Mornings With Jesus: Recent Episodes
Joshua Scott Zeitz
This podcast is all about providing you with encouragement from the Word of God, meant to inspire, motivate, and challenge your daily walk with the Lord!
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the Show.
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the Show.
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the Show.
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the Show.
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the Show.
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Support the show
We can be as close to God as we want to be!
The Lord desires for us to walk in intimacy with Him.
The way we do this is by building a relationship with Him, and relationships go both ways - we must learn to trust Him and get to know Him, and He must learn to trust us and get to know us!
If we will do this, seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him, and we will no longer see Him as an out-of-touch "Man Upstairs," but rather a loving, intimate, Heavenly Father!
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
Support the show
In a world gone crazy, it is imperative that we delve into the Word of God like never before. When/If we will do this, not only will our life be blessed, but we will be in a place to be able to encourage others. The more Word we have and consume, the closer to Jesus we are and the closer we are to Him, the more like Him we become.
Take the challenge today and let this mind be in you: More Word, Less Me.
If you would like to support the podcast please click below and as always, I covet your prayers!
Until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
Burn in Me
“If I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak His name anymore,” Then my heart becomes a burning fire Shut up in my bones. And I am weary of enduring and holding it in; I cannot endure it [nor contain it any longer].”
(Jeremiah 20:9) AMP
We live in uncertain times.
We live in a time when evil is increasingly being called good, and good is being called evil.
We live in a time when it is imperative that we cling to the Word like never before!
We live in a time when the temptaion to walk away, to give up on God, on life, on people, on ourselves, on hope, is extremely rampant.
We live in a body and possess a soul that is continually warring against our spirit and the Word of God!
Like Paul, we must choose to die daily!
I want to encourage you fellow saints, to stand strong! Don’t give up! Don’t give in! You are not alone!
We all struggle with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, shame, pride, jealousy, hurt, loss…
We struggle with sin.
Be encouraged today!
The Word is alive and it works!
Let it burn in you today and be encouraged!
Joshua Scott Zeitz (Fellow Fighter of the Good Fight of Faith!!!)
‘Burn In Me’
joshuascottzeitz
Fire burn in me,
burn what I can’t see.
I wanna be like Jesus,
I wanna be…
free.
Free to fly,
and free to move.
Free to live,
and free to choose.
A slave to sin no longer,
captive to the Hope, that He provides!
War is raging!
Spirit/Soul collides!
I wanna be like Jesus
But am I ready…
to die?
Die to self,
and die to lies?
Die to lust,
and die to pride?
Fire burn in me!
Burn what I can’t see!
I wanna be like Jesus!
I wanna be…
clean!
Pure in heart,
and free from greed.
Pure in word,
and pure in deed.
Fire burn in me,
burn what I can’t see!
Let the fire of the Word burn in me!
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
It is my honor to go through "Mornings with Jesus" Book 2 with you!
It is my hope that you will grow in intimacy with the Lord and be challenged along the way!
Thank you so much for joining me,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Note: If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Support the show
It is my honor to go through "Mornings with Jesus" Book 2 with you!
It is my hope that you will grow in intimacy with the Lord and be challenged along the way!
Thank you so much for joining me,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Note: If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
The Lord longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you!
You can be as close to Him, as you want to be!
The good news is this: He is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Be encouraged today, and seek Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will find Him.
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support & if you need prayer, please reach out to me: kdzjoshua@gmail.com
- Joshua Scott Zeitz
"What you make happpen for others, God will make happen for you!"
Support the show
You Matter
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
Today is all about encouragement!
Listen, this world will leave you feeling empty and valueless, like nothing you do truly matters.
Can I tell you some great news?! You matter!
You are so valuable in God’s eyes!
The Bible says that God SO loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, for you!
You matter!
We aren’t pawns in the playground of an uncaring, un-empathetic, God...we are valuable! So valuable in fact, that Jesus shed His precious blood to buy us back!!!
Again, Listen! You Matter!
I heard a pastor say one time, that many people unfortunately are raised to think they haven’t had church unless they leave feeling bad about themselves!
God isn’t about shaming you and me, He is about covering you and I with His grace, mercy, and love!
Granted there will be times when it feels like our toes are being stepped on, like we are having a light shone on our insecurities and faults, but remember, Whatever God reveals, He heals!
You matter!
Why do we need to know this simple, but powerful truth? Because when we realize how much we are loved, it causes us to want to love others, to want to do that which is right!
The Bible says we love because He first loved us!
Today I just want you to know that you matter!
God cares about the big and the small in our lives!
The more we realize that, the more we will make a lasting impact in the Kingdom!
The more we realize that our values, our lives, are hidden in Christ, the less we will allow what others say about us, to define us!
Be encouraged today! Walk with Jesus! Take His hand and allow Him to show you that you matter!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Fight in You!
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
“Hear my cry, O God; Attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, When my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”
(Psalm 61:1-3) KJV
I know that life’s been pulling,
I know that life’s been hard.
I know you don’t yet see it,
but you have come so far!
Don’t give up the fight!
Don’t give up the fight,
no never lose sight,
of the Hope that is guiding you!
He put the fight in you!
The answer is YES!
He does delight in you!
He does reside in you!
Lift up your head from the valley,
YOU’RE COMING THROUGH!
Greater is He that’s inside of you!!!
Fear’s taking flight from the Light that is bright in you!
The Word is alive, and it’s quick, and it’s shining through!
Healing the hurt, and the pain, and the shame that’s been blinding you!
My God is Good, and His Grace has been hiding you!
His Love never fails, and His mercies are Tried and True!
You can trust in His wings!
They’ll put the flight in you!
Lift up your eyes,
open your heart,
He’s inviting you!
I pray that this spark
will ignite in you!
Don’t give up the fight!
Let Hope abide in you!
Let Jesus abide in You!
He put the fight in you!
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
What would happen if we traded a little earth for a little more heaven, a little more temporal for a little more eternal?
Oftentimes, a simple change of perspective can help us get out of any funk we are in. It can also help us be thankful for what we have, instead of be so focused on what we don't.
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, click below!
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
Peace Like A River
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
In Acts 6:8-7:60, we find the story of Stephen. He was chosen by the disciples to be one of seven to serve on their behalf in the ministry. The Bible describes him as a man full of faith and power, who did great signs and wonders among the people!
Can I tell you what that equates to? He was full of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit!
He was so full of the Word, that the religious people, who tried to catch him up in various arguments, being jealous of him, were not able ever to stand against him. The Holy Spirit gave him the words to speak in every situation.
Because of this, because they were not able to stand against him in words, they resorted to spreading malicious lies about Stephen. I love Stephen’s response!
He was brought before the High Priest to answer for his supposed crimes of blasphemy which the religious peoples had been spreading in secret, behind his back.
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gives an entire rundown of the law and the prophets, from Abraham to Moses to David and up to Jesus, telling the religious leaders in no uncertain terms that it was they who had continually come against God by worshiping other gods and seeking to harm the prophets over the years whom God sent to point toward the coming Christ!
The religious leaders were pricked in their hearts to the point that now they resorted to violence. They dragged Stephen out into the street and began stoning him.
Again, I love Stephen’s response! The Bible says, “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Wow, now that is peace! That kind of peace can only come about by an intimate walk with Jesus, by being full of the Word and the Holy Spirit!
I want you to notice the progression of the evil that came against Stephen, and yet no matter what, he kept his mind stayed on the Lord and on His Word, to the point of being put to death even for the sake of the gospel! And even in his final moments on the earth, he was able to forgive the very ones killing him, just like Jesus did!
What an awesome man of God and what an awesome God we serve who supplies us with such peace like a river!
Today, whatever you are facing, please know that Jesus offers us a peace that passes all understanding! He offers us His peace, not as the world gives, but as He gives!
The world lies and cheats, they say one thing and do another, but Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! You can put all your trust in Him!
So even if we are faced with what we perceive as the worst thing ever, we can have peace like Stephen, if we will just keep our minds stayed on the One who provides peace like a river!
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
“Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 AMP
Purpose over popular...this certainly isn't a "popular" message, but it's the life-changing truth that brings us into the real abundant life that Jesus died to give us!
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
“but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
(1 Corinthians 1:27-29) KJV
What a mighty God we serve! He allows us to play a part in His plan and it never ceases to amaze me how God can take the weak and base things of the world and confound the wise.
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
Paul, David, Job, and so many others within the Bible, knew what it was like to come to the end of themselves, to taste the bitterness of self-righteousness, of self-reliance, of self-worth in and of itself, and each of these men and so many like them, both men and women, came to realize that without Christ, they were nothing!
The older in the Lord that I get, (not old for old’s sake) the more I am coming to realize that without Him, I am nothing!
Before Jesus, I was an absolute mess, a train wreck, a sinful and wicked individual who not only practiced wicked things but loved them!
I am born-again! I am a new creature! The things that used to appeal to me, the things that I used to derive pleasure and meaning from, are garbage to me now! BUT I still need Him, every hour, every moment, I need Him!
Be encouraged today!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
God knows the end from the beginning and yet He isn't holding things over our heads, waiting to bring down the gauntlet at the first sight of trouble.
No, He is a good good Father and He so desires to have a personal, intimate relationship with each of us.
No matter what you are facing today, Jesus is your Defender!
He knew Peter would deny Him, but He prayed for Him anyhow.
Be encouraged today!
You may not be where you want to be, but thank God you aren't where you used to be!
If you would like to support the podcast, please click below.
Thanks so much for your support and prayers,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Support the show
Run to Him!
When we learn to run to God, instead of from Him in times of trouble and in times of celebration, we are on track to building a solid relationship with Him.
He is an ever-present help in times of trouble!
If you would like to show your support, click below,
Thanks so much,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
~Romans 12:2 (KJV)
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
~II Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)
“Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things
above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth
[which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world],
and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.”
~Colossians 3:2-3 (AMP)
As born-again believers, we have been redeemed from the curse
that still resides on this world.
That’s awesome news! However, the enemy wants to keep us
bound to our past mistakes, our past sins, and our past selves. The
way to overcome this is by renewing our minds to the Word of
God!
I am a new creation! “Old things have passed away, behold
all things have become new!” ~II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after
the spirit!” ~Romans 8:1 (KJV)
When we speak the Word of God, it releases the power of God
in our lives! It reminds the enemy that we are no longer his. It
reminds us that we have been made new. It reminds the world that
we are different!
Simply speaking the Word, however, is not enough, we must
allow it to wash over us to the point that we don’t simply speak it
from rote memorization, but from a place of faith, of trust, of
knowing that we know that it works and that it is our sword!
Listen, the Bible is alive! It works. It is spirit and it is truth. It has
the power to change us from the inside out, to bring us into a
deeper, more intimate walk with the Lord. It has the power to mold
us into a force to be reckoned with!
When we are full of the Word of God, we have the power to cast
down wicked imaginations and everything that would dare exalt
itself against the knowledge of God!
We live in a world that is anti-Christ, anti-Bible, and anti-Jesus,
but can I tell you some more great news?! That doesn’t have to
faze us when our hope is not in what we can see but what we can’t
see! The Bible allows us to see the unseen, to have an eternal
perspective, to see as God sees, to love as God loves, and to hate as
God hates!
With the Bible as our sole guide, we can know Him more, and
we can become more like Him!
Be encouraged today, no matter what you are facing right now.
The Bible has the answers! Jesus is the answer!
The Bible says, “For in Him we live and move and exist
[that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of
your own poets have said, „For we also are His children.‟”
~Acts 17:28 (AMP)
In Him we are more than conquerors! In Him we are victorious!
In Him we have peace and joy!
He is for you!
God is Good!
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the
man that trusteth in him.” ~Psalms 34:8 (KJV)
Getting to know the Lord is one of the most awesome things!
The ―Good News‖ is this: We can get as close to God as we
want!
He designed it that way. He is not some uncaring, unfeeling,
tyrant in the air.
“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to
sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations,
but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to
be human] in every respect as we are, yet withou t [committing
any] sin. Therefore, let us [with privilege] approach the throne
of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with
confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy
[for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of
need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”
~Hebrews 4:15-16 (AMP)
Learning to trust God will elevate our walk with Him in a
magnificent way. Knowing that He cares for us, that He wants the
best for us, that He desires to see us grow, prosper, and thrive, this
will cause us to want to serve Him, to want to tell others about Him!
Suddenly, life becomes a ―get to‖ and not a ―have to.‖
Listen, the Bible is our number one way to get to know Him
more. The more we not only read it, but adhere to it, obey it,
cherish it, desire it, the more we will see Jesus portrayed throughout
it and we will find that God has been there all along calling people
to Himself!
Calling us to Himself!
He is a good God!
I cannot stress this enough, because until we realize He is for us
and not against us, we are going to have a difficult time fully trusting
Him, fully surrendering to Him.
Today, I want to encourage you to think about all the things He
has done for you, in you, and through you! Write them down.
On our journey to know Him more, it’s imperative that we learn
to trust Him, trust His Word, and realize He is good—all the time.
Pure Heart, Pure Mind
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. ”
~Matthew 5:8 (KJV)
Ever heard someone say something like this ―You know, God
works in mysterious ways!‖
While this may sound good, it isn’t entirely true. Why? We serve
a God who wants us to be as close to Him as we can be! We serve a
God who longs to give us the inside scoop! Why? Because He loves
us!
All throughout the Old Testament, Christ can be seen. All
throughout the Old Testament, the Bible points to the coming
Christ, how He would suffer, die, and redeem us back to God.
Then, when Jesus showed up, He pointed to the same thing; how
He would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead, and how He
would ascend to Heaven, send the Holy Spirit, and so forth.
All throughout the scriptures, we find God wanting to let
mankind in on His plan, but we also find that oftentimes people
can’t see it, can’t perceive it. Why? Because they are blind to it,
focusing on other things instead.
Today I want to encourage you! I want you and me to see just
how good God is and how much He so desires to let us in on His
inner workings!
Check out these awesome passages:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that
God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is
in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God.
For who knoweth the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. ”
~I Corinthians 2:9-12 & 16 (KJV)
I would encourage you to read the entirety of this passage a few
times over!
Listen, God isn’t the ―old man upstairs,‖ or some uncaring entity
out of touch with His creation! He is a good God, and He wants to
fellowship with us, letting us in on His plans on the earth! In fact,
many of His overall big-picture plans, He has already revealed to us
in the scriptures.
As for everyday life, He longs for us to walk with Him and talk
with Him! He wants us on the inside!
How do we do this?
Simply put, by having a pure heart.
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By
taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole
heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy
commandments.” ~Psalm 119:9-10 (KJV)
When we seek the Lord with all our hearts, we will find Him.
When we intentionally put Him first in our day, in our week, in our
home, in our business, in our everyday life, He will show up in a
mighty way, giving us insight that we never thought possible!
He will enable us to see and do things that we never thought
possible. We will be privy to His plans, His ways, and we will do
mighty things for Him and through Him!
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted
loss for Christ.” ~Philippians 3:7 (NKJV)
We are living in some crazy times! Do you realize the Apostle
Paul was living during some crazy times as well? Do you realize that
ever since sin entered the world, crazy times have been prevalent?
Sin always brings death. Death always means separation,
separation from a loving Father. Therefore, wherever sin is allowed
to run rampant, so too, darkness is going to run rampant.
To try to counteract the effects of sin in any way other than with
the Word is futile. This is why it is so important that we as
Christians delve into the Word in these last days like never before!
We are living in a time of gross darkness and the only thing to
dispel it is the Word!
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.” ~Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
The apostle Paul was an awesome man of God, but he knew that
without Christ, he was lost!
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but
this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)
Listen, when life kicks our bucket, whatever’s on the inside, in
abundance, is going to spill out!
What do you want to spill out, you or the Word? I say we rise up
a standard in these last days and allow the Word to come out!
Why is this so important?
“But if our gospel he hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. ”
~II Corinthians 4:3-4 (KJV)
The enemy is working overtime to keep his followers blinded to
the Truth, to the Light!
There is no reasoning with sin. There is no reasoning with death.
There is no reasoning with darkness. There is One answer and One
alone: His name is Jesus!
It is imperative that we not only allow Him to have the throne of
our hearts always, but that we fill up on Him every day! There is a
real devil out there. He is a defeated foe. He is a conquered foe. But
he will still, as I once heard a pastor say, ―Eat your lunch and pop
the bag,‖ if we let him.
Let’s not let him! Let’s be full of the Word! Not only for
ourselves, but for a world that is lost, hurting, and blind! They need
Jesus, not vain philosophy. They need Jesus, not vain initiatives.
They need Jesus, not temporary fixes. They need Jesus, not
one-liners, memes, or gifs.
What do you say, fellow soul winner? Let this be our motto in
these last days, ―More Word, Less Me!‖
Have you ever had a toothache or some other great physical
pain?
At the moment, it feels like the most excruciating thing ever,
with no end in sight!
But eventually the pain subsides, and the memory of that pain
fades into oblivion.
The Bible says our life is but a vapor, here today and gone
tomorrow.
In short, life goes by so fast!
Taking advantage of the time we have, redeeming that time,
making the most of it, is so very important.
Recently, I was at an event where I was surrounded by amazing
friends & awesome food. It was a birthday party for the ages! After
getting home from the party, I told my wife, ―This is the kind of
party you wish you could just do all over again - the type of party
that doesn’t happen very often!‖
There will come a time when all we will have left is what we have
given away, what we have purposefully sowed into the people
around us.
The older I get, the more I have come to realize how much
relationships matter. People matter!
God designed it that way! We weren’t created to be alone or
isolated. We were designed to interact with one another, to connect,
to reach out, to be givers, to be like God!
It’s in this place of intimacy with the Lord where we can truly
flourish and shine bright!
Listen, toothaches are horrible, but the pain will fade. Birthday
parties are great, but they, too, end.
However, relationships can last a lifetime and the things we do
and say within those relationships can have an eternal impact!
Be thankful for the friends you have! The people in your life that
love you and truly care for you!
It can be so easy and tempting to focus only on what you don’t
have and miss all the wonderful blessings you do!
Be encouraged today. Birthday parties and toothaches produce
very different results, but both are just temporary. But the things we
do with and for the Lord, for others, will last for eternity!
“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him
that sent me, and to finish his work. ” ~John 4:34 (KJV)
It’s good to return to the basics, especially in our walk with the
Lord.
Oftentimes as Christians, we tend to want ―deep‖ things,
emotionally moving things. We want to ―feel‖ God moving all
around us.
Listen, God never changes!
That’s awesome news! We may not always feel Him or even
sense His presence, but He never changes.
How do we know that? The Bible tells me so!
In John 4, we find the disciples coming back from a food run in
a neighboring town, and they are surprised to find Jesus speaking
with a Samaritan woman. They are also surprised when they ask
Jesus if He has eaten already, because He tells them His food is to
do the will of the Father.
Looking only through their natural eyes, they didn’t understand
the awesome thing that had just occurred between Jesus and the
woman, nor did they realize the revival that was about to hit her
entire town.
Listen, the Bible keeps us grounded. It keeps us smack dab in the
will of God for our lives! It keeps us living with an eternal
perspective. It keeps us in a position to be able to minister to others,
to share the gospel with them.
The disciples missed an awesome opportunity to experience a mighty move of God simply because they didn’t understand that we are what we eat.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that man does not live on
bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth of
God!
Sure, the disciples got to experience the revival because of Jesus
and what He did, but wouldn’t it be nice if we were the ones to
initiate the moves of God in people’s lives? Wouldn’t it be nice to
realize that Jesus said “Greater things than these shall you do,
because I go to the Father ”?
As born-again believers, we have the authority and power on the
inside to do mighty things in Jesus’ name!
“If I say, “I will not remember Him or speak His name
anymore,” Then my heart becomes a burning fire Shut up in my
bones. And I am weary of enduring and holding it in; I cannot
endure it [nor contain it any longer].” ~Jeremiah 20:9 (AMP)
We live in uncertain times.
We live in a time when evil is increasingly being called good, and
good is being called evil.
We live in a time when it is imperative that we cling to the Word
like never before!
We live in a time when the temptation to walk away, to give up
on God, on life, on people, on ourselves, on hope, is extremely ram-
pant.
We live in a body and possess a soul that is continually warring
against our spirit and the Word of God and, like Paul; we must
choose to die daily.
I want to encourage you, fellow saints, to stand strong! Don’t
give up! Don’t give in! You are not alone!
We all struggle with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, shame, pride,
jealousy, hurt, loss...
We struggle with sin.
Be encouraged today! The Word is alive, and it works! Let it burn
in you today and be encouraged.
Today is simply an encouragement - Don’t give up! Keep
fighting the good fight of faith! No matter what things look like in the natural, God is on your side. If you are a born-again, Jesus
follower, the very gates of Hell cannot stand against you!
Keep letting your light shine!
Let this be your heart’s cry today: ―Father, let your holy Word
burn in me today! Teach me to love the things you love and hate the
things you hate.‖
“Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. ”
~I Corinthians 11:1 (AMP)
Something we enjoy doing as a family is playing video games,
specifically, platforming games, which involve much jumping, quick
thinking, and memorization.
Some of the levels get quite difficult because they require you to
memorize where certain things are.
One wrong move and it is game over.
One of the best ways to get past these levels is by watching each
other play, paying close attention to where to jump, when to jump, and
when and where not to.
I love Jesus!
