Don't Lose Heart He is With You

Isn't that our go-to, that when trouble strikes it is often our first response, "Oh No! What will I do?" The circumstance often gets our attention, and I guess that is okay as long as that isn't our only response; our second response should be turning to the Lord, seeking Him in prayer, trusting Him for the outcome.   The Lord reminds His children and you and me, "Don't lose heart," don't let the rumors steal your strength, God's not dead, His arm is not short, His strength has not failed, your hope has not left.   Babylon was a fierce people, and their reign was over; God was about to do something that could cause people's ears to wiggle.   That is good news for you and I because it means that when God is going to deal with the enemy, you and I don't need to worry about the threats (rumors) of the enemy; we can stand sure, strong, and rest in Him.

Our God-Shot today is to not lose heart when life throws tough days and circumstances beyond your control; when trouble comes, it is then that we lean into the Lord, trust in His plan, His power, and His ability to handle the situation.  So, if you are in it today, trust Him, don't lose heart.

Lord, I pray for those who are in the battle today, that they would fully trust you and not lose heart, that they would find their strength renewed in you, set in you, that they would find peace amidst the storm, that you would keep them and they would glorify your name, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 50:20

In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
“The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve.

Only He Can Do It

As a guy who has a past, some wreckage that the Lord has brought me out of, I can identify with today's portion.  And if you read the Old Testament, you see how it's like a living roller coaster: the people of God serve Him, and everything goes well; then they turn from Him, and everything goes awry.   It becomes obvious how we struggle with "Sin."   That is why God the Father came up with a plan to redeem you and me from the cycle of sin.   The Bible says that Jesus set us free from the power of sin and death (Romans 8:2)  . You and I are not righteous, but because of Christ we can be; when we accept Christ, we accept His righteousness, His sacrifice atones for our sin.    

Notice that God acknowledges our sin, but pardons them in Christ. 

Listen to His word: “The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;

And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve."

"They shall not be found"

Our God-Shot today is that we have been set free from the power and hold of sin and death; our sins have been pardoned; we are free to live for Christ, in Christ.   Our Past has no more hold on our lives.

Today, if there is something from your past, your old life that the enemy has continually reminded you of, condemning you, release that to the Lord, rest in the assurance that you have been pardoned, set free from it, tell the enemy this is done, it shall not be found.

Lord, I thank you that you are a loving Father, who loves His children, who has always looked for the best in us, who gives us what we don't deserve, thank you that you have done what none of us could accomplish, set us free from the power of sin and death and pardoned us, removed our sin as far as the east is from the west, Lord we praise you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 49:7

For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together

Where is Your Trust

Today is a good lesson; see Moab; they were known for their strong and fierce warriors.   They had a reputation for taking many nations in battle, so here in verse 7 of chapter 49 we see how misplaced trust can be our undoing. They should have put their trust in God, and everything would have been different; see, it is when we become prideful that the word of God says we fall.  It is whenever we take God out of the equation that we become diminished.

Why Moab Fell

• Trust in Wealth: Many people trust in their wealth like Moab, but the truth is one day you have money, the next you don't; one change and everything changes.  Don't put your trust in money.
• Trust in Might: Their strong soldiers made them feel safe from enemies.  Never trust in your own strength, because your strength wanes; it is not infinite like the Lords.
• Trust in Idols: Their false gods could not save them when disaster came.  There is only one who can save us, whom we should trust in the LORD.   

Lessons from Moab

• Pride Goes Before a Fall: Thinking you do not need God leads to weakness.
• Human Strength Fails: Armies and money cannot protect because without God they fail..
• True Security: Real peace comes from trusting God and not worldly power.

Today our God-Shot is to evaluate where we have placed our security and our trust. Have we built foundations that will fail, or are we building our lives on the Rock that is the Lord, who will never fail us, whose strength never wanes, never fails?  Today is a trust check: is it my job, my finances, or is it the Lord that my security is found?   

Father, I pray that today, as we ask the question, where does my help come from that we would always answer like David, my help comes from the Lord; my trust is in you, my peace is in you, Lord.   Lord, keep us near, our hearts fully committed to you and your ways in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

2 Kings 25:27-29

27  In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.

A Seat at the Table

Today is a wow day.   As you read the text, you have to understand that Jehoiachin was a guy who repeated the mistakes of his father and did evil in the sight of the Lord, turned away from God, and because of it spent 37 years in prison.   But here, after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, King Awel-Marduk becomes king, and he releases him from prison, speaks kindly to him, and gives him a seat at the table- not only a seat, but one of honor even higher than those at the table.    Isn't this the picture of the Gospel, isn't it our story in some measure?

Listen to the word:

• Set Free
• Spoke Kind Words Over
• A Place Forever at the King's Table

Application:

Our God-Shot today:

This is our story: we were enemies of God, deserving of punishment, but God in His great mercy sent His Son to die for you and I and because He did, we can be free from our prison through Him. Because of His grace and mercy, we have a seat at the table; He speaks kindly over us, not harshly, nor does He deal with us that way.   It is not because we are good, or we have earned our way; it is because of His sacrifice, His GRACE we have a seat at the table.

Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation. In your power, you redeemed me from the pit, through your Son Jesus Christ, and I have been set free from the bonds of sin and death.    Thank you for the grace giving me what I don't deserve (kindness), and not giving me what I do deserve. I praise you as I read today's portion in Jesus' name, Amen! 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 38:8-10

8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

Jeremiah 1:19

 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Not Overcome

I was reminded of this truth recently: many of the strongest people have scars, and often people celebrate their strength, but they have no idea of the depth of the things that got them to that place of strength- the trials, the hurt, the brokenness.   I often tell people it is the things that I have been through that have made me who I am today.    And when I look back, I can see that I was not alone, that the Lord had been with me, pursuing me, helping me, strengthening me, redeeming me.   

Today in our portion we are reminded of something  that the Lord told Jeremiah in the beginning of his journey: "They will fight against you."   This is a reminder, maybe even a warning that the Christian life is going to be full of battles, personal ones, public ones, there is an enemy who never rests, who is always seeking to kill, steal and destroy God's people.   But... the good news is the story doesn't end there, because the Lord says "but will not overcome you."   That is a promise you and I can cling to, even greater is the promise that He gave Jeremiah, "for I am with you and will rescue you."   God is with us, He is battling on our behalf and He will rescue us.

Today our God-Shot is from Jeremiah 1:19.   This is for everyone who is walking with the Lord, pursuing the things of the Kingdom.

• There is a battle to be won      (The enemy will fight against you and the plans of God)
• A Victory to be Had  (He will rescue us from the hand of the enemy and he will not prevail)
• A Plan to Walk Out (The Lord has created each of us with purpose and because He is with us we will be able to walk it out.)

Father I pray for those who are still in the battle, maybe they are in their own cistern today, I pray that you would send help, redeem them from their situation, be with them, do not let the enemy prevail, we stand on this, I pray in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen!