Scripture:

Jeremiah 11:4-5

4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.” ’ ”

When we read that Obedience over Sacrifice, maybe on the surface we don't see it.  Our obedience to His word tells the Lord that we love and trust Him; our obedience becomes worship; it becomes our sacrifice of praise.   It is the picture of having a loving father and not wanting to disappoint Him, so even when He is not around, we keep His wisdom, and we do what He has told us.   Here in today's portion, the Lord reminds His children how He brought them out of great oppression (the iron furnace), telling them, Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God.'   But notice that the blessing of obedience is that we step into His promise of "Abundant Life."

Today our God-Shot is that it is our obedience that leads us into the promises of God; it is our following Christ, doing what He says, that leads us into a life and it more abundantly.  See, when He has your heart, He has your obedience; you walk with Him, you follow His ways because you LOVE Him.   We have in our world made obedience a bad word, but obedience is staying the road that leads to a blessed life and avoiding the things that don't belong in our lives; it is avoiding the pitfalls, because His way is BETTER.

Lord, thank you that your way is better, and when I step into your plan, my life gets better, my world gets better, I get better. Thank you that you desire that I walk in them and reap the full blessing that comes from that. I pray that we will not stray from it to the left or the right in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 8:22

Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

In a time when Judah was so spiritually broken, Jeremiah asks this rhetorical question: "Is there no balm in Gilead?"   Gilead was known for its healing resin, a balm that had great healing properties.  The answer is yes, there is opportunity for restoration, for deliverance, for spiritual healing, but the people were not interested in change, in transformation; it would only be when the pain of staying the same would become greater than the pain of staying the same that they would change, would they cry out.

This is the cry of a merciful God who wants His children to turn, to make the right choices, to repent (change their mind), to be healed, made right, to be near to Him.   That's Grace, that's Mercy, not wanting to give them what they deserve.

Today our God-Shot is to examine the area of our heart, our relationship; is there anything that is out of alignment, that we could apply the balm of Gilead, that we could get right in our lives.  

Lord, it is healthy for us to examine our lives, to look at them circumspectly and ask, what is my heart's proximity to you, Lord?   And then turn, then receive restoration, be set right, step back into the covering of your great care, Lord; keep us near, Lord in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 6:16

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

The Graciousness of God

Even in the midst of a very rebellious time, the Lord is relenting, holding back His wrath (Exodus 45:6). He is slow to anger. He is reminding His children to choose, make the right choice.  In Jeremiah 4:3, He tells them to break up the fallow ground (hard places) in their lives so that His word would get deep into their hearts.    

Good news: The Lord provides a way out; He tells them you're at a "Crossroads," a place of decision, you can choose the right path and it will lead you away from destruction or you can keep letting your desires drag you away, "DECIDE."   

Stand and look: Stop at the crossroads and check your life direction.

Ask for the old paths: Seek the tried and true ways of God from the past.

Walk in it: Follow the right path to get peace and rest for your mind and heart.

The sad reply: The people refused to listen and chose their own road instead

Today the God-Shot is that at the crossroads days in our lives:  We would stand and look, to check our hearts, our life direction, and choose rightly, remembering as the word says, the old paths, meaning the right way, the one that God has made known throughout the ages through His word.  And most importantly, that we would walk in it, that we would not rebel and take the wrong path.

Lord, we thank you that you are gracious, that you have given us a way out, set us at a crossroads, that we would always choose rightly, serve you, walk with you, that we would make our hearts pliable and ready for the saturation of your word in our hearts, that we might walk intently with you and reap the blessings of that journey, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 34:1-2, 18-19

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 

18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes.

Surrendered 

Chronicles says that there was no King like Josiah and none after him that served the Lord as wholeheartedly as he did. 

Surrender is a decision each of us must make; King Josiah surrendered his life to the Lord at a young age and tore down every idol, everything that was not from the Lord.  

In verses 18,19 reveal King Josiah's heart for God.   See, a surrendered life is one where we won't hold anything back. When we discover the things that are out of alignment with the Lord, we don't ignore them; they move our hearts, cause movement in us, and we take action.   King Josiah heard the word of the Lord, knew that they were lost and immediately repented, caused the nation to repent, turn back to the Lord.

Our God-Shot today is that we would always be a people whose hearts are pliable, willing to confess our shortcomings, and surrender our lives over and over to the Lord, allowing God to transform us.   Today the challenge is are you pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly?

Father, I pray for that we would be a people who always are heart checking our lives, and the things that we have strayed from, we set right, that we always realign our lives with your word, that our hearts are set to worship the King of Kings, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Nahum 1:9

Whatever they plot against the Lord
he will bring to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.

Observation:

Strong Dads

When we are young, we feel the strength of our father; if any was a superman, it was Dad; no one could compare to how strong, how smart, how capable he was.   "My Dad is bigger than your Dad."  We would tell our friends.   He was our protector, and that is what we discover today in our portion: God is a Father to us. He sees everything; nothing escapes Him, and when trouble comes into your life, He is not sitting idle by. This verse reminds us that "He will not let it come a second time."   David said the Lord is my Rock (Psalm 18:2), He is my refuge (Psalm 57:1), Proverbs says His name is a strong tower.   This verse reminds us that we can trust that our struggles, our tears, our cries do not go unheard, and that we are not alone in our situation. 

Application:

Our God-Shot is to trust God in the process, when the answer seems long, or that you have been in the waiting for a time, to know that He is at work; He will withhold the walls that would try to crush you (Exodus 14), with you in the fire (Isaiah 43:2), He is your fourth man in the fire (Daniel 3:25).   It is not that evil days won’t happen, struggles won’t occur the promise here is that will deliver us from the hand of the enemy.

Today, no matter what the attack is:

• Financial
• Emotional
• Physical 
• Health
• Emotional

You can know that the Lord is at work and will not let it devour you but is at work to deliver you from it.  Trust Him in the struggle.

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for those who are in it, in the struggle today, that you would not allow the enemy to strike again, that you would withhold the enemy from their lives, strengthen them, be their refuge, shelter in this time, that they would overcome this and it would not RISE up again, in Jesus' name, Amen!