In our walk with Him, He places people in our lives that we can
follow. If we are careful to pay attention to what they do, how they
handle certain situations, the habits they hold, and so forth, it will
greatly help us, providing special insight into certain situations, and
allowing us to gain victory in areas simply because we know what to
do and what not to do.
These people serve as God-given shortcuts!
The Bible serves as a major God-given shortcut. It is chock full
of people that have done both good and evil things from which we
can garner much wisdom, knowing what to do, and what not to do.
Listen, it’s important to realize, however, that God-given
shortcuts never involve compromise.
If the people in our lives are not emulating Jesus, we don’t need
to and shouldn’t follow them.
However, be thankful for the ones who are!
Be encouraged today! Take an assessment of the people in your
life right now. Who are the ones who are perhaps further ahead in
an area that you are struggling in? What can you learn from them?
Don’t worry; a close walk with Jesus will keep us away from
compromise.
We are not on this journey alone. We are the Body of Christ.
Who can you learn from today?
https://www.amazon.com/Mornings-Jesus-Journey-Jesus-S-K/dp/B0BZFDJBW7/ref=sr_1_5?crid=C79NZK12Q5XD&keywords=joshua+scott+zeitz&qid=1680483767&sprefix=joshua+s%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-5
‘Tuck Me In!’
(A dedication from the author to his mother, his Madre,
Jo Annette Lopez)
Several years ago, when I was a child, my mom used to come
into our room just before bed to tuck us, boys, in. There were
three of us.
We were adopted.
First, my older brother, then my younger brother and me two
years later.
Upon adopting us, it took some time for me to warm up to my
mom.
I carried way too much baggage from past trauma into this new
family.
But our parents loved us anyhow!
My mom would tell us all about Jesus, about the Bible, about
various issues and topics she felt were important.
She did this faithfully each night.
At the time, I didn’t appreciate it the way I should have.
Although I did get used to her doing it!
One night in particular, she came into the room like normal,
but I had already fallen asleep.
I awoke an hour or so later in a frantic state of confusion!
I hopped off the top bunk and ran into her room.
―You forgot to tuck me! Why didn’t you tuck me in?‖
6
I was crying by now and quite hurt thinking that she had forgotten
her nightly routine.
She hadn’t, however, and she escorted me back to my room and
graciously spent some time with me.
You see, up to this point, it was difficult between my mom and
me.
I had so much pent-up anger and emotions toward women from
my past and much of this caused my trust in her to come quite
slowly.
Our biological mom left us and never came back. We were placed
in the state’s foster care system.
One of the older girls, in the foster care system herself, sexually
abused me.
Needless to say, I had a lot of apprehension about women and
girls and therefore it took quite some time for me to warm up to my
new mom.
I called her by her first name for a while before finally calling her
mom.
Years later, during a heavily rebellious stage I walked through, I
reverted back to calling her by her name only and even added some
other far more derogatory statements!
I was a mess of a person and, sadly, I took out much of my anger
on her!
She was so gracious, however, and persistent!
She never backed down and no matter how many times I would
push against her, she would continually love on me, telling me about
Jesus, about the Bible, and about issues and topics she felt were
important.
She was a true woman of God!
7
I miss the times she used to come in and tuck us, boys, in.
Recently, this past Thanksgiving, she went home to be with the
Lord...
I had the honor of standing by her bedside with many other family
members as she took her final breaths.
She opened her eyes wide in her last moments as if she saw
something spectacular!
I believe she did.
I believe she saw Jesus!
I like to think that I was able to tuck her in one final time before
she drifted off to her eternal rest.
What an awesome woman of God she was! I am very thankful she
was so faithful, persistent, loving, and gracious towards me for all
those years.
More than 20 years ago, I was radically transformed in a jail cell,
and soon afterward our relationship was restored!
In recent years, I have taken to calling her Madre.
The last time we spoke in person, she met my family and me to
pick up some copies of the first devotional I wrote.
She just wanted to show her love and support and give some
copies out to some people she knew.
She was always doing that, encouraging me!
The last text message I received from her was her telling me how
proud she was of me for sharing the gospel on mission trips.
Even later in life, she never forgo
‘With Me’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
You’re with me in the fire
You’re with me in the storm
You’re with me in the valley
I couldn’t ask for more
I lift my hands in worship
I raise my hands in praise
Standing on Your promise
Healed in Jesus’ name!
You’re with me when I’m sleeping
You’re with me every day
You’re with me when it’s sunny
You’re with me when it’s grey
I bow my heart to You Lord
I trust in all Your ways
Acknowledging Your goodness
So thankful for Your grace
You’re with me when I’m serving
You’re with me when I’m not
You’re with me when I’m seeking
You’re with me when I stop
A God of second chances
A God who never sleeps
A God who never changes
A God who doesn’t cease
You’re with me when I’m young
You’re with me when I’m old
You’re with me when I’m full of strength
You’re with me when I’m cold
You’re with me when it’s dark
A fortress and my beacon
Through every step of life
Through every stage and season
You’re with me…
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Psalms 61:2 NKJV
You Have Strength in Jesus
By Josiah Zeitz
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.”
Psalms 27:1-2 NKJV
Do you ever see someone really strong do something that you feel like you could never do?
it feels like that in our Christian lives sometimes,
we see a strong Christian doing these amazing things while we’re over here messing up all the time.
Do you ever feel weak in your walk with Jesus?
if so, be encouraged!
you can change that! How do we do this? By growing with God, seeking Him and His word daily.
Now you may be saying to yourself “But I already do this and I still feel weak”
be encouraged again!
it says in Joel 3:10 “Let the weak say they are strong” and in Phillipians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”
God will give you strength in tough times! But He won’t give it to someone who does not want it.
As Christians we have to let God help us we can’t try to do everything on our own
I have done this many times, something bad happens, and I try to fix it all by myself and of course, I fail because I’m weak by myself.
But when I let God help me by asking Him to show me what to do and to work through me things go a lot better.
Be encouraged today you’re not alone!
all of us struggle BUT God is here to give us strength
we just have to let him help us!
Do you want strength? Do you want to be freed from whatever you’re going through? Then start today by asking Jesus to help you and to guide you.
He will
“Trust in the Lord with all you heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!”
(Proverbs 3:5,6)
You are not lost!
By Josiah Zeitz
Do you ever feel as if you’ve been left alone to face the cruel world all by yourself?
I surely have!
but it’s just not true, it says in Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
This is a beautiful scripture because so many of us feel like we’re alone and feel lost I felt this way for 2 years of my life just going through the motions of church and checking off my lists of what “holy” things I had to do that day so I could get my parents happy but inside I felt so lost because I had turned away from the only person who would find me and help me
that person is Jesus!
Do you feel lost today? do you feel like you’re lonely? well be encouraged today your not! God is there knocking at your door just wanting you to let Him in He won’t take control of your life and make you follow Him you have to be the one to let Him in will you do it? trust me it’s worth it! He will find you wherever you are and he will show you the way he will be your light your refuge your fortress!
Don’t think that this god was just reserved for the Psalmist the same God This Psalmist talked about is the same God we serve today He has never and will never change He is the ultimate help in times of need He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is there no matter what
No matter how many times you feel lost he is there to guide you no matter how many times you feel lonely he is there to be your friend in a time of need
now this does not mean we should use him as a backup plan when our lives falls apart we need to keep a current relationship with Him which means to seek him and his word daily to worship him to simply just talk to Him!
It’s that simple it may not be easy and it will take time but the outcome will change your life drastically just like it changed mine!
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and
not to men,” ~Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)
Jesus was the greatest example of being a servant. It says in John
13:5 (NKJV); “After that, He poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples‟ feet, and to wipe them with the
towel...”
Wow! Jesus washed His disciple’s dirty feet! THAT is being a
true servant.
God Himself came to serve not to be served, and it says in John
13:15 (NKJV); “For I have given you an example, that you
should do as I have done to you.”
Jesus always put others before Himself. He never sought the spotlight.
He gave us an awesome example to follow, and the good news is He gives us the power to be like Him!
In Christ,
Isaiah Joshua Zeitz
‘God’s Love’
By Moriah Rachel Zeitz
We serve an amazing God!
The Bible says, “His mercies are new every morning!” (See Lamentations 3:22,23)
But even greater than that (and that’s pretty great) is his love for us.
It says in John 3:16, “For God so the loved world that he gave His only begotten Son.”
God loved you so much that he came to earth to live and die as a lowly human, so we wouldn’t have to be separated from him anymore.
How amazing is that!
It says in Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.”
Even in the midst of his suffering, Jesus had such great love for you, for we were the joy set before him!
To him, all his pain and agony, not only in his death, but his life on earth as well,
Was worth it, just to be able to have a relationship with you.
(Wow that blows my mind!)
God’s greatest desire is to have your love! (To have a relationship with you!)
Think about that, God, I mean God himself, the One who created all of life in six days, who showed His marvelous wonders in Egypt and parted the Red Sea, the same God that came to earth as a human and was born of a virgin, who made the deaf to hear, lame to walk, blind to see, and dumb to speak!
The same God who did so many wonders that it says in
John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
That same God’s greatest desire is to simply have your love.
Isn’t that awesome!!
I mean who does that!?
Nobody but our God.
For God does not simply love, He is love.
His love for you is so great that we aren’t even able (with our tiny human minds) to comprehend the amount of love he has for us!
God loves you so much, and He can’t wait for you to wake up in the morning and talk to Him. He can’t wait for you to obey Him, so He can bless you beyond measure.
If He loves you that much, then we should love Him back with all that we have.
Even though our love is but dust in comparison to His, in His eyes, it means all of the world!
Be encouraged today!
We don’t need to live this life alone. We have a God who desperately wants our attention and love.
The Bible says in Joshua that God is a jealous God.
He wants to be the center of your attention, and He wants to be in constant fellowship with His children!
So, let’s start today, taking time out of our lives to spend a little more time with Jesus.
‘The Foolishness of the Gospel’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
Whether you are an avid superhero movie watcher or not, perhaps you have seen one or else heard of a superhero.
When thinking of a superhero, what comes to mind?
Super strength? Super speed? Super intellect? Super flying ability?
The list of super is vast and wide, but there is a common theme at play, the superhero in question is able to do one or a number of things exceptionally well, super even!
With this in mind, I want us to take a trip over to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 and 19, and see the stark difference between the super we mentioned above and the super of the Bible.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Listen, Jesus was and certainly is better than any superhero. However, He didn’t come to display His prowess or any amazing feat or ability really, although He could have.
The Bible says in John 1 that all things were made by Him and for Him…
In other words, He is God and He created everything!
Think about that for a moment.
In the book of Genesis, God looked out at the vast emptiness about Him, spoke, and said let there be light, and there was!
He formed you and me from the dust of the ground!
The complexities of the human body, the brain, the eye, the organs, He created all these things!
He is more than super, He is majestic.
However, He came not to be served, but rather to serve.
He came not to show off, but rather to show honor to His Heavenly Father!
The disciples were looking for a superhero, and what they got was a servant.
More than that, what they got was an example of how God wants each one of us to live, like Jesus, daily dying, willing to lay down our lives for others.
This is our reasonable service!
Then with this, He gave us a gift, the gospel message!
It’s beyond super as well, but not in terms that we may think are super at first glance.
There is no signing people up to take on evil with swords and shields.
There is no avenger squad or justice league.
There is no vanquishing evil in the dead of night or flying about with laser vision.
It’s just a message.
A simple but powerful message of hope and healing and a cross.
Jesus died on that cross. He bled and suffered.
Three days later, He was raised from the dead.
And the Bible says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The qualifications aren’t possessing any sort of superhuman ability, no great acts of valor are needed.
God’s call remains to the whosoever!
He calls us, saves us, and equips us.
He does all the work, while we simply receive and spread His message!
What an awesome message it is, but the Bible is clear, it’s the foolishness of the cross that possesses the power to save.
And to Him be all the glory, power, and praise!
Lesson 8 – Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Everything we have learned up to this point has brought us to this place.
But also, we must keep in mind that everything we have been learning is completely and totally contrary to the way this world and the enemy operate! Therefore, we should expect to be persecuted, and depending on our platform, the location of our platform, the extent of our platform, etc. this will oftentimes determine the level and extent of persecution we receive, but we needn’t shirk from this nor seek it out, but rather get busy doing the things the Lord has for us and trust that He is with us in the fire!
We can rejoice when we are persecuted, without lashing out or seeking revenge because this just showcases further that the things we have been talking about, and living are real!
This is why again it is imperative that we grow, grow, grow, with the Lord, before we begin any sort of public ministry, even Jesus did, growing in wisdom and stature before God and man before taking up His public venue.
And all the while, He would get away alone with the Father to build relationships and gain strength and insight!
Listen, when the storms of life come and the devil kicks our bucket, whatever is on the inside in abundance is going to spill out!
Let’s let it be the Word, Let’s let it be Jesus!
If we are properly prepared and ready, we don’t have to dread or fear persecution!
God has already given us His provision!
When God commands, He empowers!
We don’t have to argue or defend or get puffed up on pride, we can be like Jesus and say emphatically, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”
Why?
Because we were there!
We once were lost, but now we are found!
We once were blind, but now we see!
The world will push, pry, and pester looking to get any rise they can out of us!
What do you say we show them Jesus?
The truth is, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, (see 2 Timothy 3:12) but that’s ok!
Why?
Because Jesus did, so can we.
Greater things shall you do, Jesus said, because I go to my Father. (See John 14:12)
Be happy! Rejoice!
Why?
Because great is your reward in Heaven!
What does it mean to make peace?
Jesus is described as our Prince of Peace.
So surely this is the best place to start.
Loving people, truly loving people and desiring to see them blessed, whole, and happy is a true sign of Christian maturity and one that takes a lifetime to begin to master, and only under close scrutiny and tutelage by the Master!
Why?
Because we are also people, given to bouts of greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, jealousy, and the like.
Let’s be honest, yielding to others, being happy for others, being okay when others succeed, and advance is not something that comes easy to our flesh and this is going to take more than a modicum of humility.
We are all prone instead to walk in pride.
But God hates pride and so should we.
The best way to quench the war within ourselves is to daily surrender to the Prince of Peace and thereby we will ready ourselves to freely give Him away!
In other words, by adhering to the previous lessons, being willing to revisit them as many times as necessary and more besides, this is what it will take to prepare us to be a peacemaker.
We cannot give what we don’t first have and the only way to give peace is to first win the war within ourselves through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7)
Once we begin to see just how good God is, how much He truly loves us, and how much He values us, we then will begin to be able to truly love others and value them!
The enemy wants nothing more than to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Jesus desires to bring life and it more abundantly, and so should we.
Once we have won the war for peace within our own hearts, we will then be ready to share that peace with others and this is probably the single greatest thing that we can do, sharing the peace of God with others by presenting to them the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the very thing that we heard and obeyed and became a believer!
Notice the time it has taken for us to get to this point? That’s ok.
Why?
Because it more important that we tell others about Jesus with our lives than our words.
If we tell others about Jesus with our words only but lack the integrity or character to back what we are saying, we are not doing them or ourselves any favors. They might just see it all as a farce, and we may just be tempted to walk away from it all. Therefore, it is imperative that we grow daily in our relationship with Him first and foremost, living out what we are learning.
Then we will be equipped to become peacemakers, introducing others to Jesus and thereby making the ultimate peace, placing the hand of another into the hand of our Lord!
Lesson 7 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God
Finally, we begin to get busy doing the ministry work! Right?! Well, not exactly. You see, we already have been this whole time. Preparation time is never wasted time and doing things in God’s timing will take, well, time.
Remember, a day to Him is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.
And we are in this for the long haul, like an endurance athlete, the Bible encourages us to run our race with patience. (See Hebrews 12:1)
When it comes to dealing with people, we should never be in a rush.
Why?
Because people are fickle and can be easily broken, hurt, swayed, and offended. How do we know this? Because we are people. Just look how long it has taken God to get us to this place!
God loves people.
He so loves people! And only He can change them. He possesses a remarkable, unfathomable amount of longsuffering and patience of which we are going to need heaps of when dealing with people.
Therefore, it is imperative that we learn to view people in the same way God does, and so love them and value them.
This is going to take a lot of preparation time and work behind the scenes, hence what we have been working on with Him up to this point and what He will continue to do in us for our entire lives.
We never outgrow the process of refining and pruning.
But now that we have finally arrived at this stage in our Christian journey, it is vitally important that we try and do as the Bible says and live peaceably with all people as much as possible and try not to offend in word or deed.
This is what James describes as coming into perfection, so be encouraged we aren’t going to be able to accomplish this entirely and the only way to come close is by staying close to Jesus through it all!
If anyone knows what is like to deal with people, it’s Him!
After all, He created us. Plus, while in His earthly ministry, He had to deal with all sorts of people, including His own disciples.
He knows what to do, so we should desire greatly to learn of Him!
Again, just as we learned in lesson 4, we can be as close to God as we want.
But just like in sports there are those who do them for sport, as amateurs, just poking around a bit on the weekends for fun, and then there are those elite athletes who play for money or better yet to get better every time they hit the court, turf, or pavement!
The elite Christian isn’t the one who has their whole lives together.
It isn’t the ones who can quote the Bible the best or wear the fanciest clothes or have the best most visible jobs…
The elite Christian is the one who is humble, poor in spirit, meek, puts others first, serves from proper motives, seeks after God with their whole heart, who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, who shows mercy and forgives, who desires to be pure in heart, word, and deed!
The elite Christian isn’t elite at all but is willing at any given moment to be like their master, laying down their lives for their friends and for the cause, for eternity!
After all, they know, they will see God!
How can we be pure in heart?
Well to be certain once again this is a lifelong journey, but it starts here:
Jesus said you are clean through the Word I have spoken unto you. (See John 15:3)
The Psalmist writes, “How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.” (Psalm 119:9)
Once more, Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.”
Every day, die daily, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God by adhering to His Word, allowing it to wash you, clean you, and purge you, and keep doing this on a consistent basis until you see God like never before
Lesson 6 – Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
This takes what we learned in lesson 4 and ramps it up a notch! When we walk with the Lord for some time, over time, we begin to mature and grow in Him.
That is not to say that we aren’t all prone to fits and spells of immature behavior and elementary thinking however, but rather our lives should be consistently shining for Jesus, especially if we are daily seeking Him and daily seeking to be like Him!
Once maturity begins to show up in our lives, the Lord begins to deal with us on a whole different level, our motives!
Many of us, by now have learned to abstain from the basic things like stealing, cussing, crude joke-telling, adultery, and the like (Again that is not to say we can’t or won’t partake in any of these things but have learned more and more to keep away) and are now beginning to realize that things like gossip, doing things to be seen, or thinking bad toward others, is just as dangerous as drinking or smoking.
In other words, our character and integrity are now being challenged.
Those things that can’t be seen.
Character and integrity are oftentimes grown when no one is watching. The things that we do in secret, when no one is watching will either prepare us or keep us from the public light.
In other words, God won’t want to give us a bigger, broader platform to share with others if we are living in secret sin behind closed doors!
Not only this but also harboring wrong motives, even though small at first glance will show up in big ways down the road!
What is the answer? Allowing God to wash over us daily and purge away what He wants! Also not being in a big rush to get things done or to do our agendas will give God and us the time to make a more polished product!
Listen, God can do in a moment, what we cannot in a lifetime!
Keep showing up, keep allowing Him to wash over and burn away the gook and grime, the ultimate goal here again being to be more like Jesus, and we will never arrive this side of glory so always be willing to go through the refiner’s fire, trusting that God’s intentions are always good! He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do! Allow Him! This is a true earmark of Christian maturity!
Think about the payoff, to see God!
To have an intimacy level with Him, like never before. To hear Him more clearly.
To see others' needs more clearly. To be trusted to share the gospel with others. To pray for others.
These are the benefits that await the pure in heart, that await those who are willing to go past a surface-level relationship with the Lord.
A good way to remind ourselves of what God has done for us and in us may seem super simple, but it is meant to be, we just need to remind ourselves!
Here is a helpful tip:
- Write it down (What has the Lord done for you or in you recently?)
- Share with a close friend or family member
- Revisit past entries, perhaps on a monthly or weekly basis
Writing things down and also sharing these things will help remind you of the goodness of God in your life, but it will also help encourage others! Then when you encourage others, you will be encouraged because you encouraged them and thus will also position yourself to receive from the Lord because you have given out what you have been freely given, the law of sowing and reaping put into practice!
Isn’t serving the Lord fun and super simple at the same time?
It really is mostly a matter of simply trusting and obeying teemed with courage and humility, and the Lord provides all of that for us!
We are never alone, nor are we meant to do it alone.
God is with us always yes, but also remember that whatever you are currently walking through someone else is also and they may not have the same hope you have or else someone else already has come through it and you can glean from them…
Christianity is not meant to be lived in isolation. People and relationships are what the Lord is all about and this may take a whomping heap of mercy both for you to exhibit for others and especially for others to exhibit toward you!
So, always remember where the Lord found you and always extend that same level of grace toward others.
We are living in a world literally hell-bent on forsaking God, the last thing we need is to forsake each other by being unmerciful and forgetting, “If not but by the grace of God, there go I!”
Lesson 5 – Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
We humans are an interesting bunch! We tend to forget so easily and when it comes to our walks with the Lord, it is no different.
Many Christians, especially those who have been saved for quite some time have forgotten where they came from, where God found them!
And even new believers, in a zeal to share Jesus with others, oftentimes overlook the fact that salvation is a gift and work of God alone, it is not something that can be forced upon someone.
