly one year from the time they had entered the ark. Noah waited 2 more months and then the earth was dry. God told him to leave the ark and release all the animals so they could be fruitful and multiply. Noah built an altar and sacrificed the animals he had brought seven of. God was pleased with his sacrifice and told him that he would never again curse the ground because of man or destroy all living things. God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply. He told them that he was putting fear between the animals and the fish because now they were allowed to eat them. But they were never to eat them while they were still alive. God would required the blood on anyone who killed another person. God gave them a sign of his covenant which was the rainbow in the clouds. It was to remind them every time it rained that it would not be a rain to destroy them. The whole human race was formed from Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah planted a vineyard and when it had produced grapes, he made wine and got drunk. Apparently Canaan did something with his grandfather that Ham found amusing and told his brothers. They didn’t find it amusing and went in and without looking at their father in his naked state, they covered his body. When Noah was sober he found out what happened and cursed Canaan to be a servant to his relatives especially to Shem and his descendants. Shem means “a name”. Canaan means “humiliated”. Noah blessed Shem to rule Canaan’s line and Japheth with great expanded territory. He blessed both Shem and Japheth with prosperity. Noah lived 350 more years. As we read the genealogies of the three sons we see that Japheth did indeed expand his territory to the seas. These are the countries of Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxine. Ham settled to the south and had some very evil sons like Nimrod who hunted men for food. We recognize the kingdoms of Babel, Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah and all the “ites” of Canaan. The Bible is the story of Ham’s line. Shem’s people went to the north and settled into what we know as Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria. One of his descendants was Eber who was known to be a righteous man. He had two sons Peleg and Joktan. There was an earthquake during their lives which divided the earth. Peleg means “earthquake” and Joktan means “he will be made small”. One of Joktan’s sons names was Hazarmaveth which means “village of death”. So this was how the earth was divided by these three sons. In Matthew John was arrested. Jesus went back home then to Capernaum. This was the land of Zebulun and Naphtali where many Gentiles lived. Jesus preached to the Gentiles to repent and turn to God for the Kingdom of Heaven was near. That was the same message John the Baptist preached to the Jews. Jesus began gathering his disciples. His first two were brothers: Peter and Andrew. They were fishing when Jesus called them and they dropped their nets and followed him. The next two were also fishermen and brothers: James and John. Jesus traveled the ten towns in Judea and preached the kingdom and healed and delivered the people from demons. People as far as Syria heard about him and brought their sick and demon possessed to him to be healed. Lord, may our descendants be blessed and prosper in Spirit and in truth.