God is a gentleman and He alone has the power to woo people to Him and to convict of sin. He stands at the door and knocks, and it is up to us to open the door!
It is up to us who are already born again to be like Jesus, to exhibit His behavior and likeness to them by serving and showcasing the love of God, living out what we have been learning from a daily walk with Him!
However, how many times do we forget, trying to trudge ahead, doing things our way forgetting the absolute train wrecks we used to be and still are if not but for the grace of God!
Therefore, it is imperative that we continue to revisit the gospel often! The good news of the gospel is not just for the unsaved, it is for us all, to remember the goodness of God, to remind ourselves of this one powerful truth: “If not for the grace of God, there go I”
This is why communion is important, as oft as we do this, we remember what Jesus did for us on that cruel cross!
With a healthy measure of humility teemed with thankfulness on a daily basis it will help keep us walking in mercy toward others and in turn, will open us up to receive continued mercy!
We were made new, but that doesn’t mean we will never sin or make mistakes, it simply means that we have the ability to not do those things with the help and power of the Lord.
Be encouraged, it is a lifelong journey, and again the key is to want to be closer to God each day, by taking small steps!
To hunger and thirst for righteousness.
We can be as close to God as we want to be, and He does and will order and direct our steps in the right direction!
The more we hunger and thirst for Him, the more He will fill us, and the closer we are to Him, the more we will live holy on accident than we ever could on purpose!
In other words, Christianity isn’t about adhering to stringent rules and man-made directives but rather walking in love toward God and man and when we do this, Jesus says we have fulfilled the two greatest commands, to love God and love people!
The Holy Spirit is faithful, He will show you things to wean out of your life as you walk daily with Him, AND He will give you the strength and courage to do it!
The ultimate goal here is to become more like Jesus and be encouraged once more, it is a lifelong journey!
So how can we keep our hunger and thirst levels high?
How can we be like the Psalmist who penned so eloquently, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
Herein lies a simple, but powerful principle, whatever we feed will grow!
For example, if one is trying to kickstart their metabolism, they would need to eat more food.
Why?
Because if you starve your body of food and necessary nutrients, it is going to naturally try and hoard all the energy it can, slowing down your metabolism and thus reserving as much energy stores as possible.
But should you begin to feed the body with nutrients and food, it will slowly begin to say, “Hey I actually have a surplus and can begin to expend some energy!” Thus, your metabolism will slowly begin to chug back to life.
In our journeys as believers, the worse thing we can do is fail to feed our spirits and souls with the Word. When we do this, we are in essence starving ourselves.
Jesus was all the time, getting alone with the Father, praying, studying the Word. When He was tempted in the wilderness, He didn’t have to look up the verses in the Bible to combat the enemy, He was already full of the Word and ready!
We too must remain ready at all times to give an account for the Hope we have, and this means feeding on the Word daily!
This will, in essence, raise our spiritual metabolisms where the more we know, the more we know we need to know and the more we will seek God more!
There is a law at work here, we reap what we sow, and if we aren’t consistently sowing the Word into our lives, we cannot reap the benefits, nor should we expect to.
Ignorance is bliss may be something the world teaches but it is not a kingdom principle.
Again, this will take humility.
Pride says, “I know that. I’ve heard that.” Or “That isn’t for me.” Humility sits on the edge of its seat with fork in one hand and knife in the other, “Feed Me!”
When we have that kind of gusto and passion for the Word, God has promised to fill our cups to overflowing! This will not only cause us to be blessed but also all those we come in contact with!
Lesson 4 – Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled
Ignorance is not bliss! The more Word we have on the inside, the more equipped we will be to stand against the enemy's wiles!
In essence, we can be as close to God as we want to be!
A true sign of spiritual maturity and growth is wanting to live in holiness, is wanting to learn more, growing, and being mature.
After all the Bible says, be holy, for I am holy.
Think about it in simple terms for a moment. Perhaps there is a mentor, parent, or role model in your life that you really look up to. Don’t you want to make them proud? Don’t you want to do the things that you know they like in order to show them how much you love and honor them?
Think about the small girl who wants to be like her mommy or the boy who follows his daddy around doing and saying the same things. We all want to be valued and appreciated and it is only natural to want to be like the people in our lives we really value and look up to.
In the same manner, God has graciously adopted us into His family! Given us a new heart and a new name and we should want to be close to Him, to be like Him!
However, the desire to want to be holy, to be like God, or to want to go upstream in a culture that is constantly screaming at us to go the other way, is not always what believers want to do.
The propensity to grow weary is a real thing, thus why Paul encourages us in Galatians not to grow weary in well doing. (See Galatians 6:9)
The good news is this: We don’t have to do things to get Him to like us, love us, or accept us! He already does! Also, we don’t have to try and be more righteous or holy apart from Him. We can’t. He did all the work on the cross and we will never be more holy than we already are in Him. But we can still grow closer to Him each day, tossing aside things that keep us from growing closer to Him and walking in love toward others.
Just as before, serving God comes with a caveat and this is it: It is a get-to, not a have-to. We don’t serve Him to get Him to accept us or love us. He will never love us more than He already does. He is love. He will never accept us more than He already has, Jesus made that possible.
Also, we shouldn’t try to serve out of guilt, from a place of condemnation, or as a means of trying to exert the world’s system in the church. (doing things for selfish gain, to be seen, or for promotion.)
The simple way to keep out of any ditches when it comes to serving is this: Just keep seeking the Lord daily and walk in the steps He has presented for you.
He will lead you in steps, not giant leaps, and He isn’t going to make you feel guilty or twist your arm, making you do things.
Just remember this simple principle: bloom where you are planted. Use the gifts, talents, and abilities He has given you to make a difference in the lives of those around you first, at school, work, or in a small circle at church.
Don’t be in a hurry to be seen, be noticed, or do things for any other reason other than from a heart bursting with love and appreciation for the Lord.
If at any time, you notice that you may not be doing something for the right reasons, don’t be afraid to pull back, reset your priorities, and seek the Lord on the matter!
He wants to be found and after all, our main goal as a believer is to build a relationship with Him anyhow.
Remember God has given each of us gifts, talents, and abilities and we can either use them for His glory, to encourage others or for our own selfish reasons. The former takes humility and courage, but the payoff always far outweighs the price of admission!
Be meek! Put others first!
The very image of Jesus hanging on a cruel cross, taking our punishment for our sin upon Himself, when He did no wrong scream His love for us and His meekness toward us!
Blessed are the meek, those who put others’ needs above their own.
Let’s be honest for a moment. It is our natural tendency to want to be first, go first, be seen, get picked, be the one in the light, and so forth. It is our natural tendency to be selfish and self-centered. Therefore, it is going to take courage and humility for us to purposefully seek to go against the natural flow.
But thanks be to God, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. (See Philippians 4:13)
Rest assured this is definitely something He strengthens us for, to serve others. So far, we have dealt with two quite personal subjects, recognizing our need for Jesus and lamenting over sin on a personal level. Now is the point at which we begin to step outside of ourselves and do what God does so well, love people!
Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This is what Jesus taught us to do as well.
And it takes courage to do this, especially in a world that wants to be served but not do the serving themselves.
Sadly, we live in a society that teaches us, whatever makes you happy or makes you feel good, then do it because we only have this moment to live.
But this is counter-productive to what the Bible teaches.
In actuality, life is connected, and we are all going to live forever, either in the presence of God or apart from Him.
The things we do today will directly affect our tomorrow and could very well affect our and others’ eternities as well.
Listen, you matter!
Jesus paid for you with His precious blood. And He didn’t just do it, so you could be forgiven, but also so you could play a vital role in the fulfillment of His plan on the earth. He didn’t have to do any of that, but He chose it. Because He so loves you!
The qualifications for growth in His company we have learned so far?
To be poor in spirit, to mourn over sin, and to put others first.
Left to our devices, we would all fail and have failed at these, but thanks be to God who not only forgives and frees us, but also gives us the strength, gifts, ability, and desire to do so much more than we can think, ask, or imagine!
This is an interesting one because when hearing the word meek, perhaps the word “weak” also comes to mind, but this just isn’t the case.
Meek, in simple terms, means to yield. To yield to others’ needs even when you could very well look the other way or charge ahead and be first.
Think about a yield sign for a moment. When approaching a yield sign, what does it mean? It means that we should give the right away to the vehicles in the other lane of traffic before pulling out onto the road ourselves. In other words, put others first.
This is counter-intuitive to much of what our culture teaches us. We learn very early on that if we want or need something, we need to get out there and make it happen! We need to exert our presence, pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and make moves or make excuses! It really doesn’t matter who we have to step on or past or what ladders we need to climb, just as long, as we get it done!
And while this may seem okay in certain situations, it really isn’t what Jesus taught or exhibited at all - He said the greatest among you is the greatest servant! Yielding is not weak, but rather it takes much courage, and it means that you trust God enough to know that even should you yield to Him or others, He is going to take care of you! We don’t need to try and skip to the front of the line or make ourselves known to Him, He sees us, and He loves us anyway, flaws and all!
Listen, God’s ways are oftentimes completely opposite to what the world teaches us.
For example, in the kingdom of God, the way up is down, to be first, you must be last, and in order to truly live, you must die first!
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8,9)
However, this doesn’t mean God doesn’t want His ways to be our ways or His thoughts to be our thoughts, and that is awesome news for us as believers!
He isn’t selfish and He isn’t a hoarder. He longs to show Himself mighty on the behalf of His children, working in and through them.
This starts with us wanting to receive from Him and humbling ourselves to do just that.
This is also a good time to mention a few of the main differences between conviction and condemnation as well.
One of the Holy Spirit’s goals is to convict us of sin and point us to Jesus always. But what the world does, religion does, and sadly even sometimes other believers do is try and use condemnation to change us.
Romans 8:1,2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
To keep this simple, this is what condemnation looks like:
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It tries to make us feel bad without giving us any real hope or answers
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It deals with outward things and takes an outside-in approach
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Leaves the person feeling defeated
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Leads to little if any change, and it is usually short-lived relying on stringent adherence to rules, creeds, or religious tenets
Conviction from the Holy Spirit:
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Takes an inside-out approach
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Always leads to the Answer, Jesus
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Brings about true and lasting positive change
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Makes the person feel bad about the sin, but leaves them with Hope, and a sense of who they are and could be in Christ
True Biblical Mourning over sin is not something we do only when giving our lives to the Lord, but rather it is something that we continually come back to in various ways and at various times and always accompanies the Holy Spirit conviction and a wonderful reminder of who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and what He longs to do in us and through us! It is a beautiful reminder of just how much God so loves us!
Paul talked about this in Romans 6, about how we shouldn’t try and misuse or misappropriate the grace of God by thinking it gives us the right to keep on sinning.
By no means, in truth, the grace of God is not a license to sin, but rather the power of God to overcome sin.
At this point, our plea should be: “Father, help me love the things you love and hate the things you hate.”
You see, God loves people, but He hates sin.
He loves people, but He hates pride, and so should we.
It is important to note at this point that mourning over sin and various sins will come in different stages for the believer.
For example, One believer may be convicted heavily about lying or gossiping, while another believer may be convicted of telling dirty jokes. Now all of these things, when taken at face value are not good things and could certainly be considered sinful, but we must always remember that unless the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, there isn’t going to be any true change.
In other words, it is not our job to go about fault-finding or telling people what we think they should or shouldn’t be working on, or what we believe to be the most deplorable sins in their lives.
Each of us must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and walk in the amount of light the Lord is currently giving us.
Know this, as we mature in the Lord, we may get victory over some of the more visible and outward sins like stealing or cussing but then Holy Spirit will then begin dealing with us with things like motives, thoughts, the things that are less visible to others and even to us oftentimes.
We will never outgrow the Holy Spirit’s conviction nor will we ever come close to perfection on this side of glory, the ultimate goal being to be more and more like Jesus every day.
I want to end today’s encouragement with a verse found in 1 John 1:7
Keeping this scripture verse in mind, it will help us stay on the right track, with a proper view of sin and a love for others!
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” NKJV
While mourning certainly involves weeping over a lost loved one, someone who has died is sick, or maybe even far away from the Lord or family, in this lesson we will approach mourning from this place: mourning over sin.
When we truly get a revelation of how detestable sin is to God, we will have nothing left but to cry out for His mercy! When we truly get a revelation of how detestable sin is to God, it will make us truly appreciate His grace toward us and see just how awesome His mercy for us is!
He gave us what we didn’t deserve, Hell, eternal separation from Him!
He gave us life, and it more abundantly.
We have learned that humility is not about begging God for things, but rather approaching Him with boldness, not based on what we have done or who we are, but for what Jesus has done and who He is!
Likewise, mourning over sin doesn’t mean we have to keep beating ourselves up for the things Jesus has forgiven us of, but rather when we begin to see sin as God sees sin, we too will be heartbroken over it and want to steer clear of it.
Keep in mind the Bible says in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
God doesn’t want us rehashing past sins or continually asking forgiveness for the same things time and again, but He does want us to have a healthy view of sin, to see it as He does.
Why is that?
Because then we will see just how bad it really is when we recognize that sin is the very thing that caused Jesus to have to die for us in the first place and the very thing that separates us from a God who so loves us and longs to fellowship with us.
Therefore, mourning over sin really is a natural next step after realizing we are poor in spirit, and in need of a savior!
It almost goes hand-in-hand with that realization. And both take humility to recognize and want to see change.
The good news is this; when we mourn, God has promised to comfort us!
When we humble ourselves and begin to sin for what it truly is, the Holy Spirit then empowers us to not only want to stay away from that sin but actually do it.
This is a wonderful next step in our journey and one that takes a level of maturity as well.
God has so many awesome things in store for us, His thoughts toward us are innumerable, (see Psalm 139) and His plans for us are good! (See Jeremiah 29:11)
However, as mentioned in the introduction, this brings us to our first if/then scenario. If we seek Him, we will find Him! If we humble ourselves, He will lift us up! (See Jeremiah 29:23 & 1 Peter 5:6)
Many of the things we will face during our journeys as believers have quite simple solutions. We just have to be willing to do them.
For example, before getting born again, or receiving our salvation, it was the Holy Spirit who convicted us of sin and showed us our need for a savior. It takes a simple act of humility on our part to say yes to that call and receive the gift that Jesus died to provide us, with eternal life!
After getting born again, it is the same Holy Spirit who then comes to live with us and in us, continually teaching, training, convicting, and pointing us to Jesus.
Each time He deals with our hearts on a matter, it will once again require a simple act of humility as a first step to receiving what He is trying to get to us and in us.
We will never outgrow the need to humble ourselves.
This is why the apostle Paul wrote, “I die daily.”
This is why Jesus told us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
Daily dying to pride, to jealousy, to hate, to sinful desires, to selfishness, etc. These are the things that stop the blessing of God in our life and these are the things that the Holy Spirit will deal with each one of us about. Our first priority? To humble ourselves, recognizing we are poor in spirit, and in need of Him to fill us, teach us, and provide for us.
It is a lifelong journey, but one that should we learn to be humble, listen, and obey will reward us for all eternity!
The Bible says it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
Why is that?
Because they have a difficult time seeing their need, they are wealthy, healthy, and whole in their eyes and in need of very little. Many of us are raised to believe that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve the impossible and while a solid work ethic and discipline are paramount to achieving many of our goals, this won’t cut it concerning our salvation.
We cannot earn, buy, achieve, or deserve our salvation, it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us this truth.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Listen, being poor in spirit doesn’t have anything to do with money, but rather our attitudes regarding the Lord, His word, and the Spirit of God in our lives.
Being poor in spirit, simply put, is recognizing our daily need of Him.
Therefore, in order to receive from God his plan of salvation for our lives, we must humble ourselves, recognizing we are poor in spirit and in dire need of a savior, Jesus!
This is not only the first step to receiving salvation but also the first step to accomplishing anything in the Lord after salvation occurs, humbling ourselves.
To humble ourselves does not mean we must grovel at the feet of God or think less of ourselves.
It involves positioning ourselves under His Word, under His mighty hand, on a daily basis, trusting that He has the best for us and is willing and able to take care of us.
This is what God wants from us, what He desires.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
God has so many awesome things in store for us, His thoughts toward us are innumerable, (see Psalm 139) and His plans for us are good! (See Jeremiah 29:11)
“A Light in the Dark!”
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
I was out for a walk one morning, very early, while it was still dark.
After walking for some time, I stopped at my usual spot, a dead end street, and began to pray and spend some time with the Lord.
During these early morning walks, it was my custom to practice quoting scriptures to use while sharing the gospel.
John 14:6 came to mind.
After thinking upon that verse for a little while, I began to think how people oftentimes accuse Christianity of being bigoted, dogmatic, and way too stringent,
After all, Jesus being the only way to Heaven?
This just seems too egocentric, doesn’t it?!
As if the Lord was reading my mind, He stopped me and began to show me something remarkably simple but also very powerful!
The picture of a maze came to mind and then a dark forest
There were so many ways to go, so many paths, but they all led to dead ends!
There was only one way out and I didn’t know the way!
Then bam!
It occurred to me all at once just how awesomely merciful, gracious, and loving Christianity actually is!!!
God, who sees the end from the beginning, who transcends the maze could very well leave us to our own devices, watching us scurry about our little mazes, lost, scared, and confused!
Instead, in His awesome mercy, His amazing grace, He shows us The Way!
The way out of sin, the way out of darkness, the way out of sickness!
He is the way, the truth, and the Life!
He is the light and if we will follow that light, we will come out of that deep, dark, forest!
Listen, there are so many voices in the world.
There are so many paths to take.
The Bible says wide is the road that leads to death and destruction and many take it.
But narrow is the road that leads to life, and few there be that go on it.
God so loves the world and He doesn’t want anyone to perish or be destroyed!
He is good and He is good all the time!
We are living in some crazy times for sure and the days ahead will only grow darker.
In our flesh, we may not always want to take His narrow path, but rest assured if we do, we can be a light in the dark!
‘Seasons of Change!’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1) NKJV
Change is inevitable!
The older I get, the more I am seeing this.
My awesome pastor shared recently, talking about change.
He spoke about a car that he used to own when he was younger, how it was at that time, the best thing ever!
He eventually sold the car in order to purchase an engagement ring.
Now I would say that was a pretty amazing thing to do!
He then spoke about what it would be like if he was able to get one of those cars again, to restore it, and sit behind the wheel once more…
Admittantly he said it would be nice, and perhaps even fun, but it would never be quite the same.
Why is that?
Well times change.
We grow older.
Things that used to appeal to us in certain ways simply don’t carry the same weight anymore.
And for good reason oftentimes.
Even Paul said, “when I was a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things…”
As we mature in the Lord our priorities begin to change!
The closer we get to Jesus, the more we begin to see things from an eternal perspective, the more we begin to see people like He does!
People matter to God!
Immensely in fact!
He so loves us!
We can’t stop change
But here is the Good News!
God never changes! His Word is forever settled in Heaven!
Why is this so important to see?
Because we live in a crazy world where change, and oftentimes unwanted change is always occurring
Whether its rapid technological advances, or shifting worldviews based on feelings, the fragile economy, or simply the next health scare, this world is inundated with crazy change!
Not to mention the change that occurs in our personal lives, whether it be a change of vocation, a teen graduating high school, a loved one passing away, or simply our bodies growing older,
Life is is full of seasons of change!
Because of this, It is imperative that we cling to the Word of God like never before!
That we put our hope and trust in the One who never changes!
We need this stability!
The world needs this stability!
How can we face the crazy times of constant change?
By being anchored to the One who remains the same!
I want to end today by sharing a few passages of scripture that will help keep us anchored in the midst of vast seasons of change:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8) NKJV
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2) NKJV
“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.”
(Psalms 119:89-90) NKJV
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
(James 1:17) NKJV
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose UNDER heaven:”
But the Great News is this: We serve a good good Father whose throne is IN Heaven, and He never changes!
Have you been wronged? Been betrayed? Discarded? Neglected?
If so, be encouraged!
You’re not alone!
Jesus was rejected.
The Bible says He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was betrayed by one of His own disciples.
Denied by one of His own disciples.
The people praised Him one-day shouting Hosanna in the Highest only to neglect Him the next through shouts of “Crucify Him!”
What was His response?
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
How did He teach us to respond?
When they smite you on one cheek, turn to them on the other
When they ask of you for your tunic, give them also your cloak
Bless those that persecute you
Pray for them that despitefully use you
This is counter-culture to what many of us have been taught or what many of us have experienced
But remember: As born-again believers, we are not of this world
And if we are to truly shine for Jesus, we must be like Jesus
It’s not enough to act like Him on the weekends only or only when we feel like it,
we mustn’t act all
Acting implies pretending and God doesn’t want us pointing on a show for Him, He wants us to show Him to others by being like Him
This will take courage.
And He has given us just that!
It will take us being willing to go counter-culture,
To take up our cross and follow Jesus!
We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!
Listen, when we will learn to forgive, it will not only bring healing into our lives, but it will also position us to be able to rightly be a witness and an encouragement for others, affecting change in them for eternity!
Jesus did and so can we!
Are you dealing with unforgiveness at all?
Don’t fret, go before God, ask Him to give you the courage to make it right, and He will!
And then watch as the power of God begins to flow in you and through you like never before!
I want to end today with a short poem about a toad and a squirrel. The squirrel was quite mean but through the forgiveness of a toad, not only was the toad empowered, but he was able to have quite a lasting impact on the squirrel as well…
Have you ever felt defeated? Discouraged? Overwhelmed?
If so, be encouraged!
You are not alone!
The Bible says in Psalm 23 Jesus walks with us through the valleys!
That is awesome news!
As born-again believers, we are never alone, We are never without hope!
It may feel at times, like we are alone, that God doesn’t see, that God doesn’t know, but He does!
The Bible says He knows the very number of hairs on our heads
Psalm 139 says, if we were to try and count the thoughts He has toward us it would be like trying to count the sand by the sea, utterly futile!
He so loves us!
Be encouraged today!
It may look and feel like you are surrounded, but you are surrounded by Him!
Like the prophet of old, I pray your eyes to be opened today, to see clearly that He is for you, not against you!
He has placed His angels about you and His favor surrounds you like a shield!
He has given you His Spirit, His might, His grace, His mind, His wisdom, His power, His peace, and Himself!
He is for you!
You matter!
You matter so much in fact that He shed His precious blood for you!
It’s easy to say something is valuable, but the true value comes as a result of being willing to pay the price tag - the price tag for us was immense,
It was such a steep price in the fact that no one could pay it, except He alone!
That is just what He did!
He so loves us!
Still, feeling defeated? Discouraged? Or overwhelmed?
Be encouraged, God is for you!
You got this, 'cause God’s got this!
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!
You may be down, but you are not out!
You may not like the chapter you are on, but the book isn’t over!
You may feel like you are sinking but the Bible promises that God will never leave you, nor forsake you and those waves won’t overtake you!
You will walk through the fire and not be burnt, through the waters, and not drown!
There is another in the fire and His name is Jesus!
Be encouraged today!
No matter what you are facing, praise Him anyway!
No matter how you feel, worship Him anyway!
No matter the news report, thank Him anyway!
Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world!
I want to leave you today with a short poem about a frog named Timmy.
He was having a bummer kind of day, but rather than allow it to overwhelm and overtake him, he got back up!
You too can do just that! And if you are already up, then perhaps you can encourage someone else today!
Remember: what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
The Beauty of the Gospel!
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
The 2nd person of the Godhead stepped down from His throne at an appointed time to be born of a virgin by the power of the 3rd person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.
He was born as a lowly baby in a manger and was given the name of Jesus as prophesied in scripture.
He grew in wisdom and stature and attained favor with both God and man.
At 30 years of age, He began His earthly ministry after being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast 40 days and nights and also be tempted by the devil.
After His victory over the devil’s temptations, He began His ministry of proclaiming liberty to the broken-hearted and sin-bound healing and doing all manner of good works everywhere He went!
Along the way, He told His ultimate plan many different times in many different ways, of how He was to suffer, die, and be risen from the dead. (Most did not believe nor understand what He was saying)
He taught many lessons during His earthly ministry, teaching and preaching in towns, boats, hilltops, and homes.
He performed miracles, rebuked religious leaders, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, ate and drank with the destitute of society, continually reaching out to the whosoever!
He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was hope to the hopeless, a stumbling block to the proud, and a fortress to the humble!
At the close of His ministry, He was betrayed, but not murdered. He laid down His life of His own accord!
He did it for the joy set before Him - Loving Obedience and devotion to His Father and a chance at fellowship with all who would partake in the gift He died to give, salvation!
He was hailed as Lord one day and discarded the next under shouts of, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
He was spit upon, slapped, and beaten beyond recognition.
They ripped the beard from his face, pressed a crown of thorns upon His head, and beat Him so bad, He could count His ribs!
He did that for you and for me!
Compelled by love, and driven by compassion He was nailed to a cruel cross.
In His dying moments, He ministered to the thief at His side, beckoning him into paradise.
Passing the torch of care for His mother to His beloved, He forgave those casting lots for His garments and carrying out His death sentence.
A desperate cry to His Heavenly Father escaped His lips as Heaven forsook Him!
The weight of all sin was upon His shoulders as He gave up the ghost!
The earth shook!
Hearts melted!
The devil triumphed, but only for a moment…
Three days and nights later, by God’s awesome right arm, He was raised from the dead, victorious over death, Hell, and the grave!!!
He appeared to the 12 disciples and 500 eyewitnesses before finally ascending into Heaven to receive His glorification and take His seat upon the throne once more, victoriously stationed on the right hand of the Father!
His call remains to the whosoever!
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!
His name: Jesus and He is Alive!!!
"In A Moment"
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
(2 Corinthians) 5:17 KJV
While on a mission trip to Romania, I was sharing the gospel with a woman.
She said, “I don’t see how God can change a heart in a moment?!”
She was busy and I didn’t get a chance to fully minister to her.
Her mother was there and needed to leave soon so I began to share with her instead.
Her mom said yes to Jesus!
An hour or so later the woman came into the room where I was ministering, ushering with her a young lady.
I asked her to stay as well so we could continue our talk from earlier.
I shared the gospel once more, this time going into more detail about my testimony and explaining to them both what it means to come to Jesus, to allow Him to give us a new heart, and the reason we need a new one!
They both said yes to Jesus!
Afterward, I explained more about what it means to walk with Jesus, to follow Him, to allow Him to be the Lord of our life.
Another hour or so went by and the woman came back with her mother-in-law.
She was older, in her 80’s.
I shared the gospel, this time in a very gentle manner explaining to her the sin that separates us from God and how we need to turn from that sin and allow Jesus to forgive us, she said yes to Him!!!
The woman was crying now.
Later, an hour or so later, I was
ministering to another older lady in the main area where the doctors and nurses were.
The woman was there watching.
The older lady was hostile to the gospel earlier after hearing that she must be forgiven of sin, (she didn’t want to admit she was a sinner) but after allowing her to go her way and after the doctors and nurses loved on her immensely, the same older lady was broken.
The Holy Spirit worked on her heart and the love of God constrained her!
I knelt down next to her after her doctor's visit, and she was so ready to receive!
I reminded her of what we spoke about earlier of how Jesus died for her sin and she wept!
The woman was there, watching.
She wept.
The older lady said yes to Jesus! She was so happy and began to kiss my face and hand!
Later that day, I talked with the woman again.
I told her, at the beginning of today, you asked how God can change a heart in a moment. You saw that today!!!
She was smiling so big now!
Listen, Jesus is alive!
‘Not Today Satan!’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
Have you ever woken up in the morning with disturbing thoughts on your mind? Worse yet, have you ever found yourself thinking about those thoughts? Rolling them over in your mind, toying with them?
Now I know, depending on what those thoughts were, you may be slow to admit to such a thing, but I want to encourage you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
The enemy loves to throw his fiery darts at us, especially in a weak, vulnerable, or tired state and when he does, he likes to play it off like they were our thoughts in the first place.
Again, I want to encourage you! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Whether the thoughts were violent in nature, sexual, scary, or just downright disturbing, you don’t have to tolerate them, nor do you have to take them as your own.
Listen, our minds are powerful tools. The enemy knows this. He may not be wise but he is persistent and he is an opportunist.
He loves to run rampant trying to convince us to think upon this or that thought and make no qualms about it, his intentions are ALWAYS evil, sick, and twisted.
In other words, his only desire is to steal, kill, and destroy you and me.
The first part of John 10:10 says the thief comes not but to steal, kill, and destroy…
Why?
Because we are created by God, in God’s image, and if we are born-again, sold out to Jesus, we also possess the mind of Christ, and he loathes that entirely!
Now normally I wouldn’t give the enemy any credence whatsoever, but as I said before, he is an opportunist.
He is sneaky and conniving and he loves to catch us in moments of weakness in order to prey upon those weaknesses.
He tried the same tactic with Jesus.
Jesus, who was weak from 40 days of fasting was led up by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
I love the Lord!
He is touched by our infirmities and our weaknesses! He knows what it’s like to be vulnerable and have the enemy attempt to plant thoughts in His mind during that state of vulnerability and weakness.
How did Jesus combat these fiery darts?
Did He stand in the face of them and take them head-on?
No.
Did He try to think them away?
No.
Did He try and simply forget them, putting them away for later?
No.
Instead, He rebuked them with the Word of God, right away!
Jesus taught us an awesome thing through this experience. In the flesh, we are weak. But through God and the power of His Word, we are strong!
This tactic of getting mankind to question God, of placing wayward thoughts, of tossing fiery darts, isn’t new. The enemy has been using this same thing ever since Adam and Eve when he caused them to question God with the thought, “Did God really say…”
But I have great news for you today!
It may have worked on the first Adam, but it didn’t work on the second!
Jesus came out on the other side victorious and more than a conqueror and so can we!
So, where does that leave us in all this?
Well first off, it is imperative that we begin today to meditate on the Word of God.
Waiting until the temptation arises or until the wayward thoughts come, is not a wise choice.
Jesus knew the Bible already. He was prepped to answer the enemies’ attack.
He was weak, yes, but He was prepared.
And in His moment of weakness, His training took over.
Preparation time is never wasted time!
As one awesome pastor has said, “Put the Word of God in you when you don’t need it, so it will come out when you do!”
Immerse yourself in the Word on a daily basis. Find out what God says about you, and what He thinks about you!
He is a good good Father.
Perhaps you’ve fallen for the enemy’s lies in the past. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a dark place, a
‘The 18-Inch War’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) KJV
Nicodemus, was as the Bible described him, a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee. Now the Pharisees were quite devout and devoted to their cause, stringent followers of the law, or at least the law their particular sect laid out.
In other words, they relied heavily on their own traditions and precepts as to what was right and wrong.
Jesus had many run-ins with the Pharisees and religious rulers of His day because rather than relying on the Word of God to interpret itself, the religious peoples liked to set their own standards of conduct, to exert their own power and prowess amongst themselves and their underlings.
Listen, the Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, but when we are led not by the Spirit, but rather by our own rules, standards, and traditions, our own moral code, this only serves to bring about condemnation and confusion.
In John chapter 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night and says to Him, “Teacher, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”
I want to point out a couple of things here.
First, notice how Nicodemus calls Jesus a teacher twice. He is attempting to exert his power on Jesus, letting him know just who they think he is.
Second, notice how Nicodemus says, we know…
Again, perhaps trying to exert authority using his position in the Pharisees, trying to skirt full responsibility. Either way, Nicodemus isn’t speaking for himself alone or from a place of total personal honesty.
Thirdly, I just want to point out that Nicodemus doesn’t really know who Jesus is, calling Him a man that God is with…
It is clear at this point that Nicodemus is curious, but also ignorant, relying on his position and pre-conceived notions.
I love how Jesus responds!
He has such an awesome way of cutting right to the heart of the matter while also keeping it so personal!
He says to Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
In other words, Nicodemus, you think you know who I am, but had you truly known, you would know that I AM!
And until you get born again, born from above, from the Spirit of God, you will never truly know who I am nor truly see the kingdom of God!
You see, Nicodemus knew about Jesus from the things he heard Jesus was doing.
He heard about the miracles and it made him curious enough to come to Jesus by night to press Him further.
But He didn’t really know who Jesus was.
I want to stop right here for a moment, before we conclude, and talk for a brief moment about the 18-inch war.
Many people sadly will miss Heaven by the space of 18 inches!
It may not seem like a huge distance, and it may also seem like quite the random or obtuse number, but in fact it makes all the difference in the world. It makes all the difference for eternity!
18 inches, is approximately the distance between the head and the heart. Or in more grim, but truthful terms, 18 inches is what separates us from Heaven and Hell.
Jesus is not a feeling, movement, or goosebump. He is a person. He is real. He is God and has always been God.
It’s not enough to simply know about Him in our heads, we must know Him in our hearts and this happens when we get born-again.
The Bible says even the demons believe in God and shudder. (See James 2:19)
It’s not enough to simply believe there is a God or believe that Jesus is God.
We must believe in Him and on Him, placing our total trust in Him.
Just like you walk in a room and sit down in a chair
‘One of Them Days’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) KJV
You ever heard the expression, “When it rains, it pours?!”
This is usually closely prefaced or proceeded by some tale of woe where the main character is bombarded with some seemingly catastrophic event and then another and perhaps another until is seems like the person in question is simply doomed to misfortune!
I have certainly had days like these myself. For instance, some time ago while working as a delivery driver, I was having one of those days!
I arrived at work, and things were running well behind schedule. After finally receiving my packages for the day, I began to haul them out to the van. As I was loading them, I dropped one of them. Except it didn’t just hit the ground, it rolled off the side of the embankment. I was parked near a hill. It was like a scene from a comical movie skit!
The package hit the embankment, hit the ground, and then proceeded to roll all the way down the hill, before finally coming to a crash at the bottom!
All I could do is watch in horror and then the sinking feeling hit me: I have to tell my supervisor about this!
I did and after some time, they sent someone to the bottom of the hill to retrieve the package. It was more than worse for wear and completely undeliverable. Not only did I have a late start to my route that day, but I had to endure the humiliation of it all.
In hindsight of course, the entire occurence is quite funny. However, at the time, I can assure you, I wasn’t thrilled.
In our Christian journey’s, there are certainly times when life seems overwhelming, and the circumstances we are facing, insurmountable.
And for good reason at times, especially when dealing with things like tragedy, loss of work, or a wayward family member.
But I want to encourage you today!
No matter what you may be facing, have faced, or will face in the future, God is an ever present help in time of trouble!
He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
And we can take that promise to the bank!
God is not a man that He should lie.
Listen, the storms of life come to us all, but as born again believers, we have a blessed hope!
We can and should possess joy in the very midst of fiery trials.
Why because Jesus is in the fire with us!
The Bible never said we wouldn’t be tried, but rather to rejoice when we are!
Why? Because if we will just hold on, keeping our trust on the Word of God and eyes on Jesus, we will come out stronger, cleaner, and closer to God than ever before!
I want to encourage us all today!
This starts right now, by filling up on the Word of God.
We don’t have to be caught off guard or ignorant of the devil’s devices.
The clouds can give way and the rain can come, but it doesn’t have to wreak havoc in our lives!
We can rest safely in the ark of God’s promises knowing right well that this storm will pass and we will come across to the other side!
With Jesus in our boat, we don’t have to fret!
With Jesus at the helm, we don’t have to worry!
With Jesus as the captain and bishop of our souls, we don’t have to be discouraged, but rather we can be the ones encouraging those around us!
Is it one of them days?
Be encouraged! His mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness!
There is coming a day when we shall see Jesus!
He will not just be the Jesus from sunday school either!
He will be the same Jesus who spoke to the sea and commanded it to be still!
The same Jesus who cast the demons out of the deranged man!
The same Jesus who called Lazerus from the grave!
The same Jesus who walked on water, walked through walls, walked through crowds both angry and praising Him!
The same Jesus who took my punishment, took my cross, took my beating, took my nails, took my death, took my sin!!!
The same Jesus who split wide the grave, snatched the keys to death, Hell, & the grave from the wicked one, and ascended into Heaven!
The same Jesus who was, is, and ever will be the Only One worthy to open the book or even look upon it!!
The same Jesus who will one day split wide the Heavens riding victoriously and galliantly on a white horse and the brightness of His coming will cause all those who deny and reject Him to be vanquished in a moment!!!
The same Jesus who will one day beckon each believer to Himself, to His throne, and it is there where we will be in awe of His majesty, of His beauty, of His magnificence!!
It’s there where we will be humbled, broken, and comforted!
Where He will wipe the tears from our eyes, place our hands in His side, His hands and feet, reminding us once more the price He paid for us!
It is there where we will be face
to face with our Savior, our Lord, our King!
It is here where we will receive the rewards for the things we did on the earth in His name, through His power, for His glory!
The soul winner’s crown will be placed on the heads of those who boldly shared the gospel, who in the face of opposition, told the truth anyway, gave hope anyway!
The soul winner’s crown!
The symbol for all eternity given to those who couldn’t wait to give away what they had so freely received!
The soul winner’s crown!
The prize for all eternity given to those who realized their goodness waned supremely in the face of the Most Holy!
Jesus!
The Lamb of God!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah!
The alpha, omega, first, last, beginning, and end!!!
The only way, truth, and life, the only One who laid down His life for me, for you!
He will place that crown upon my head and I will be so happy, so full of joy, so thankful to have shared Him with others, to have been given the honor of sharing Him with others!!
What an honor! What a delight! What a thrill!
To place the hand of another into the hand of Jesus!!!
To see the eyes of a sinner receive light!
To watch as chains fall and hope comes alive!
What an honor!
The soul winner’s crown!
There is nothing on earth that compares!
No trophy, accolade, or certificate can match it or even come close!
Man’s prowess, praise, and promotion falls
so fall short, it’s not even in the same category, the same universe!
To hear the words of Jesus, Well Done!
What a joy! What a sight to behold!
What an honor!
The soul winner’s crown, the symbol for all eternity given to those who dedicated their lives to sharing the Good News!
Not for rewards, not to be seen, not
for promotion!
From a heart won over by the Master!
Changed by the Master!
Beckoned by the Master!
Humbled and broken, laid bare before the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Rescued and redeemed!
An act of worship, to give away what you have freely been given!
A heart alligned with the heart of the Father!
To see others as He sees them!
To be burdened with the hopelessness of others, to see them as sheep without a shepherd, lost, alone, and afraid!
To be spurred by Love, dri
‘He Tuk Tuk His Sin Away!’
by joshua scott zeitz
While on a mission trip in Honduras, I had the honor of walking the streets of a village with Pastor Mark Simpson and Brad Weink!
On our way back to the local church, a young man drove up in a tuk tuk, a motorcycle of sorts used to give people rides.
We flagged him down and greeted him, “Hola!”
We handed him a small piece of literature that shared the gospel in Spanish.
Pastor Mark loved on him, and invited him to the church service we were having that night.
We began to walk on and the Lord impressed upon me to speak with him some more.
I asked Pastor Mark, (who is awesomely fluent in Spanish and was serving as the interpreter for us) let’s go back and talk some more with this man.
We did.
As we began to speak with him, another young man and woman approached the vehicle wanting a ride.
We waved them away for a moment so we could finish speaking with the man.
They graciously gave us the time!
I shared with him the gospel!
I told him, “You are out here giving people rides, and that is very nice of you!l
“We are out here offering you a ride to Heaven through Jesus Christ!”
I told him what Jesus did for him, how Jesus suffered and died for him!
Then I said, “I want to play a game with you!”
“Let’s pretend you stole this tuk tuk.”
“You know you took it!”
“We know you took it!”
“The police know you took it!”
“They are here now and they are about to arrest you.”
“How great would you feel, if I stepped in and said arrest me instead?!”
“Jesus did that for you and me!”
“He took our punishment!”
That young man said yes to Jesus on a dirt road in a village in Honduras, sitting in a tuk tuk!
Jesus is alive!
He still saves, heals, and delivers!
He tuk tuk that man’s sin away!
Before leaving the young man, Pastor Mark loved on him some more and gave him a large tip!
He told the man, “You were gracious to give us your time and listen to us, so we wanted to give you this money!”
The man was visibly moved!
Right as we were leaving the young man and woman who originally wanted a ride came and got a ride!
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13 KJV
‘The Missionary’s Burden’
by joshua scott zeitz
Seeing an extreme need, watching people line up to receive bags of food and clothing, watching them run up hoping they can get anything at all we might have left over…
Having to turn people away because the food has run out…
Hearing children ask, “Can you take me home with you?!”
Watching grown men stumble down the street, drooling, eyes glazed from drug abuse…
Hearing stories of how mothers have their children sniff shoe glue to quiet them, to stave off their hunger pangs…
To watch women sob uncontrollably while receiving hugs knowing right well they haven’t been extended this show of affection perhaps in their entire lives!
Listening to the heart cries of men and women as they pray for their families, and their villages, crying out to God!
Watching the transformation of a heart before your very eyes, seeing joy come alive in them for the first time after hearing and accepting the good news of what Jesus did for them!
Listening to a person proclaim, “Jesus left me!”
Seeing the look of despair and hopelessness in the eyes of beggars, mothers, and children…
Watching a young girl draw water from an outdoor basin of rain to rinse off for church…
Seeing the passion and zeal of the Lord in the eyes of pastors and church leaders who desperately need help but have received very little!
To sit and be served food by ladies in a village knowing they have very little to offer!
To see so much need and so few workers!
To watch as men, women, and children worship the Lord with all their hearts, lifting their hands and dancing before Him!
To hear the gratitude and see the beaming smiles of people as they receive whatever they are given!
To feel the weight of the call of God,
To be emboldened with might to proclaim His Word only to weep moments later humbled in His presence as He asks for another piece of your heart!
To cry, to laugh, to sing, to be bold, to be quiet, to be broken, to be poured out, to be filled up…
To be overlooked, to be forgotten, to be praised, to be recognized, and to not…
Come what may, the missionary’s burden remains,
To go!
To go!
To go…
The Gift of Jesus!
“The Gospel in a nutshell”
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
Jesus is God.
He has always been God.
He created us in His image and likeness.
He placed us in the garden to tend and to keep it, with one stipulation, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We ate it.
Sin entered our world, but more importantly, our hearts.
That sin brought death; separation.
Sin separated us from God.
God came from Heaven to Earth, through the virgin Mary.
He was given the name Jesus, as prophesied in scripture.
He was fully man and fully God.
He came for one main purpose, to lay down His life for the sin in our hearts, the sin we committed.
But first, He grew in wisdom and stature before God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and mankind.