Mon.’s Devo - As in the Days of Noah

Read: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19 Adam was the name that God gave human beings. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 it says that the first man Adam was made a living soul but the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. “Living soul” in the Hebrew means “breath”. Humans were given life. A”quickening spirit” in the Hebrew means “a current of air; Christ’s spirit”. Jesus changed our human composition from just living beings to spirits that are fully alive. Back to our story. Adam’s son Seth was made in Adam’s image. His name means “put, i.e. substituted.” He took the place of Abel just like we take the place of Christ on the earth because he was killed. We have his spirit and allow him to live again through us. That is a very sobering thought. Adams’ seventh son was Enoch who was taken from the earth because he walked with God. Hebrews 11:5 says that God translated Enoch because he pleased Him. He is a picture of the rapture. Noah was the tenth son and represented those who will go through tribulation and God will literally carry them through it in his ark. Genesis Six is one of the most important chapters for us to understand because in Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus tells us that it will be like the days of Noah before he comes back. So we need to know what it was like then to compare it to what is going on in the earth now. Genesis Six tells us that the “sons of God” (which here denote the fallen sons of God), saw the human women and wanted them. They broke the laws of heaven and came down to earth to cohabitate with them. These women had offspring that were half demonic/half human. Satan has been out to change the DNA of human beings because he was so jealous that God would make them with his own DNA. These offspring were blood-thirsty and ate other human beings for food. This is all recorded in the Book of Enoch. God had to do something to save his creation. He found Noah whose DNA had not been contaminated with the demonic DNA and chose him and his family to carry on the human race once he destroyed them. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The rest of the earth was corrupt and violent. God told Noah to build a boat in the middle of the wilderness and gave him the blueprint for it. He told Noah that he was going to bring a flood on the earth to destroy all flesh. He would save them to carry on the human race. God sent two of every living thing and told him and his sons to gather food for them and the animals. Noah obeyed. Noah was instructed to take seven of the clean animals because they would be used for sacrifices. He told Noah that in seven days it would rain for 40 days and nights on the earth. Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters began. The earth will be 6,000 years old when God destroys it with fire in the end. After those seven days God opened the flood gates of heaven and also released the waters on the earth to rise. (Remember on the second day how God separated the waters and sent some up and some down, well now they are converging.) All living beings on the earth died in the flood except those in the ark. Water stayed on the earth 150 days. We can look at this as God’s baptism of the earth to cleanse it from its filth. How does this relate to us today? Mankind has been infiltrated with beings that are not human but look like humans just like the fallen sons of God took on the appearance of man to rape the women of the earth. Satan is working hard to change our DNA and mix it with his. He is doing this through vaccines, chemicals they put in our foods, the air, and in medicine. It is all around us. The only way to stay pure it to walk with God like Noah did and just obey him. Don’t act out of fear but totally trust in God for your health, safety and supply. God will take care of us just like he did for Enoch and Noah. John rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for thinking that just because they were descendants of Abraham that they would be saved from God’s judgment at the end of their lives. They might be the root but God was bringing his axe to the root if they refused to produce good fruit. John was baptizing with water but he told them that someone who was greater than them would come and baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He would burn up all their works to see if anything remained. Jesus came to John to be baptized. John didn’t feel qualified to baptize him but Jesus told him that he had to to fulfill God’s plan. John then agreed to baptize him and when he did he saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descend like a dove and settle on Jesus. A voice from heaven spoke saying, “this is my beloved son, who brings me great joy.” Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted for 40 days first and then he met his adversary. Satan tried to make him turn the stones to bread but he answered with Scripture. “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then Satan took him to the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem and told him to jump because Scripture says that God’s angels would catch him. Jesus responded. “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Lastly, Satan took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and told him he would give them to him if he would just bow to him. Jesus told him to leave because God says to worship him only. The devil left and God sent angels to take care of Jesus. Lord, give us discernment to walk through these days. May we be like Enoch and Noah that chose to walk with You and obey what You say to do.

Sun.’s Devo - The Fall

Read: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9 On the sixth day God created beasts and cattle which are two different Hebrew words. Beast have to do with wild animals which are described as strong and have an appetite. Cattle mean that they are mute beasts and often collective like a group. The serpent fell into the beast category and it is said that he was the most subtile or cunning of the beasts. Satan used him to talk through to the woman and entice her to eat the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He told her that it would make her wise like God and she would know what God knows. She gave it to Adam who was with her at the time. Makes you wonder if he tried to stop her or was waiting to see what would happen to her if she ate it. When nothing visibly happened, he ate it too. Who knows! They were immediately enlightened. They saw that they were naked and were ashamed, so they make clothing out of fig leaves and hid. When God came out to talk with Adam like he did every day at evening time, Adam was hidding because he was afraid of God. Sin does that. It makes us ashamed and afraid that God is mad at us. God got to the truth. Adam ate because of Eve. Eve ate because of the serpent. All were cursed by God. Woman would have pain in child birth and be controlled by their husbands. The serpent would crawl on its belly and be an enemy to the women, but one day she would strike his heel. Adam’s curse was that he would have to work the ground and the ground would not work with him. To keep them from eating from the Tree of Life and being forever in that state of sin, God had to cast them from the garden. He set up mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden to guard the way to the tree of life. Eve became pregnant with two sons. She first delivered Cain. He was from the seed of Satan but Abel was from Adam’s seed. As they grew, Cain worked the ground and Abel took care of sheep. They both offered God an offering and God was pleased with Abel’s and not pleased with Cain’s. Cain gave of his labor but Abel gave a blood offering of the best and first born sheep. He set the standard for all future offerings. Abel was a type of Jesus who offered the perfect sacrifice. It cost both of them their lives. Cain who was a murderer from the beginning, killed Abel and buried his body. God came to confront Cain and he had no remorse. God cursed Cain and banished him from the ground. He sent him to be a homeless wanderer who would never eat the fruit of his labor. Cain and his wife gave birth to Enoch. His fourth generation was Lamech who was a polygamist. Lamech told his wives that he had murdered a man in self-defense. He was afraid that his punishment would be greater than Cain’s. Meanwhile, Adam and Eve had another son to replace Abel. His name was Seth. Seth had a son named Enosh and for the first time, people began to worship the Lord by his name. In Matthew, after the wise men left, Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with his family and stay there until God told him it was safe to return. When Herod realized that the wise men had not come back to tell him where the king was, he was furious. He went on a tirade killing all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under. Herod died and God gave Joseph another dream to tell him it was safe to return. Mary and Joseph came back and settled in Nazareth. John the Baptist began his ministry in the Judea wilderness. He preached repentance and baptized the people in the Jordan River who confessed their sins. He was preparing the people’s hearts to receive Jesus’ ministry and salvation. Lord, may we confess our sins and be cleansed in your river of life. Thank you for another opportunity to walk through your Word and learn about you and your heart.