He was tempted at every point we are but did not sin.
Because He committed no sin, He was able to take our punishment, to take our sin upon Himself, on the cross.
He was beaten beyond recognition.
After the excruciating torture He endured for us, He was hung on a cross to die.
The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”
He became a curse for us.
He did this for the joy set before Him, for us, to buy us back from sin.
He so loves us!
We have all sinned.
That sin separates us from God.
Jesus paid the price for our sin.
He shed His blood for us.
He died.
After He died, He went into the heart of the Earth, into a place called paradise or Abraham’s bosom.
After three days and three nights, because He was there illegally, because He committed no sin, but was merely paying the price for our sin, God raised Him from the dead!
With His mighty right hand, He pulled Jesus out of Hell and as Jesus came up, He brought all those in paradise with Him.
He led captivity captive!
He then came and showed Himself alive to over 500 eyewitnesses, including His own disciples.
He even allowed Thomas to place his hands in the nail prints and the hole in His side from the spear He took on the cross.
After this, He ascended into Heaven, while His disciples looked on.
Before leaving, He told them to wait for the promise of the Father in Jerusalem.
The promise was the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did a tag team handoff with the Holy Spirit, who came to reside within the disciples and all believers, to empower them and to be with them, to be their God!
We are now officially bought back from sin, should we choose to accept the gift Jesus died to give us.
The Bible calls this gift eternal life, to know Him intimately and personally, to have our name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, to be forgiven of sin, to be given a new heart, to be adopted into the family of God!
He then comes to reside with us and in us and will never leave us nor forsake us!
He is coming back.
Soon.
Are you ready?
He so loves you!
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
The One Day Challenge!
Have you ever caught yourself saying or thinking something along these lines, “One day I will…”
Fill in the blanks.
Perhaps, “One day I will lose weight!”
“One day I will write a book!”
or, “One day I will run a marathon!”
These three are just for examples, but honestly, these are three examples that hit home for me personally!
If one could earn a living by procrastinating, I suppose I would be quite the wealthy man!
Listen, we all have coulda, shoulda, woulda’s, but if we are being completely honest with ourselves many of the regrets in our lives can be equated to saying or thinking along the lines, “One day I will…”
Be encouraged and challenged today!
Rather than, “One day I will,” let’s begin by taking the One Day Challenge, and as the name implies, begin today!
Begin today by taking the necessary steps to reach the goals and fulfill the vision the Lord has given you!
Don’t have a vision?
Don’t fret.
Simply spend some one-on-one time with Him today, and ask Him, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
Granted this can seem to be a daunting task, but take heart, the Bible says, “The steps of a good man or woman or child are ordered by the Lord.”
God isn’t in the business of overwhelming His children.
But He does ask us to do things at times outside of our comfort zone, outside the parameters oftentimes we set for ourselves and for Him.
Why?
Because He so loves us and wants to see us grow, thrive, and get better, to be more like Jesus!
He longs to bring us life and it more abundantly and this begins by surrendering our steps to Him, our day to Him.
How?
Just as it sounds, by starting small, one day at a time.
Rather than falling back on the norm, “One day I will,” let’s begin taking the one day at a time challenge and begin today doing the steps He provides!
When God commands, He empowers!
He isn’t going to ask you to do something He hasn’t already given you the strength and resources to complete.
Granted you may not see them yet!
You may not feel strong, but the Bible says, “Let the weak say they are strong!”
In other words, because He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, we can trust Him.
We can take a step out of that boat and trust that although we may not see or feel His provision, it is there!
His grace is sufficient!
Have you ever heard the saying, “how do you eat an elephant?”
The answer: One bite at a time!
Listen, writing a book or running a marathon may or may not seem insurmountable to you, but know this: it takes persistence, patience, and practice to accomplish these tasks or whatever other tasks the Lord has laid in front of us.
One step at a time!
One day at a time!
What do you say, saints? Let’s stop making excuses and begin taking steps!
Let’s stop saying, “One day I will,”
and begin today!
You ever felt like you were living your life on the sidelines? Like everyone else was passing you by and you were just helpless to watch…
If so, be encouraged!
You are not alone!
Today I want to draw our attention to a lady in the Bible who suffered with an issue of blood for twelve years!
Think about that for a moment.
Talk about someone who not only felt her life was on the sidelines, she was, discarded by society, an outcast and to top it off she had this issue of blood that caused her to be quite ill.
The Bible said she had exhausted all her efforts and monies in doctors.
That means that she really wanted to be free from her malady but couldn’t.
She was stuck.
I am sure her illness caused all manner of horrible side effects, both physical and mental.
By the time Jesus showed up on the scene, this woman was in a state of absolute desperation and thought to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of His garmet, I will be healed!”
Now if you remember the last devotional about the man whom Jesus cast the demons out of, he went into the whole area spreading news of Jesus, of His amazing power, and this woman, I am sure, heard all the winderful things!
She was expectant!
She had, what I like to call, her expectacles on!
She was ready to receive of the awesome power she had been hearing of and whats more, she needn’t bother Jesus, but only to touch His garments!
What faith!
What desire!
What gusto!
We could all do to get just a fraction of that gusto!
Listen, in our walks with the Lord there are going to be many times when our lives feel as though they are on the sidelines, like everyone else is prospering and we are simply stuck.
Dare I say it even, there may be times when our lives feel useless, pointless, and simply a burden to live…
Be encouraged today!
It’s in these moments when we, like the woman, need to draw close to Jesus like never before!
We need to come with our expectacles on to recieve of His amazing grace, His power, His strength, His courage, His peace!
We cannot empty Jesus of His power, we can’t drain Him!
He loves to be interrupted!
In the story above, He stopped, and in the very midst of all those people about Him, pushing, pulling, and vying for position, He felt power leave Him, He felt someone coming not to simply be seen or heard but to recieve!
God is a giver and He loves to bless His children!
“Jesus Sent Him Away…”
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
Luke 8:38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
God sees the end from the beginning. (See Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 22:13)
He is the great I AM! (See John 8:58)
He never changes! (See Hebrews 13:8)
What does all this mean?
He is not bound by time like we are. He created time, the moon, the sun, and the stars!
He supersedes time!
That is awesome news for us as believers.
Why?
Because He is able to see into our future, keeping us from danger and also providing opportunities for us, that should we obey Him, will benefit us greatly!
Don’t misunderstand however, God is not some genie in the sky, nor is He a fortune teller or soothsayer.
He is however, Almighty!
And because He supersedes times and loves us, He so desires to bring opportunities our way to obey Him and reap the benefits!
The opening passage of scripture mentioned above recounts the man with whom Jesus cast the demons out of into the herd of swine.
Before doing so, Jesus asked the demon what its name was and the demon responded, “Legion.”
The man had many demons within him!
It was a miraculous and marvellous feat that Jesus did to be sure.
Later on the man is said to have come to Jesus, wanting to follow Him, to be with Him, like the disciples were with Him, but Jesus said no!
Have you ever heard God say no to you about something?
Listen, when God says no, it’s not that He wants to be a control freak over your life or because He is some cosmic kill-joy!
Rather, it’s because He is trying to protect you and more often than not, trying to get something to you!
Remember the Israelites?
They begged God for a king. Time and again, they begged Him, desiring to be like their surrounding nations.
God wanted to be their king however and told them no.
He warned them what having a man for a king would bring them, nothing but trouble and a lifetime of servitude, but they wouldn’t listen.
So God gave them what they wanted.
They forfeited the blessing of God for a counterfeit, for less than God’s best for them!
When Jesus told that man no to following Him, He didn’t just leave him there. Instead He followed the no with a yes!
Yes, do go back and tell all that has happened to you!
Jesus gave him a ministry. He gave him something that He knew would be far more beneficial for the man and all those the man would impact after.
The man could have gotten hurt or offended, went home and wallowed in self pity, but instead, He took Jesus at His word, trusted Him, and obeyed!
The Bible says that when Jesus returned to that city later on, all the people were ready to receive him!
Why?
Because the man obeyed Jesus and went and told all that had happened to him.
This was the same city where the Bible tells the amazing story of Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead and the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years being miraculously healed!
Had that man followed Jesus instead of getting busy obeying Jesus, that town would not have been near as receptive and perhaps none of these things would have occurred.
Life is connected and God sees the end from the beginning.
Remember, His no is not like our no.
His no is not like the other no’s we have heard in our lives.
“No, you can’t have this job.”
“No, you aren’t qualified.”
“No, you aren’t good enough.”
Whatever the case may be, or wh
‘E = MC Christmas’
“dealing with loss during the holidays”
by joshua scott zeitz
Seeing things from a different perspective is not always the easiest thing to do.
I remember several years ago, I bought my wife a camera for Christmas. It was one of those big fancy cameras with a big fancy lens.
I told my wife and children at the time, to make sure no one touches the lens because if you do, it could damage the camera and it will be very difficult to clean.
I really didn’t know much about cameras, I was more concerned with protecting my investment and didn’t want to see the thing get wrecked!
The next morning I awoke early and grabbed the camera.
I was excited to show it off to my wife by taking some pictures.
I took the lens cap off and was just about ready to start snapping pics of the family when I was dumbfounded!
The shock quickly turned to anger which quickly turned to me going on a rant, asking who it was that touched the lens in the camera after I specifically told everyone not to!
Everyone denied touching the lens.
I was more than a bit upset now and decided to go into the other room to cool off.
It couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds later before the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks and I hurried back into the room where my family was to grovel at their feet, begging for their forgiveness!
You see I had not yet put on my contacts that day and therefore the reason for the so-called foggy lens became abundantly clear!!!
I was a jerk and worse yet, I was dead wrong and a jerk!
I was so sure I was right, but I was sadly mistaken!
In our Christian walk, it can become easy to get blinded by things we are so sure about…
The topic I want to discuss today is loss.
Have you ever lost a loved one?
Have you experienced that first birthday without that special someone?
That first Christmas?
A memory, a smell, a thought triggers you to think about the last moments you spent with that special someone, and it rips at your heart like a sharp dagger!
Losing a loved one hurts!
and grief is not a one size fits all event!
We all grieve in different ways and for differing lengths of time.
And if we aren’t careful, it can be tempting to think that someone else is going to have the same response as us…
This can be especially difficult within many of our church circles.
Perhaps the pastor teaches a message on grief, loss, or heartache and provides an easy 3-step process for getting over whatever it is that is weighing us down…
We take the message to heart applying the steps with fervency and getting over our issue.
We then run into a friend or a colleague from work dealing with a similar issue and we think they should be able to benefit from what we learned so we share quite passionately our 3-step process only to find out that it doesn’t work for the person, in the same manner, causing them and us to become quite discouraged!
Sadly within our church circles, it is all too often easy to spout regurgitated formulas in an attempt to fix the people around us and miss opportunities to love on and share Jesus with these same people!
When we look at how Jesus handled various situations within the Bible, He didn’t employ a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather took time to meet individuals intimately and uniquely!
Whether He was drawing a line in the sand, or placing mud and spittle on a man’s eyes, or having a personal meeting at night with a religious leader He was doing everything led not by emotion or formulas, but rather guided by Love, by His Father!
The Holy Spirit will do the same in our lives if we let Him!
He will comfort us so that we can comfort others, not in the exact same way we were but rather in unique and special w
‘Christmas without You’
by joshua scott zeitz
(inspired by Beth Fox)
The Christmas season is a special time of year for so many people. It’s a time for good food, friends, family, gift giving, and gift receiving.
More than that, it is a special time set aside to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus!
God coming to mankind.
God putting on an earth suit.
God living amongst His creation.
God laying down His life for His creation!
God living in His creation!Immanuel - God with us!
However, the Christmas season is also a time when hopelessness and loneliness run rampant.
Memories of loved ones passed away steal the joy that should be…
Memories of family times together, past relationships, failed marriages, and broken homes choke the life that once was…
Suicides and drug abuse skyrocket.
Heartache and pain,
Tragedy and loss.
Where many celebrate surrounded by family and friends, still many sit alone weeping thinking of the life that could have, should have, or would have been…
Listen, just because that coworker, friend, family member, or complete stranger smiles and says Merry Christmas doesn’t mean they have hope on the inside.
It doesn’t mean they don’t go home alone, afraid, crying out to God, to anyone who would dare to listen!
In our Christian circles, we say things like “Keep your eyes on Jesus!”
“Don’t focus on the storm!”
“Don’t allow the cares of this world to steal, kill, or destroy you!”
Sadly, however, these are simply pipe dreams for so many!
Attempting to tell the man who just lost his wife to keep his head up and focus on Jesus or the single mama raising three kiddos on her own to simply let go and let God is not so easily attainable!
For those of us on the outside looking in, the answers may seem easy to grasp but we must never forget that the people we are attempting to “cure” with our one-liners and Christianese are on the outside looking in as well and the view can be quite daunting!
Many people feel outside the bounds of normal society.
They feel isolated, alone, and ostracized - either by choice, chance, pain, or addiction.
Many people are looking at those around them wishing their lives could be different but lacking any real vision, plan, or future, they lack the hope to carry on!
I want to encourage you today!
If you are hurting,
If you feel alone,
If you feel like no one cares,
If you are dealing with the pain of losing a loved one,
If you are dealing with the agony of being cheated on, abused, or betrayed,
I want you to know today - God Loves You!!!
He cares!
He laid down His life for you and more than that He suffered for you!
Jesus knows what you are going through!
You are not alone!
Perhaps you know someone who is hurting this Christmas season.
Instead of simply telling them God loves them, show them!
Invite them over to dinner, take them shopping, wrap your arms around them and love on them with the love of Jesus!
Listen, Christmas time is special for sure. It is a time to focus on Jesus but more than that it is a time like no other to BE like Jesus!
Whatever you are going through, whoever you are, please hear my heart when I tell you that Jesus loves you so much and He doesn’t want to do Christmas this year without you!
John 3:16
“For God so Loved the World, He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him would not perish but have everlasting life!”
I want everyone listening to me right now to do something very special.
I am going to say that Bible verse again but this time I want you to put your name in there!
I will use my name to show you how, but I want you to use yours.
It looks like this:
“For God so loved Josh that He gave H
‘Walk Again’
joshua scott zeitz
Years ago I had a Pastor recount what it feels like sometimes to follow the Lord…
He said it felt at times like being ripped through a keyhole backwards!
Imagine that!!
Now I know what you may be thinking,
I thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace?!
I thought He came to bring us life and it more abundantly?!
And you would be correct!
Jesus encourages us to run to Him, to lay our cares at His feet, He said come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest!
However, if we are to be completely honest with ourselves - how many times have we shirked that invitation?
Gone off and done things on our own?
Gotten ourselves into a heap of trouble before finally coming to our senses, heads held low, crawling back to God, pleading with the Lord to help us out of the same mess once again?!
We have all done it! We’ve all been there!
The truth is sometimes, it hurts to follow the Lord - it hurts our flesh, our feelings, our pride!
We want to do things a certain way and He asks us to do things differently!
We settle into a routine or habit, and He asks us to break that habit!!
We get comfortable, and He nudges us out of those comfort zones!
Its in these times when our Christianity feels anything but flowery and blissful, but always remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
He doesn’t need to change, nor does He!
He is always for us!! no matter what change He is trying to bring about in our lives, its always with the best intentions - to bring about peace, hope, and life!!
He sees the end from the beginning!
BUT!!
what about the times when we are walking with the Lord closely and yes although there are some things that we could certainly tweak (we are always growing and learning) it just feels like life isn’t fair, like everyone else is succeeding but we are stuck in the same spot?!
It’s like someone has pulled the rug out from under you?
there you were one minute walking, talking, feeling good, enjoying life, and then BAM the rug is snatched from under you!
Suddenly you are on the ground and everyone is standing over you, looking down on you. They are not helping you up, but rather telling you why you are down there…
Dare I say, some of them want to see you stay down there!
Whether real or perceived it feels like the whole world is against you!
You ever been there?
I have!! and let’s be honest, it hurts!
Before long it gets harder and harder to get up, to want to get up, and eventually you find it easier to just stay down…
Listen, life isn’t always fair.
But can I give you some good news today?!
Jesus is!!
Sometimes people want to do us harm, they want to see us fail, they want to do us dirty!
Maybe they are doing it on purpose or maybe not…
the enemy is always trying to do us wrong, his sole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy!
Again I want to encourage you with good news!
We are not ignorant of his devices! The Bible says no weapon formed against us shall prosper!!
If God be for us, who can be against us!!
If you are in a season of having the rug pulled out from under you right now, please be encouraged, you are not alone and there is One who wants to see you get back up, to succeed, to do exceeding abundantly above all you could ask or think according to the power in you!!
I want to end with this today: you may be down, but you are not out!
You may be in the midst of a messy chapter right now, but the book isn’t over!
The rug may have been pulled, but you are not a victim, but rather a victor!
You are MORE than a conqueror!
Again life isn’t always fa
Have you ever heard the expression, “no rest for the weary?” this is meant to showcase a person’s tireless commitment to a project or work of some kind and on the surface, it sounds good…who doesn’t like a go-getter?! a person who exemplifies great ambition or passion towards a thing….
to drive home this point further, perhaps you have heard these expressions, “working myself to the bone,” or better yet, “I’ll rest when I get to Heaven!”
I don’t know about you but just listening to those statements makes me tired!
Listen, the Bible is chock full of wisdom principles commanding us to work, to put our hands to the plow, to sow, to not grow weary, and so forth, but I am so glad that the Lord doesn’t work us tirelessly to the bone dangling a carrot on a stick offering reprieve and rewards one day in the sweet by and by only!
Instead, listen to the words of Jesus and what He wants to give us now: Matthew 11:28 says, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest!”
in John 14:27, He says, “my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives…”
again in Hebrews 4, He encourages us to enter His rest!”
Proverbs 3:24 talks about laying our heads down and our sleep being sweet!
Psalm 23:2,3 David writes this about His walk with the Lord, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul:
So what do we get when we put all of these scriptures together?
Simply put, The Lord doesn’t want us working to the detriment of our souls, our lives, or our families, He wants to give us rest, providing us our daily bread.
in this manner we will not get overwhelmed or overworked trusting daily in Him, relying daily on Him to lead us, direct us, and order our steps…
Here is a very simple biblical principle to keep in mind meshing well john 15:5 & Philippians 4:13:
Without Him, we can do nothing but through Him, we can do all things!
Instead of seeing how much we can get done on our own apart from Him, He wants us to do what we can in Him and allow Him to bring the increase!!
what are some practical ways we can do this?
The Bible says we hold this treasure in earthen vessels. These leak, crack, and break, and therefore need daily care…
Jesus is called the author and finisher of our faith, the bishop of our souls!
Just as we would take a watch to a watchmaker or a car to a mechanic we need to take our souls to Jesus!
It really is that simple and it shows Him how much trust we actually put in Him to be the Lord of our lives instead of attempting to have Him be copilot to our plans and schemes, our castles in the sand!
Listen, God can do in a moment what we cannot in a lifetime!
Therefore, it would be far better for us to trust fully in Him!
He can make a way where there seems to be no way!
He is the master of turning beauty from ashes!
He is a restorer, a healer, a fixer, a turner, a raiser of the dead, a bringer of life, hope, and lasting Peace!
He is not the was or the will be, but rather the I AM - an ever-present help in time of trouble!
He is a strong tower!
He never fails and He will never leave us nor forsake us!
He wants to give us rest!
The question remains, however: will we let Him?!
Will we allow Him to have His way in our lives?
Will we trust fully in Him?
We will labor to rest in Him daily?!
I want to encourage you today and leave you with a line from a poem I wrote some time ago:
Are you tired from the travel?
Wearied from the fight?
To Him belongs the battle,
He makes all things right!
Put your trust in Him,
His promises are sure.
He’s reaching out with kindness,
He’s knocking at the door!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott
Last week we saw clearly the ultimate act of Love - Jesus laying down His life for us!
We saw clearly that we were well worth the cost to Him!!
That is awesome news!
This week, I want to encourage you once more by turning the tables, helping us see that Jesus is worth the cost to us!
Listen, a relationship is a two-way street!
He laid down His life for us, to buy us back, to bring us into fellowship with Him, to bring us into a relationship!
therefore What should our reasonable response be in light of that?!
To lay down our lives in service of Him!
I want to take a moment and meld together some passages of scripture to help drive home this point more clearly, to help us see and understand this amazing revelation:
Isaiah 53: 3-6 (KJV) reads as follows, talking about Jesus
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Again speaking about Jesus this is Romans 5:6-8 (KJV)
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
One more time, talking about Jesus, Philippians 2:5-8 (KJV) reads,
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
If I could wrap all of these verses into one sentence to help you see even more clearly it would look something like this:
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!
He laid down His life for you and for me!
Why?
We are worth the cost!!
In light of that awesome news, what should our response be to Him?
Romans 12:1 reads as follows:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21 KJV
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 KJV
“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 KJV
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14 KJV
Why do I spend my life chasing after Him? Giving Him praise?
Cause He chased me down, Bought me back, from death, Hell, & the grave!
He is worth the cost!
Until next time, remember, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Worth the Cost!
Have you ever heard the term superficial?
What does it mean?
Better yet, what does it mean to be superficial?
It refers to something that is skin deep, just below the surface, or shallow.
What does this equate to in everyday life?
Sadly, many of us go through life and we only experience skin-deep or shallow interactions with people.
We, in the western world, call this small talk.
Unfortunately, so many of us go through life wearing so many different masks, holding people at arms’ length.
We do this for a number of reasons.
Some of these reasons are:
- Perhaps We don’t want people to see our mess!
- Perhaps We don’t have time or don’t want to make time to build and garner deeper relationships.
- Perhaps We have been hurt in the past and our experiences tell us to guard ourselves very closely!
- Perhaps, dare I say, we only want a select crowd or a select group of people to see us, or get to know us more…
- Perhaps we see people as ends to a means, a promotion, a sale, a client, a church member, a volunteer, a cog in the machine of our making…
The list goes on and on…
whatever it is that keeps us from venturing further than simple shallow conversations, one-liners, and small talk,
I want to encourage you big time today with this:
Jesus didn’t do that with us!!!
That is awesome news!!
He didn’t simply sit on His throne, and send us a memo letting us know our worth to Him,
He got in our mess!
He gave up glory to be born as a baby, to become a man, to suffer, to endure temptations, mockery, and ultimately the most excruciating death…
He did that for you and for me!!
And the Bible says He did it for the joy set before Him, that joy again being you and I!
A chance to know us! To go way beyond the shallow and superficial!
To know us intimately and personally!
I love the Lord!
He knows everything about us.
The Bible says He knows the very hairs on our heads!
You ever feel unworthy?
You ever feel unloved?
You ever feel like just another number?
Be encouraged today! You are God’s favorite! He loves you with everlasting love!!
He didn’t see us as simply valuable, something to invest in, He valued us immensely to pay the highest price possible, Himself!!
valuable is something we say with our words, it’s superficial…
A new purse or nice pair of shoes could be considered valuable based solely on their price tag, but if we never pay the price on that tag, for whatever reason, we can never truly say we value those items…
Someone counted them valuable, because of the high price, but only a select few people truly value those items - the select few that actually pay for them!
Listen, Value is something we show with our actions!
Jesus didn’t just see us as valuable, even though we had a very expensive price on our heads!
That price tag was so high because of sin!
It separated us so far from our creator!
And even though we were made in His image and likeness, even though we were so valuable because of that, no one was able or willing to pay the price…
No one actually valued us…
But Jesus did!!!
The King of kings and Lord of lords!
The alpha and omega, the prince of glory Himself, laid down His life for us and showed us what we meant to Him, He showed us our value!!
I want to end today’s encouragement by reading Psalm 139.
Allow the Word to wash over you today and know for certain that you are worth it!!
and remember until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Freely Give, Freely Receive!
God is a multiplier! The devil is a divider!
But don’t get it twisted, they are not on level ground.
God reigns Supreme as Master Creator and the devil is known as the father of lies, he is a perverter and twister of things already made!
God has always been! the devil is a created being.
Without God, the devil would have never existed, and without the devil, God has always been!
God is the great I AM and the devil is the saddest has been.
You see the devil was created perfect, given free will, and put on assignment until iniquity was found in him. After that Jesus said he saw satan cast as lightning from Heaven!
God has always been, without beginning or end - He is alpha and omega, first and last!
He sees the end from the beginning!
He supersedes time & space!
He created the moon, the stars, and the sun!
He formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him, the breath of life!
This notion of good vs. evil, of light vs. dark, is simply not true!
Evil & darkness exist in the absence of good & light, not the other way around!
In other words, the devil is a defeated foe already!
Jesus has conquered death, hell, & the grave! and in Him alone, is eternal life!
Why is it so important for us to know these truths?
Because when we get a revelation of just good God is, how powerful God is, and how great our God is, we can know for certain that no test, trial, or temptation has the ability to thwart the plan of God in our lives!
The Bible says, what can separate us from the love of God?!
I want to answer that for you today with a resounding encouragement, NOTHING!
When you get that once and for all, down in your heart, it will empower you to want to draw closer to God, to want to be like Him!
Listen, the enemy to try and derail the plans of God, but he knows he can’t.
So what’s the next best thing? To try and derail God’s children. If you are a born-again Christian, that is you!
But I have more great news for you today! As long as we stay connected to Jesus, in steady fellowship with Him, the devil can’t touch us! Evil cannot overtake us!
I want to share with you today one practical way to remain in constant fellowship with Jesus,
freely receive and freely give!
The Bible puts it like this: He is the vine, and we are the branches.
When we stay connected to Him through daily Bible time, daily seeking Him, we position ourselves to daily receive from Him, and then when we go the next step and daily give away what He has freely given us, it opens our hearts, it broadens our tents to receive more from Him!
This is how the kingdom of God works! He is a multiplier!
As long as we try and keep to ourselves the things He is pouring into us through His word, we will have an invisible barrier over our lives. We will only be able to go so far.
Why is that?
Because God is a giver, and He wants us to be like Him, to be givers as well!
This is the way He set it up!
He did not create us in His image and likeness to be hoarders, to be spiritually fat.
He created us to be givers, to be spiritually fit!
This starts by first staying connected to Him, the Vine, and then continue giving away what He continually gives!
The devil wants to convince you that this is counter-intuitive, but remember he wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy!
Jesus on the other hand wants to bring you life and it more abundantly!
Be encouraged today!
What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
Freely you have received, therefore freely give!
In Christ.
Joshua Scott Zeitz
It is inevitable, that whenever I talk about the goodness of the Lord or His love, someone always messages me and asks, “What about the wrath of God?!”
Listen, I get it!
We look out into the world, we turn on the news, we go to work even and it is clear that people need Jesus!
And many of us would want nothing more than to have God step in and take care of the mess that we see all around us!
But today I want to give you some encouragement!
I want to provide you with hope beyond the scope!
Have you ever heard the expression, “Failing to see the woods for the trees?”
Simply put, this means that oftentimes it can be difficult to see the bigger picture - in this scenario, the woods, because we get so hung up on the things around us, right in front of us, the trees if you will!
There is no doubt, that this world has gone crazy.
But, this world has been crazy for a long time. And Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever has been here all the while providing peace, power, grace, and hope to whosoever will receive it!
We don’t have to allow the world and its troubles bog us down!
We don’t have to be swayed by this or that virus that arises!
We don’t have to be shaken by this or that bad need report!
Do we hide in the sand? No.
Do we hide in our churches? No.
Then what’s the answer?!
We seek Jesus daily, allowing Him to be our source.
If all we do is focus on the wrath of God, the judgment of God on those around us, we will miss the many opportunities to be like God to those around us!
There is coming a time when all things will be made right when all things will be made even and just…
But until that day comes, I want to encourage you to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling!
Going before the Lord every day, seeking Him with your whole heart, and asking Him to create in you a clean heart, to be a vessel He can use to reach the world around you!
When we do that, He will bring us up where He is, giving us proper perspective, an eternal mindset, and we won’t be consumed with the cares of this life but rather, we will have hope beyond the scope - a hope we can freely share with others!
Until next time, remember what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
More Than You Know!
Do you want to make an impact for Jesus?
What is your story? Where has the Lord brought you from? What has He done in your life? What kinds of thinking patterns did you have before the Lord and now after? What has life been like since deciding to follow Jesus?
These are just a few of the questions to ask ourselves when faced with the looming question, “What do I have to offer?!”
I have great news for you today!
More than you know!
If there is one thing I know for sure about the Lord - He still saves, heals, and delivers to the uttermost!
He is not in the business of entering our lives tossing a lifeline to us and then disappearing.
He is in it for the long haul!
That is amazing news!
He said He would never leave us, nor forsake us!
The Bible says that He becomes the Bishop of our souls, the Author and Finisher of our faith!
So what does this equate to in relation to what we have to offer others?
Short answer: EVERYTHING!
When we walk with the Lord, He does a complete overhaul of our lives from the inside out!
Listen, you don’t have to have some crazy testimony…
For example, you might not have been strung out on drugs, robbing banks, or stealing cars before Jesus found you.
You might not have lived some wretched life of sin for years, burnt all your relationship bridges, or gone through some super traumatic event that left a huge scar on your life, or maybe you did…
Whatever the case may be, Jesus is still the same yesterday, today, and forever!
If you know Him, If you have fully surrendered your life to Him, He has done a work in your life, and He is continuing to do so!
He is light!
He is truth!
He repels any darkness and dispels any lie!
So I ask again, what has He done in your life?
These are the things you can share with others!
Freely we have received, therefore freely we should give!
No matter your financial status, your job, your living situation, your church home, your political affiliation, no matter the color of your skin, or your gender
Pick a thing!
It doesn’t matter!
You have more to offer than you know because you know the One who transcends all of those things!
His name is Jesus and He wants to use you to impact the lives of those around you!
What has he done in your life? What gifts and talents has He given you?
Share those things with others!
When you do, you will be amazed at how He will begin to multiply those things in your life!
Perhaps you have been feeling stuck? Like nothing, you do truly matters?
Perhaps you have been seeking purpose in your life?
The solution is simple: Start right where you are with what you already have!
It's way more than you know!
I want to encourage you today!
Write down what the Lord has done in your life. Write down some of the things He has blessed you with…
Then begin prayerfully seeking the Lord on how you can share those things with others!
What we make happen for others, God will make happen for us!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
Welcome to a reading of Rags to Riches: A Story of God's Unfailing Love! I wrote this book in 2018 and I am excited to present it to you! Thanks so much for listening and please let me know how this book impacts your life!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Chapter 1 of Rags to Riches: A Story of God's Unfailing Love (2018)
You can purchase this book here:
copy and paste this link into your browser or smartphone
https://www.amazon.com/Rags-Riches-Story-Gods-Unfailing/dp/1983821292
This is chapter 2 of Rags to Riches: A Story of God's Unfailing Love (2018)
you can purchase a copy of this book here: simply copy and paste the link into your browser or smartphone:
https://www.amazon.com/Rags-Riches-Story-Gods-Unfailing/dp/1983821292
Adam and eve are the prime examples of what it means to not know what you have until its too late!
they had everything! and had they abstained from partaking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, replenished the earth like God commanded them to do and eaten from the tree of life they would have ruled millions upon millions and billions of people, they would have been second only to God Himself!
They had everything and yet to them, they had nothing!
They were blinded! In this day and age of social media and comparison christianity we have the opportunity to look about us in the blink of an eye and see all that everyone else has and we say things like, “I wish I had what they have!”
“I wish I had their life!”
“I wish I had their stuff!”
Why?
Because we equate stuff with success!
We equate beauty with success!
We equate quantity with success!
We look on the outside, but can I encourage you for a moment and tell you emphatically that God looks on the heart!
He doesn’t look at our bank account or our job title! He doesn’t look at our house or the size of our television!
He doesn’t see through the filters provided on instagram, snapchat, or facebeook!
He looks on the heart!
He see behind the veil!
He sees where no one esle is able to see and He speaks directly to the God-given, God-induced, God-inspried potential on the inside of us!
He speaks to the waves and they obey Him!
He tells dry bones to live and they must obey!
He is the resurrection and the life!
He is alpha and omega!
He sees the end from the beginning and He calls those things which be not as though they are!
His qualification system is so much higher amd different than ours and if He can’t find someone humble enough to take the position, He will use a donkey to get the job done!
If He can’t find the right person for the job, He’ll go out in the lowly fields where sheepherders are!
If He can’t get us to stop comparing ourselves amongst each other puffing out our chests in spiritual pride, He will gather a measly 300 men led by a cowardly young man to slay an entire army!
As we endeavor to embark upon 2022, I think it’s about time we give credit where credit is due, that we stop worshiping at the feet of mankind and giving all our praise to those who have zero power to provide our needs!
I think its high time we stop lifting up men and women so high on pedastals of pride because of their job title, their social media footprint, or their abiltiy to read a script and return to the basica of lifting up the One who os worthy of the Highest praise!!
I say it’s time to give honor to the One who laid down His life to give us life!
To begin honoring the men ans women who honor Him! Who give presendence to the poor and the needy, who sacrifice day in and day out to bring the gospel to downtrodden and the hopeless!
The Bible puts it this way: if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves I will heal their land!
What do you say saints? How about we boycott riding the curtails of people succeeding in this worldy realm and realize once and for all that this place is not our home! We are strangers and pilgrims passing through!
We are citizens of Heaven! We have so much more than meets the eye or that we are able to showcase on social media!
Our real treasure lies within our hearts, within our families, within the relationships that we forge while on this journey together!
It’s not about amassing stuff and being a somebody others can adore, it’s about laying down our life on a daily basis, picking up our cross, and following the One whom all will one day adore, Jesus Christ!
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“Full Circle”
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4) KJV
You ever had things happen in your life only to have them happen again later on down the road?
I’m not talking about de ja vu moments, but rather bigger things, some of them life changing things or at the very least memorable events?
I call these full circle moments and I have seen a few of these come and go.
For example, I was radically saved while in jail almost 20 years ago now. I spent much time on the wrong side of the law, either locked up or doing things which merited being locked away.
Fast forward a few years after getting born-again and I took a position in a maximum security prison for juveniles as a correction officer.
I spent a year working with numerous juvenile offenders, some quite violent and/or on a fast track to prison. In essence I came face-to-face with the old me.
Another full circle moment, albeit a bit more positive, I met my wife fresh out of jail while serving at a Bible college.
I worked in the kitchen first before taking the role of janitor, responsible for cleaning the entire campus.
I would sweep the halls near her classroom where she watched the little children during the afternoons.
I found ways to sweep the same hallway numerous times just to peer in the window!
Fast-forward to today and my wife and I own and operate a professional cleaning business!
These full circle moments while at their inception may seem trivial or insignificant, BUT given some insight and wisdom from the Lord we can begin to see how He uses them as the perfect training ground to help us grow in certain areas whether it be humility, character, work ethic, or so much more.
Listen, God is purposeful!
He never does things willy-nilly. (Yes that is a word, I think)
He will use situations and events in our life to not only train us, grow us, and prepare us, but also to heal us, ready us for His service, and ultimately strengthen our resolve and solidify our foundation.
In other words, if we will allow Him to mold us and pune us during these pivotal times, we will be able to say, “Aha I have seen this before and I know God brought me out of this already, therefore I have confidence He will do it again!”
Or better yet, we could say, “God has brought me out of this already, therefore I can help this or that person find their way out as well!”
Can you think of any full circle moments in your life?
I challenge you to embrace them!
Rather than say, “this? again?”
Say, “This! Again!”
And know for surety that God’s got this! You are gonna come out on the other side, faster, stronger, wiser, and better able to help those whom He places in your path to help!
You are more than a conqueror through Him!
Remember, until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Immanuel”
by: Joshua Scott Zeitz
Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the world
Darkness loomed large
sin was unfurled
lonely & lost
empty & broken
the state of our souls
til Your Word, it was spoken!
first to a girl, then to some shepherds,
then to some wise men
who readied their treasures
You could have just done it,
You could have just came,
but You stepped in our mess
You called us by name!
from Adam and Eve
who sinned in the garden
to Moses the grinch
whose heart you unhardened
to David who lied, murdered, & cheated
to Mary, a woman, tormented with demons
to a wicked young man,
twisted with fear
to my wondering heart in a jail did appear,
the Hope of mankind
in a babe had come near!
Forget the coal
We all deserved Hell
What we got was a baby,
Immanuel!
God with us this Christmas,
this story to tell,
how Jesus split Heaven
and gave up His throne
For a chance at God in us,
our hearts, His new home!
Let’s celebrate Christmas,
with this as our plea,
to worship the One,
who hung on a tree!
who laid down His life,
with the greatest of care,
To be with us always,
a love story to share!
Merry Christmas!!!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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It's Christmas Eve! Enjoy!
“Immanuel”
by: Joshua Scott Zeitz
Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the world
Darkness loomed large
sin was unfurled
lonely & lost
empty & broken
the state of our souls
til Your Word, it was spoken!
first to a girl, then to some shepherds,
then to some wise men
who readied thier treasures
You could have just done it,
You could have just came,
but You stepped in our mess
You called us by name!
from Adam and Eve
who sinned in the garden
to Moses the grinch
whose heart you unhardened
to David who lied, murdered, & cheated
to Mary, a woman, tormented with demons
to a wicked young man,
twisted with fear
to my wondering heart in a jail did appear,
the Hope of mankind
in a babe had come near!
Forget the coal
We all deserved Hell
What we got was a baby,
Immanuel!
God with us this Christmas,
this story to tell,
how Jesus split Heaven
and gave up His throne
For a chance at God in us,
our hearts, His new home!
Let’s celebrate Christmas,
with this as our plea,
to worship the One,
who hung on a tree!
who laid down His life,
with the greatest of care,
To be with us always,
a love story to share!
Merry Christmas!!!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and miss divine opportunities. Taking time to slow down will not only benefit us personally but also open up chances to bless others with the love of Jesus!
Merry Christmas,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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This is part 2 of our Christmas special, showcasing the importance of keeping an eternal perspective always to stave away the "wintertime blues." Jesus said He will never leave us nor forsake us, so we don't have to sink into the muck and mire of discouragement after the Christmas celebrations have ended. We can be like David, and bless the Lord at ALL times!
Thanks so much for your love, support, & prayers!
Merry Christmas,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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This episode kicks off our Christmas 2021 Special all about returning to the basics of Christmas! Enjoy & Thanks so much for your prayers and support!
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“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Revelation 22:17 KJV
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13 KJV
I sure do love the Lord! One of the many things I love about Him is how inclusive He is.
His call has always, and will always be to the whosoever. :)
This means however, there will be people in Heaven whom perhaps many of us thought, “No way!”
Be encouraged, it’s time for another moment of truth...how many times have we caught ourselves thinking more highly of ourself than we ought to?
This can go both ways by the way. It looks something like this, “They have so much money, all those fancy clothes, and nice things, there’s no way they can be living for the Lord!” or “Did you see their house? Their clothes, they don’t even have a job, there’s no way they can be serving the Lord!”
There are SO many points of division that we use to divide ourselves, separating the “spiritually elite” from the “depraved of faith,” that it would take quite a long time to try and sort them all.
Listen, all I know is this: I once was lost, but now I’m found! I once was blind, but now I see!
I love how Paul worded it in 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
You see Paul understood something that we can all learn from, he understood the depravity of his own soul before his encounter with Jesus! He understood the grace of God!
The Good News is this, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever still saves, still heals, still delivers, still sets and makes the captive free, still makes one whole, and His call is to the whosoever!
If He can meet a man named Saul on the road to Damascus, on his way to imprison Christians, and completely transform him from the inside out, don’t think for a moment He can’t or won’t do the same for the person whom you have in mind right now that perhaps you have been thinking, “They are beyond saving.” :)
Be encouraged today! The very people who come against you, that fight you the hardest at every turn are the very people whom God is working on the most! Why do you think they fight you so much? So don’t lose hope! You keep giving, loving, encouraging, sharing the Good News, being a light, and allow the Lord to do what He does best!
Listen fellow Christians, our job is not to expose dirt on people, fault-find our fellow believers, compare ourselves amongst ourselves, tell people how bad they are, speak the judgement of God over people’s lives, and so forth...
Our main job and priority should be showing people how Good God is, speaking words of encouragement, giving, sowing good seeds, lifting one another up!
There is so much darkness in the world, and just as God didn’t step out into the expanse of darkness in the Genesis account of creation and say, “Wow, it sure is dark,” we shouldn’t either! No, “He said let there be light!” So too we oughta do the same! :)
You will catch flak for doing so. People will call you names, perhaps even threaten you, belittle you, try and tear you down, but always remember you are in good company!
I leave you with this, the words of the very “whosoever” whom Jesus radically transformed on the road to Damascus!
Paul writes,
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Je
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“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence and boldness he will get up and give him whatever he needs.”
Luke 11:8 AMP
I must admit, this is the part of the A.S.K.ing I have had the most trouble with in the past because I always felt as though I was somehow missing it if my prayers didn’t get answered right away. It looks something like this, “Well I didn’t get what I asked for, so it must not be God’s will...”
Then, after letting that doubt creep in we begin swallowing bigger lies thrown at us from well-meaning people and even ourselves in most cases, “Well you know God will provide your needs, just not your wants...”
Keep on going down this line of reasoning and we might just end up with the biggest whammy of the bunch, “You know God works in mysterious ways...”
And then bam! One day we wake up and our receiver is completely broken! :)
Be encouraged today, I have great news for you! Jesus Himself said, keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking!
Listen, the Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
The Bible says, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 AMP
Again, “The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry, But they who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.”
Psalms 34:10 AMP
All throughout scripture, we find God providing our needs and wants and we have learned already that when our hearts are full of the Word of God, we know that even our wants line up with scripture! :)
Therefore, the problem is not with God or whether it’s His will, this would however be the easiest path to take because it takes all the pressure off of us! :)
Can I tell you some more good news? The pressure was never on us anyhow! All the pressure remains on the Word and it is well able to stand the test of time and any doubts we may possess.
In other words, no matter if we receive from it or not, the Bible remains true! No matter our experiences, the Bible remains true! No matter what we believe or don’t believe, the Bible remains true!
So where does this leave us?
The Word of God is His will! :) Therefore if it says, I can have my heart’s desires if I delight myself in Him, then that’s the final Word! And if I am delighting myself in Him and my experience is I am not receiving my heart’s desire, this is when doubt tries to creep in...
Don’t let it! Keep on keeping on!
Knock!!!!
Persist!