Sat.’s Devo - New Beginnings

Happy New Year! Every year I ask God for a word that will describe the next year for me and the word for next year was “change.” Not only are we moving from Tulsa to Lexington, Ky. but I feel like everything in our nation and world is changing. Things in the spiritual world are changing also. I see heaven coming down and invading earth in a way that is more tangible than we have ever known possible. I see a Red Sea moment when God is going to show up and do something incredibly miraculous which will begin our exodus from the slavery our nation and world is in to a brand new world. Sounds like a movie but that is exactly as it is playing out. I see God changing members of my family and your family through some really difficult situations. It is through these trials that God is bringing about the change that needs to happen. It is through adversity that we find freedom and deliverance. I see chains that have held people in their ruts being broken and setting them free to run with God and be what he intended them to become. I am very excited about the next year but I am also seeing great challenges for God’s people as his kingdom comes violently. Satan is going to fight this change because he has his own agenda of change that he wants to bring on the world. His change leads to greater bondage and slavery, but God’s kingdom will win. The battle is being played out on earth but it is won in the heavenlies so let’s continue to press in and pray. We surrender to God but never to the devil. Read: Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-6 In the dateless past, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was worthless, full of darkness and empty until God came and hovered over it. The word for “moved” means “shook” as if God shook the earth with his power and it came to life. He spoke and told there to be light and light came. This light was good. Then he divided the light from the darkness. God named the light, day and the darkness, night. The second day God separated the waters of heaven from the waters of the earth. He called the space between them the firmament or the sky. The third day God gathered the waters and called them seas. He called the ground, Earth. God put lights in the sky to govern the day and the night. The greater light was to rule the day and the lesser light was to rule the night. Stars were created also. On the fifth day God filled the waters on the earth with sea creatures and the sky with birds and told them be fruitful and multiply. On the sixth day God created animals and man. Man was created in God’s image and was told to rule over the animals. Man was told to eat the plants and the fruit and to be fruitful and multiply. On the seventh day God rested and set that day apart as holy and blessed. In Chapter Two we have a more detailed account of Adam’s creation and how he was made from dust. God breathed life into man and he became alive. God prepared a beautiful garden for man which had trees and a river that flowed through it. Two of the trees in the middle of the garden were named. One of the was the Tree of Life and the other was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Man was told to eat anything in the garden except the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. God said it would surely kill them if they did. God brought all the animals and birds and told man or Adam to name them. Adam noticed that all the animals had counterparts except him. There was no mate for him. God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took a rib from Adam’s side and made woman. When Adam awoke he was greatly pleased with the woman that God had created for him. In Matthew we are given the family line of Joseph who God chose to be Jesus’ father on earth. He was from the kingly line of David. Joseph was engaged to marry Mary but then found out she was pregnant. An angel came to Joseph and told him not to be afraid to marry her because she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and would bear a son. They were to name him Jesus and she would be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the virgin that would bear a son. He would be Emanuel - God with us. Jesus was born during the reign of Herod. Herod would be visited by wise men who saw Jesus’ star in the sky and knew that a king was born. These wise men would have been taught about this star by Daniel when he was taken to Babylon and placed over the wise men. Herod was told by the wise men where the king was to be born and told them to come back and report to him what they found. The wise men arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesus. They gave Mary and Joseph their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. God warned them in a dream not to go back and tell Herod where the child was. It is amazing how God had to sneak Jesus into the world. He had to put one past Herod and led all the players through dreams. Once again after 200 years, God was talking to his people and they were hearing and obeying. Jesus was coming as the promised Messiah to save them and rescue them from their sins. Lord, thank you for your great plan of creation and salvation. Thank you for grace to walk through 2022 with You in love and victory.