The Bible puts it this way, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:13 KJV
Listen, we live in a material world, but our battle is not with flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12
We don’t always see what’s truly going on around us, but I can tell you this, the thief comes not but for to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and it more abundantly! John 10:10
Therefore, keep sowing good seed, keep giving, keep putting the Word of God in, keep going to church, keep tithing, keep encouraging, keep praising Him, keep praying, keep reaching out to others, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking!
Don’t you quit! The Word of God is alive, “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 AMP
It doesn’t matter what you
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“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV
Several years ago my dad, brothers, and me were playing hide and seek out on my grandma’s farm. It was getting dark and the places to hide were vast and many.
After the count we all scattered and went our separate ways. I proceeded to scurry underneath the electric fence and circle back around to where we started. I went inside the house, scooped myself a heaping bowl of ice cream, sat down, and watched television! :)
Technically, we never said the house was off limits, but I certainly didn’t give anyone a fair chance to find me!
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t do that to us?
Granted we do have to search for Him and we do have to scour the Bible at times for the real treasures, but He isn’t sitting back eating ice cream and laughing at us! ;)
When it comes to seeking in our spiritual lives, this is what I like to call the “oomph factor.”
It’s one thing to attend church once a week, listen to the Pastor rattle off his three points and a scripture and then go home forgetting most of everything he talked about.
It’s something entirely different to get up in the morning and have the kind of gusto mentioned in the Psalms, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so does my soul thirst for you oh God!” (Psalm 42:1)
What about when Pastor Jim Frease says things like, “Bible before breakfast,” and one takes him to heart with the passion of Job, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.”
(Job 23:12) NKJV
Listen, the devil hides things from us - he is sneaky, conniving, manipulative, and mean, but the Lord hides things for us! He wants us to prosper in every area of life, but sometimes we have to show some oomph if we want to see things come to pass in our lives.
In other words, He’s not going to do everything for us! :)
For example, and we have had to learn this the hard way and are still learning it: God uses people to get things done, but if we isolate ourselves continually from the very people God is trying to use to bless us how are we going to receive that blessing?
Another example, God likes to set up divine encounters where we can be the answered prayer to someone else’s heart cry, but if we are always worrying about ourselves, scurrying through crowds with our heads down, self-consumed, how are we to be the answered prayer? In essence, the Bible says, “Give and it shall be given...” The Lord is trying to provide opportunities for us to give, but when we are too “busy,” we miss those chances...
Be encouraged today, God is not a one-stop shop! He has no sign in His store that screams, “You break it, you buy it!”
No, He is full of compassion and He is ok with us failing, falling, and faltering. The key is to never give up, get back up, and seek Him with all your heart!
One last thing for today, here’s a quick test to see where your oomph factor lies:
The Bible says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45 NKJV
Go ahead, give yourself a check-up from the neck up - if the things that are consistently coming out of your mouth are filled with negativity, complaining, doubt, worry, fear, anything that you wouldn’t repeat if Jesus or your Pastor was in the room, then that’s a sure sign that your heart is low on the Word.
Easy fix: Fill up on the Word!
Begin to seek after it with all your Heart! Put God first! Seek Him daily, make it a habit!
This is
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“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
John 14:13-14 KJV
Wait! What? It seems too good to be true!
Let’s allow scripture to speak for itself today :)
“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will [instead] give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake?
If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.”
(Matthew 7:7-11) AMP
*Why then am I not receiving what I am asking for?
“You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires.”
James 4:3 AMP
*How do I avoid doing this? In other words how do I make sure my motives are pure?
“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.”
Matthew 7:12 AMP
Hello Everyone! If you have stuck with me today you can see that I have allowed scripture to speak for itself, and this is how it should be! :)
Be encouraged today! God’s Word is His will and it’s packed with so many awesome treasures just waiting to be found, but it’s gonna take some tenacity, courage, and digging on our part to glean from it especially when faced with opposition from the enemy.
Listen, the enemy wants only to steal, kill, and destroy and he wants to have his followers do the same. However, Jesus wants to give life and it more abundantly and wants His followers to do the same!
Don’t be mistaken, God and the devil are not equals, not even close! Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” (Luke 10:18) He is a defeated, detoothed, de-clawed foe!
However, if he get get your mind off the Word of God and over into the land of doubt and disbelief, he can get you to believe just about anything.
Therefore, it is imperative, especially in these crazy times we are living that we immerse ourselves in the Bible!
Then we can have the confidence to know that we are walking in Love and will in fact receive whatever we ask for in prayer!
It really is that simple and if you are struggling with the simplicity of it or if you are struggling with believing it, you just need to spend some more time with Jesus!
Come on saints! Let’s show the world how good God is by developing an intimate walk with Him! When they see us asking for stuff and then so freely giving it away - thats when they are going to be the most receptive to gospel!
Keep on asking, believe you recieve it, and walk in love!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Once Daniel received the vision, he could have gotten puffed up with pride, went before the King in arrogance, demanded the death of everyone except he and his companions, and took credit for what God alone deserved.
But he didn’t do any of that. Instead he gave God all the glory, praising Him and thanking Him in a most magnificent way! (Read Daniel 2:20-23)
Daniel sought first to save the lives of all the wise men of Babylon and then he was brought before the King regarding the King’s dream.
Daniel made no attempt of hiding the impossibility of the King’s request, but declaring boldly, “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets…”
Listen to Daniel’s amazing and humble response to the King:
“But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because my wisdom greater than that of any other living man, but in order to make the interpretation known to the king, and so you may understand fully the thoughts of your mind.” (Daniel 2:30)
In other words, It’s not about me King! God wanted to make this dream known to you and he allowed me to know it, but I am not the wise one here, He is!
Wow! There is so much packed within these 30 verses and we can glean so much from how Daniel responded to the situation, how he wisely sought counsel from his companions, how he wisely sought counsel from the King’s bodyguard, how he wisely sought time to interpret the dream from the King and so forth…
However, what I want to draw attention to is how he wisely humbled himself before the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Listen, no matter what you are facing today, God is good and He is good all the time! He desires to make things known to us! He does not hide things from us, but rather for us!
The way to unlock and unveil the things He has for us is by being humble. Humbling ourselves under His mighty hand, under His Word is the key to bringing about His wisdom, favor, and knowledge in our lives!
No matter what you are facing today or in the future, make a habit right now of putting Him first, of acknowledging Him in all your ways, of surrendering your life, your thoughts, to Him!
And then, give Him all the glory when He comes through and works the impossible in your life!
Listen, Daniel could have gloated and take credit for the vision, but how long would that pride have carried him? What happens when the next thing arises? The next dream? The next challenge? Who is he going to call on then now that he has spent all his time riding the waves of past successes puffed up with pride?
It is imperative that we live in that realm of humility before the Lord! As Pastor Jim Frease says, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but rather thinking of yourself less.”
Take some time today to seek the Lord with all your heart! Put others first, seek to serve rather than to be served and watch how God shows up in ways you never thought possible!
He loves to show out on the behalf of the humble!
Until next time when we delve further into the life of Daniel and his companions, please know that I love you all so much!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; And a man of understanding shall unto wise counsels: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
(Proverbs 1:5,7)
In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel and his three companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah spent much time being prepared for what was to come in subsequent chapters. Remember thus far we have learned that preparation time is never wasted time and a man’s gifts will bring him before great men!
At the beginning of chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams which highly troubled him, to the point that he called for his crew of magicians, soothsayers, and astrologers to make the dream known to him.
However, there was a major twist that they were not expecting. He not only asked them to interpret the dream, but also to tell the King the contents of the dream without him telling them! In other words, he asked them an impossible thing!
The entire fleet of magicians, soothsayers, and astrologers, not able to give the King what he desired, were sentenced to death. However, Daniel heard of the decree of death and sought wisely to speak with the man given the charge to carry out the sentence.
After hearing about why the King was so angry and sought in haste to kill everyone in the magic school, Daniel implored of the king some time in which he and his three companions could reveal to the King both the dream and it’s interpretation.
Listen to what Daniel and his three companions did:
“Then Daniel returned to his house and discussed the matter with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, in order that they might seek compassion from the God of heaven regarding this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:17,18) AMP
Notice Daniel and the three didn’t run to their books, their scrolls, or rely on their learning in any manner. Instead, they ran to God, the One who can make all things possible, and sought His help, His compassion!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…
The secret was then revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night! What an awesome God we serve!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.”
Proverbs 18:16 KJV
Oftentimes, the Lord will mold us and make us in the secret place. This molding process can be quite painful at times and it can seem to last forever.
It’s during these times when the Lord is preparing us for what is to come. If we will allow Him to do His work, we will come out on the other side stronger, faster, and better equipped to do that which He has for us!
It’s during these times when it may seem, feel, and appear that we are of little or no value in the Kingdom of God, but do not
be deceived! God is not mocked! Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. :)
Listen, if we will let the Lord have His way with us during these times of pruning and molding, remaining in the refiner’s fire, we will be given many opportunities to sow awesome seeds in times of famine and drought!
When everyone else around us is focusing on this or that, the Lord may have us doing things, that in the natural may seem counter-intuitive, but make no mistake about it, He is good and He is good all the time! He is purposeful!
The things we do in times of lack will either set us up for great success or cause us to miss opportunities of great harvest.
It is imperative that we learn to be like Daniel...to continue to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in the very face of what may appear to be impossible odds!
I know it may seem like I am speaking in riddles, but if you are in a season right now where it feels like you are being ripped through a keyhole backwards, you will relate! :) Take heart! Be encouraged, the Lord is the author and finisher of our faith and He will never leave us nor forsake us!!!
Stay in the fire! It’s here where our character is being built! It’s here where our souls are being renewed! Keep allowing the Word to wash over you daily!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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The intro to the Daniel Series!
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Pastor Jim says it all the time, “If you lose your why, you lose your way.” And so I wanted to take a moment to let you in on a piece of my why...
My older sister tells me stories of how I was given alcohol as a very young child as a means of encouraging me to walk.
I have 3 siblings (that I know of) - we all
had the same drug-addicted mother, but different dads.
There would be times when she would leave my younger brother and I locked in our room all morning long while she slept off the night before. We urinated and deficated on the bedroom floor.
Sitting for hours sometimes in nothing but our diapers, we would rock back and forth against the door chanting, “let me out, let me out.”
I do believe she loved us in her own way, I mean she even gave us all Christian names, she wasn’t purposefully trying to abuse us, but her drug addiction caused her to neglect us.
When I was 3 or 4, the police showed up and took me and my younger brother to an orphanage for abused and neglected children. That was literally the name of the place.
Fast-forward a few years within the “system,” and after having gone through various mental, physical, and sexual abuses my brother and me were adopted.
Fast-forward several more years and I am at a youth retreat with my older brother and our adoptive mother. Up until this point, I had done a very good job at bottling and plunging down all the abuse from my early years.
I came forward to receive Jesus as my savior! I wept. My brother wept. My mom wept. Up until this time our relationship was a rocky one and she had high hopes that this would be the catalyst to turning that all around.
After that weekend retreat was over, I lay on my bed thinking of the events that occurred. The more I thought, the more I realized the extent of the decision I had made and I didn’t like it.
That night I made the decision to turn my back on Jesus, on Christianity, choosing rather to follow the things of the world.
For the next 5 years I delved into a darkness like no other! There was very little wickedness that I would not allow into my life.
At the age of 19, I sat on an over-crowded jail house floor, strung out, hopeless, angry, feeling alone and mad at the world - at myself, thinking to myself, “how did I get here!”
I hated the person I had become!
For whatever reason, I decided to read a book. It told the story of a man who found forgiveness through Jesus
and suddenly,
I was face to face with the One whom I had run from five years earlier! I was face to face with the One who I mocked and made fun of when I was high, strung out on dope...
The same scared little boy screaming let me out, let me out!!!
I was face to face with the Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords ever so gently saying, “Let me in, let me in.”
All I could do was say yes! That day, on that jailhouse floor, I received Jesus as not just my savior, but my Lord!
He radically transformed me, making me a new creation that day!
I’ve made a lot of stupid choices in my life, and even during my Christian journey, but there is one thing that I know for certain:
God is not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
I sure hope this has encouraged you! No matter what you are facing today, please know that God loves you with an everlasting Love!
In Christ,
Joshua Zeitz
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8 NKJV)
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And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:24,24
You ever notice how many different hats we wear? You may or may not wear a physical hat, but what I’m talking about are the various roles each of us plays.
Some of us are parents, siblings, grandparents, employees, bosses, teachers, students, the list is endless. The point is, we have many different roles to play.
You ever find it difficult to switch between them?
For example, we go to work and we are around different people. We go to church and yet another differing crowd. We go home and we are with the family. We go here, there, and everywhere on any given day, on any given week, and it can be quite overwhelming at times keeping up with it all!
As we endeavor to walk with the Lord, being a light to those around us, how do we keep from becoming one way in front of one set of people and another way in front of another set? How can we become more consistent in our walk with the Lord and in our witness for Him?
Here’s one great way:
Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:2,3
Of course, this is easier said than done at times and it is going to take having our minds renewed to the Word. However, if we will, on purpose make it a habit of focusing on things that truly matter on a consistent basis, it will keep us both consistent and focused.
By doing this, we don’t have to fret about what crowd we find ourselves in because we are always on the lookout for someone to encourage, bless, and uplift in way or another.
Sometimes this can equate to bigger things like leading someone to the Lord, or praying with someone, but it may also include simply being a listening ear, spending time with someone, offering a hug, a smile, a small word of encouragement.
Listen, we don’t have to be in full-on ministering mode all the time. We can relax, have fun, kick our feet up, take vacations, enjoy various entertainments, and we can do it all as unto the Lord! Always ready at any moment to give an answer for the hope we have on the inside! :)
By renewing our minds to the Word of God, gaining a consistent eternal outlook on life, and being ready always to give an answer to the hope of Jesus we have, we can wear 1,000 hats and still be a light in each one!
Be encouraged today! No matter what roles you have on the agenda today, you can do them all as unto the Lord.
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.”
Psalms 37:23-24 AMP
I love Psalm 37 because it reminds us where to keep our eyes, on the Lord, and not on other people, especially ungodly people - those who seem to be prospering in everything, but aren’t living for the Lord.
Listen, when we follow Jesus there are going to be times when we will be tempted to jump out of the fire of God’s Word! It hurts and it’s uncomfortable to our flesh (our carnal desires), but don’t lose hope!
The Bible says in Galatians 6:9 not to become weary in well-doing! If it says not to, then there is a real threat of doing it! :)
How do we avoid growing weary? By allowing God to order our steps.
As my Pastor says, “We live in a microwave world, but we serve a crockpot God.”
In other words, we tend to want things right now, but God would rather us be properly prepared to receive. Why?
He wants what is best for us and if we got everything we ever wanted right away without ever having to work for it or attain the character to hold onto it, it wouldn’t be long before it was lost, damaged, stolen, or worse it consumed us!
Be encouraged, God is for you, not against you! :)
He wants us to have good things, but at the same time, in our journey to know Him more, we must realize that things are just things, but a relationship with Him is priceless! :)
Just as growing a bank account, business, muscles, and the like take time, diligence, patience, work, and so too does our relationship with the Lord!
Getting to know the Lord is a life-long pursuit! It never stops! What a joy it is to serve alongside the Master, to do life with Him!
I want to encourage you today! You might not be prospering in every area of your life today, you may even feel like certain areas will never get better, that they are insurmountable, but take heart! We serve a God who is touched with our infirmities! He sees your weakness and He calls you anyway! He sees your struggles and He wants to know you anyway! He sees your mess and wants to know, will you allow Him into that room? The one you have been hiding all this time?
It won’t happen overnight, it will take work, it will be step by step, but through the power of God’s Word and intimacy with Him, that room can be made new, that room can be used to bring glory to the Highest! :)
Don’t ever feel ashamed, we are all a work in progress. Allow the Word of God entrance to every area of your life. Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that He is for you always!!! :)
In our journey to know Him more, in our journey to winning souls to the Kingdom, the more we surrender to Him the better prepared we are to handle whatever life throws at us and the better witness we are able to be to those around us! :)
Remember, when the fire of God’s Word is burning away the gook and the grime, you are not alone! There is another in the fire! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14 KJV
It can be so tempting to measure our so-called success by various things like follow counts, likes on our social media feeds, monies in our bank account, cars in our driveway, clothes in our closet, people in our circles, the list goes on…
The truth is, Life doesnt come with a handy dandy progress bar and unfortunately it can feel at times like we are taking one step forward and three or even five steps back!
Do you remember the parable of the talents that Jesus shared in scripture?
Notice that the lord of the house didn’t compare the investees amongst each other but rather to themselves.
In other words, the person with one talent wasn’t compared in value and worth to the person with five but rather he was simply expected to do something with his one!
This is how it is in the Kingdom of God!
The Bible says, God says, we have all been given a measure of faith and its not how we stack up after this life to one another that we will be judged by, but rather what we did on an invidiual basis with that which God has entrusted to us!
That’s awesome news!
God is not a respector of persons, but sadly people are! And dare I say it, people within the church very much are!
One of the most dangerous things we can become a part of is comparison Christianity.
This leads to all sorts of offense, bitterness, pride, and inward battles of self-worth!
Listen, today I want to encourage you and I not to get our eyes off the One who truly matters!
each one of us is on our own personal journey with the Lord and yet each one of us make up the whole body of Christ!
That means that not one single individual is better than or more important than the other!
This can be hard to grasp at times, trust me I know this! And if we try to guage our success, our progress in the Lord by social media, by the people who either accept or reject us, by our positions in the church, then we are going to be let down big time!
We are going to be continually grasping at straws, grasping at the wind!
Instead, my challenge for you and me today is this: be like Paul and forget those things which are behind and look forward toward the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus!
What is our highest calling? It’s something we all share as belivers, sharing the Good News with others! Enouraging and loving on others!
These are the things that we should be out doing, Jesus called it the Father’s business while on earth, and its something we can and should all be busy doing!
when we get busy serving others, loving on others, encouraging others, we wont have time to track our supposed progress in the Lord or compare ourselves amongst ourselves - we will simply be too busy doing the Word to notice or even care!
Be encouraged today! You are who He says you are!!!
Until next time, remember: what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3 KJV
My awesome pastor, Pastor Jim Frease, says, “If you are always the smartest person in the room, find another room.”
Listen, before I came to Jesus, before He changed me, delivered me, gave me a new heart (one that possessed new desires and a love for God and people), I was so full of pride and arrogance! In essence, I was the “smartest” person in the room because my room consisted of well, me.
It was a horrible room I know until that is Jesus stepped into it and I saw myself as I truly was, a miserable sinner devoid of life and in need of a Savior!
The Good News is this: I am no longer that wretched sinner, I have been redeemed! I no longer identify with that old man, I am a new creation! He didn’t simply clean up my old heart, He gave me a new one!
I want to encourage you today! The most humble thing you or I can do today and every day is to purposefully place ourselves under the Word of God! This is true Biblical humility and this is the place where God can mold us and make us into the person He wants us to be, the person that is the most successful and prosperous!
I love the way this truth is illustrated in 1 Peter 5:5-7,
“Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], BUT HE GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”
Keep in mind, this is written by the same Peter who rebuked Jesus saying that He shouldn’t suffer the cross. It’s the same Peter who denied Jesus three times! Yet, it’s the same Peter who learned to fully surrender Himself to the Word of God and was radically transformed because of it!
We are blessed to be a blessing and perhaps the first step in this process is the act of humbling ourselves under His mighty hand!
This is what we did when we first came to Christ, we repented (changed our mind, turned from our way of thinking and doing to adopt His), submitted our lives to Him and He forgave us, healed us, and adopted us into His family!
Listen, the more we make it a priority to submit ourselves under the Word, the more we will see that God is for us, not against us! The more we will see that He isn’t trying to take things from us, but rather get things to us! The more we will see that we are blessed to bless others!
This starts with being poor in spirit, realizing our need for Jesus! Without Him, we can do nothing! He is the Vine, we are the branches. He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep. He is the Potter, we are the clay! He is the author and finisher of our faith! He is the Bishop of our souls!
When we learn to submit ourselves to Him every day, by purposefully placing ourselves under His Word, by purposefully allowing His refining fire to burn away the dross (rubbish), the impurities, all the things that keep us back from being more like Jesus, the more like Jesus we will become, and the better able we will be able to share the gospel with others!
Are you struggling with something in your life today? Is there something that keeps weighing you down? Get the Word of God on it, place yourself under it, quote it, think on it, let it consume you instead of that thi
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“It is because of the LORD ’ S lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:22-23) AMP
Moment of truth: how many times in the last month have you gone to the Lord just to simply love on Him?
You ever notice that oftentimes our devotional and prayer times center alot around us and our need for a victory in this or that area?
Granted God wants us to walk in victory in every area of life and the Bible is the core tool He has given us to do just that, but at the same time, He desires fellowship with us!
Think about that for a moment! The same God who gave command to the oceans and spoke to the light and said come forth wants to fellowship with you and me!
Now that’s great news!
I want to encourage you today! Whatever you are facing today, He is more than enough!
Listen, the more time we spend in His presence the less we will want to focus on ourselves :)
The more time we spend with Him, the less we will worry if He hears our prayers.
The more time we spend sitting at His feet, the less we will doubt His ability and willingness to take care of us!
If we will make it a habit of entering His gates with thanksgiving and coming into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4) we will learn how to begin seeing things from His perspective and suddenly the things we thought were so big in scope cower at the brightness of His glory!!!
Be encouraged today! He is for you! Who can be against you?!
He is your Rock and Salvation! He is your strong tower! Run to Him today and simply spend time praising Him! Go ahead, don’t ask Him for a thing, just spend time worshiping and giving Him the honor He so greatly deserves!
We are soldiers in the Lord’s army and this is how we fight our battles! :)
Keep praising, Keep worshiping, and watch as the those walls come tumbling down! :)
He is more than enough!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1 AMP
Something that I used to struggle with quite a lot was beating myself up, not recognizing who I was in Christ. This caused me to constantly go back into things that I had already been freed from because I felt like, “What’s the point? I’m a nobody anyway!”
Pastor Jim Frease said something a little while back that really resonated in my spirit. He said, “I need you to be free.”
“Be free!”
There is so much packed into those two little words! Think about it - if you are asking someone to “be,” then they already possess the tools and resources to do so.
Simply put, “be” means it’s already done!
Be encouraged today, I have awesome news for you, Jesus paid it all on the cross! He didn’t just pay for our sin, He paid for our joy, peace, healing, victory, favor, and so much more! He did His part and our part is to “be” all that He paid for us to be, which in simplified terms is completely free!
Free from fear, free from worry, free from sickness, free from shame, guilt, anger, jealousy, wickedness, addiction, poverty, you name it, He paid it!
Listen, for so many years I struggled with my identity, and even now every once in a while an old thought or demon tries to come knocking, but can I tell you the ultimate and easiest way to be free?
Immerse yourself in the Word of God! Immerse yourself in what He has to say about you!
Did you know that He is always thinking good things about you? :)
Pastor Jim put it like this one time and I am paraphrasing, “If God had a fridge, your picture would be on it! If God drove a car, your bumper sticker would be on it!”
Imagine that! God driving around a minivan with “Father of (insert your name), my beloved!”
It may seem far-fetched and if you are prone to deal with the same things I did and still have to stave off continually with the Word, then you are going to have a tougher time than most seeing yourself as the apple of God’s eye, but I want to encourage you today - you are!
Listen, perhaps you grew up in a home with very little love and affection or positive affirmation and you feel like an orphan most days, can I tell you some more good news?! You have been adopted into the greatest Family there is! You are accepted by the Best, who cares about the rest!
You are who He says you are!
Enough is enough! Draw a line in the spiritual sand today and declare to yourself, the world, the devil, that you are no longer going to allow past faults to define you! You aren’t going to allow the things that Jesus paid for to weigh you down any longer! In Jesus’ name, you have the power and authority to cast them off and be free!
You are not defined by what you do or what you did, you are defined by who you are - a child of the King!
When we immerse ourselves in the Word on a continual basis then what we do, say, and think will begin to line up with the Word and we will walk with a new confidence being able to rightly share the gospel with others because we know who we are, free!
Go ahead, right now where you are, begin to thank Him for what He has done for you! Thank Him for who He is and who He has made you!
“Thank you Lord for the price you paid for me! Thank you that I am redeemed! I am whole! I am healed! I am free! I am yours! I am adopted! I have peace! I have joy! Because of you Lord! Thank you! In Jesus’ name!”
In Christ,
Joshua
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“Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii (200 days’ wages) worth of bread is not enough for each one to receive even a little.”
John 6:7 AMP
“There’s not enough time, money, space, this or that...”
How many times have we caught ourselves saying these things when faced with an obstacle, that to us, seems insurmountable?
The disciples were faced with one such feat when they were gathered on the hillside and Jesus asked them what they should feed the multitude. Philip’s answer: there’s not enough.
And I love how he didn’t just say that, but he exaggerated his answer in an attempt to prove to Jesus just how extreme the situation was as if Jesus didn’t already realize a miracle was needed.
How many times do we do that very thing? :)
We need a new job, help finding a new house or what have you, and instantly we begin to add up the numbers and come to the conclusion of, “Even if this, this, this, and this happens there won’t be enough!”
And then we go to God with our hail mary prayers, “Oh God do you see how impossible this is?”
Listen, Jesus knew all along that a miracle was needed and He knew all along that He was going to take care of the whole thing. He was simply waiting on them to surrender their doubts and offer what they had.
Be encouraged today! God is more than enough! And He is able to do way more than you or I give Him credit for! He isn’t looking for you to somehow figure out all the ins and outs and the details to every single facet of the situation you are in, He is waiting for you to come to Him with what you have with a thankful heart and offer it freely to Him!
“Lord, I know you are able! I know you are willing! I know that you care for me! Here I am, just as I am, I trust in you to take care of me! Thank you, Lord!!!”
Listen, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! His driveway is solid gold! He is Alpha and Omega! He is more than enough!
Put your hope in Him today! :)
Hope is not wishing, it's a confident expectation - Expect Good things today because you serve a Good Good Father!
Expect Good Things today because you are a child of a King!
Expect Good things today because you are adopted into the greatest family in the Universe!
Be encouraged! Don’t look at what you can see or feel, keep your eyes locked on Him and He will make a way where there seems to be no way! :)
Be still and know that He is God!
I love you all so much,
Joshua Z. (Soul Winner)
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“Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”
John 14:27 AMP
Ever feel tired or sluggish during the day like you just need a little extra sleep? I know I do! If I am short one hour of sleep for whatever reason, it messes with my entire day.
Likewise, failing to spend one-on-one time with the Lord is a recipe for disaster. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Bishop of our Souls (1 Peter 2:25), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), When our minds and hearts are stayed on Him, we feel rested, and ultimately we are available to be used by God to bless others. :)
The awesomely Good News is this, we are never alone! When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did a tag-team hand-off with the Holy Spirit who has come to reside within every born-again believer!
This means that we have 24/7 access to the throne of Grace!
What a mighty God we serve! :)
Listen, we live in a world that wants to chew you up and spit you out, but take heart because Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) He said I leave my Peace not as the world, with some twisted, ulterior motive, but as I give to bring you you hope, life and joy!
John 10:10 says it's the thief who wants to steal, kill, and destroy you, but Jesus wants to give you life and it more abundantly!
Therefore take heart today! Run to Jesus! He wants to make you free and fill you up so much so that you always feel rested in Him. It's in this place of rest that you are ready and willing to reach out to those around you!
This world’s got nothing on you when you are rested in Him! :)
***Having trouble entering that rest? Start here: do the 5, 5, 5 (credit to Pastor Jim Frease)
5 minutes of Bible, 5 minutes praise, 5 minutes of prayer.
Don’t be discouraged! You got this! Start right where you are at and do this simple thing - it may be awkward at first, but if you will do this on a consistent basis, over time, you will find that your time in these things will increase and your walk with the Lord will grow by leaps and bounds. You will become rested! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted and return to You.”
Psalms 51:10, 12-13 AMP
One of our favorite family pastimes is watching food competitions on television. After watching several of these types of shows, there’s something strangely wonderful that I have noticed, it’s easy to sit on my side of things and critique the people doing all the work. :)
“Hey, do this or do that! Why are you doing that?!” We scream at the t.v. in a matter-of-fact way as if they can hear us, or better yet as if we could really do any better if placed in their position.
It’s easy to do this very thing in our Christian walk as well. If we aren’t mindful, it can become quite easy to begin pointing the finger at everyone around us telling them what to do, what to believe, how to believe, critiquing them on their faith or lack thereof.
For me personally, this is something I struggled with early on in my walk with the Lord. Simply put, I was rough around the edges! :) This caused me to have a very critical spirit which meant that rather than being able to share the gospel with people, I was more focused on their lack of spirituality.
Listen, Jesus didn’t say go into all the world and tell people how bad they are or go and tell them how lacking their faith is, He said to share the gospel! :)
The best way that I’ve found to do this is by spending time with the Lord! Only when I take the time to reflect on my own walk with Him, allowing Him to mold me and make me am I able to be a viable witness for Him and the Kingdom. :)
The more time I spend with Jesus, the more like Him I become! The more time I spend in His presence, the more like Him I speak and act.
We all have rough edges that need to be smoothed over. Be encouraged today! The Bible is the best refining and smoothing tool there is - allow it to smooth things over in your own life and watch how much easier it becomes to share the Good News with others! :)
Feeling a bit rough today? Don’t be discouraged, spend a little extra time in His presence today! Praise Him. Put some worship music on. Allow the Bible to pour over you. Pray like David did, “Create in me a clean heart...”
What a difference it makes when rather than telling people how bad they are, we start showing them how good God is! (credit to Pastor Jim Frease for that nugget.)
Smooth things over today in your own walk and get out there and share the Good News! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
(Psalms 46:1, 10) NKJV
By a show of hands, go ahead, wherever you are reading this, how many of you have ever rushed into something too fast? Said something you regretted later? Did something you wished you hadn’t?
Oh my! Both my hands and my feet are up! :)
Today, I just want to take a moment and be still before an awesome and mighty God! To acknowledge how good and faithful He is!
Be encouraged today, He is for you, not against you and He cares about every facet of your life!
Yet, how many times do we keep Him at bay until we feel we actually need Him?
It looks something like this, “Okay God, I can handle all the smaller things like this, this, and this, and I will call on you if/when this, this, or this arises.”
In doing so, we try and compartmentalize Him, control Him, and treat Him in essence like a spare tire or genie in a bottle.
Listen, I’m not saying we need to get all hooky spooky, “Oh Lord which flavor of gum do you wantest me to have today...?”
Yet, I am saying this: If we will on purpose practice putting Him first in our decision-making, our spending, our giving, our child-rearing, our work, if we will on purpose begin to allow Him to be involved in more areas of our life, we will find that the “small” things we used to keep Him out of, won’t stress us out near as much!
Take some time today and think about some areas in your life that perhaps you have been trying to do on your own, without truly involving Him, and begin to get scriptures for those areas. Begin to talk to the Lord about them.
Watch and see those areas begin to turn around for the better!
He will be exalted in the Earth! Allow Him to be exalted in your life today! Be still and know that He is God! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24 KJV
Let’s be honest for a moment, we don’t always feel like doing certain things. I know I don’t! :)
In like manner, I don’t always feel God. In fact, I would say more often than not, I don’t.
However, He has promised in His Word to never leave me or forsake me, so which am I to believe? My feelings or the Word?
This may seem like a clear-cut answer and perhaps looking at it in hindsight it is, but how many times when faced with various trials or circumstances do we think, “Where is God in all this?”
Short answer: Where He has always been!
Listen, God’s Word is His will and His Word always supersedes our feelings and experiences.
You may say, “Yeah but I experienced this or that and it was contrary to the Word or this happened and it didn’t line up with the Bible...”
God’s Word is forever settled in Heaven! (Psalm 119:89)
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8)
Be encouraged today :) The sooner we get it settled it is in our hearts that God is not our problem, He is our answer, and that the Word of God is our refuge and fortress the better off we will be.
The key: Keep putting the Word in no matter what! Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Keep on keeping on! :)
If we will do this, then we will be like David in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
The very things that used to bother us, will seem like nothing anymore! The crazy things going on around us won’t faze us! We will have a peace that passes understanding! It’s in this place, a total surrender to the Word where people will look at us and say things like, “I know this or that has happened to you or around you, but how can you have such peace?”
Bam! That’s your door of opportunity to share the gospel! :)
Be encouraged today, no matter what things are looming overhead we can hide under the wings of our Heavenly Father! This blessed assurance comes not from feelings, but from the Word of God!
“Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].”
Colossians 3:15 AMP
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”
Matthew 22:37 AMP
When we rent something vs. own something, our outlook for that something is oftentimes entirely different. What I mean is this: Let’s say I am renting a house, I might do my best to take care of some of the things within it, or without it, but when it comes to the major things, I am going to give those over to the owner. After all, it’s not my responsibility.
It’s easier to negate some of the things that we don’t see as important because we don’t own it.
In like manner, our walk with the Lord can become the same way. If we aren’t careful, it just becomes something we do and not something we truly desire or want to invest in.
If we aren’t careful, we can start doing things like reading our Bibles, going to church, and even giving as a means of doing our part as renters but really leaving the rest up to God. :)
Be encouraged today! Life is not always peaches and cream and neither is our walk with the Lord. In other words, we aren’t always going to feel like serving Him, feel like praising Him, even feel like spending time with Him, but it's in these times when we need to do so the most!
Listen, the enemy wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy us! The way to keep him at bay and us from becoming apathetic in our walk with Jesus is by continuing to walk in obedience even when we don’t feel like it, even when we don’t see things happening, even when we don’t think God is answering our prayers the way we think He should.
Sometimes, we just gotta dig down and say, “Come Hell or high water, I’m gonna walk with Jesus!”
Listen, the “feelings” and the circumstances will line up, but we have to do our part - Keep on keeping on! Don’t give up!
Choose today to love Him and serve Him with all your heart, soul, and mind!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:25-27 KJV
You ever been to a giant amusement park, museum, or zoo? Some of these places can be huge and difficult to navigate, especially if you want to see everything!
For me, I tend to find enjoyment in the simple things and can spend quite a lot of time in one spot, especially the aquarium. I can sit and watch the fish swim for a long time! :)
Granted, it may feel like you aren’t getting your money’s worth if you don’t see every single thing, but sometimes less is more, and there is such a thing as quality over quantity.
In our Christian walk, it can be difficult at times to stay focused. There are so many distractions out there and sometimes within our very own homes.
Listen, the enemy wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy all the time and Jesus wants nothing more than to bring us life and it more abundantly all the time!
However, this doesn’t mean life is going to be all adventure all the time. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet moments, the moments which may appear to be mundane or pointless at first, where we are challenged the most!
It’s in these times of still that it can be easy to lose focus, get distracted, fall back into old ways of thinking and doing, and basically forfeit progress.
Can I encourage you? Don’t give up!
Learn to take accept these moments of mundane as moments to draw closer to the Lord, to grow in character!
Listen, character, and integrity are often built the most when no one is watching except you and the Lord! :)
Allowing Him to mold and make us in the secret place is what prepares us for the public space!
Pastor Jim Frease says, “Preparation time is not wasted time!”
Be encouraged today, just because you aren’t seeing things happening right now perhaps, just because you don’t feel things changing, or just because you may think the Lord doesn’t see or hear or care, He does!
He always does and He always will!
Draw close to Him today! He doesn’t use lots of bells and whistles to get our attention. Most often it’s in the still small voice where our relationship with Him will grow the most and it’s in these times when we are being molded into His likeness!
Learn to love the simple things in life and you won’t need all the other things to make you happy.
Jesus is more than enough! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Psalms 23:5 KJV
Ever tried to carry a cup filled to the top with water or soda without spilling any of it? How about a hot bowl of soup? My first several jobs were in the food industry and they teach you, when you are carrying liquid of any kind, not to look at the bowl or cup but rather to look straight ahead so you don’t think too much about it...
While this may serve you well in the food business, I sure am thankful when it comes to our spiritual lives, we don’t have to take such precautions. In fact the Lord would rather us be so full of Him and His Word that we spill all over everything and everybody!
Moreover, the more full we are on the Word, the less room we have for other things that want to steal, kill, and destroy us like worry, fear, anxiety, doubt, sickness, anger, sin, you name it - the Word has the power to sustain us through it all and bring us out on the other side as more than conquerors!
The psalmist wrote “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 119:11 KJV
Be encouraged today! The Word of God is alive! It is powerful! It has the ability to stifle any temptation, thwart any attack, quench any thirst, fill any void, loose any chain, break any addiction!
Listen, I heard a preacher say one time, “If the devil kicks your bucket, whatever’s on the inside is gonna come out! If there’s a cuss on the inside, a cuss is gonna come out, but if there’s a praise,” well., you get the picture I’m sure :)
The truth is, whatever’s on the inside in abundance is going to come out when the day of adversity arrives.
The storms of life come to us all in one way or another but we don’t have to be caught off guard! When that devil of doubt and discouragement shows up, you can open your mouth wide and let the Word that you have been faithful to put in, spill out and declare with confidence, No Vacancy!
Anger rising? “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to wrath...” James 1:19, No Vacancy!
Sickness knocking? “By His stripes, I’m healed!” 1 Peter 2:24, No Vacancy!
Worry pulling? “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God!” Phil. 4:6, No Vacancy!
Fear gripping? “God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7, No Vacancy!
It’s going to take some time to build up your proficiency at this, but the good news is that you can start today, start right now, right where you are at!
If you fall, get back up, and go again! You got this!
Fill up on the Word and watch it work wonders in your life!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:3 KJV
Ever heard someone say, “God works in mysterious ways?”
While this may be true in a sense, it isn’t entirely true in the context it is usually presented. Sadly, oftentimes expressions like this are used to mean that God does as He pleases and we are left out of the loop.
I have some awesome news however, God desires for us to be in the know as to what He is doing in the earth! In fact, Jesus said to His disciples, and to us by extension, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15 KJV
Listen, the devil hides things from us, but God hides things for us! (Pastor Jim Frease)
Sure we may have to dig a little, but its in the digging process that we develop an intimacy with the Father! After all, that’s the ultimate reason Jesus came to Earth. He didn’t come to simply die for our sins only, although I am sure glad He did! He came to reconcile us to the Father, to bring us back into a relationship with Him!
In essence, once we get born-again, we reserve our table with the Father, one-on-one, a table for two! Now that’s awesome news!
In fact, God says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me and I will answer you and show you things you know not!”
I heard a pastor say one time, “God didn’t sit behind a plate glass window and hand us a prescription for our malady, He got in our mess!”
What an awesome God we serve and He so desires to know you personally and intimately and vice versa! He wants to sit at the table with you!
Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (NKJV)
If it’s been a while since you sat awhile with Him, take some time today! Remember, He isn’t mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
Your seat is already reserved! Come and sit awhile with Him today :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”
Hebrews 4:16 AMP
How many times have we gone to God with half prayers, never truly believing He will answer us to the fullest? We go to Him with outstretched hands begging for something, anything that He can spare.
“God if you could just help me pay this one bill, pay half the rent, buy this old vehicle, please Lord, anything you can spare. I know I don’t deserve it...”
Hearing it like that may sound a bit over the top, but its so true. Many times we find ourselves pleading and begging God for help instead of boldly believing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or even imagine! :)
I love how the amplified Bible words it,
“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,”
Ephesians 3:20 AMP
Be encouraged today! He doesn’t want to help you only with one bill, He wants to provide for all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus! He wants you to have the best!
He is your Heavenly Father and He loves you - more than you could ever dream or imagine! You are ever before Him, on His mind! The Bible says if you were to try and count God’s precious thoughts toward you, they are innumerable like the sand on the seashore! (Psalm 139)
The Bible says, if your son asks you for bread, will you give him a stone? It goes on later to say, so then you, who posess an evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, therefore HOW MUCH MORE will He give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11)
Today, as you go before your Heavenly Father, come boldly before His throne and believe that he is able and willing to do far above all you could ever imagine in your life! He wants to!
His Word is His will! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Runnin”
a poem by Joshua Scott Zeitz
I’ve been runnin from your goodness,
runnin from your grace.
An insult to your mercy,
been runnin from your face.
Runnin from Your presence,
runnin from your ways.
battered, bruised, and broken,
I’ve been runnin many days.
Worn out from the fighting,
Torn and losing pace.
Worn out from this world,
but You were giving chase!
Runnin, runnin,
I’ve been runnin from You!
Runnin, runnin,
I’ve been runnin from You!
I stepped out in the darkness,
and made my bed in Hell.
This world says, “Now lay there,”
but Your kindness never fails!!!
Your promises, unending!
Your Word, it doesn’t change!
One spark to start a fire,
just a whisper of Your name!
I cried out to You Lord,
bound up in my chains.
A prisoner of my making,
bound up in my shame.
This world says, “Now stay there,”
but You remain the same!
You said, “Come out on the water,”
So I stepped out on the waves!
I’m runnin, runnin,
runnin to You!
Runnin, runnin,
I’m runnin to You!
Now there’s Joy in lieu of sorrow,
In You I’ve found my healing.
Strength to face tomorrow,
to You, my King, I’m kneeling.
Oh I’ve tasted and I’ve seen,
Your Goodness is forever.
Beauty for these ashes,
Your presence my endeavor.
Are you runnin, hurtin, lonely,
done things you never meant to?
Come back to the Father,
He longs to forgive you!
No more hidin in the bushes,
for He already knows.
Turns sorrow into gladness,
He’ll make you white as snow!
So the moral of this story,
this is not the end...
If you’re on this side of glory,
you can always start Again!!!!!
I’m runnin, runnin,
runnin to You!
Runnin, runnin,
I’m runnin to You!
Keep on runnin, runnin,
runnin to Him! :)
“So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];”
(Acts 3:19 AMP)
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“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:2 KJV
I’m sure by now you’ve heard the phrase, “Misery loves company,” and oh how true that is! We live in a world that just seems bent on the negative. Everywhere we look, there is so much negativity, and if we aren’t careful, even as Christians, we can build a habit of being negative about many things in our lives.
I’m sure you’ve heard another old adage that goes something like this, (perhaps your parents used to say it) “If so and so jumps off a cliff, are you gonna follow them?”
Listen, just because we live in this world of negativity, evil, and vast godlessness doesn’t mean we have to join it! :)
The great news is this, we are in this world, but we are not of this world! This world is not our home!!!
We have our citizenship elsewhere, in Heaven! What does this mean for us in everyday life? This means that no matter what we face on this earth, we have hope and a future! We are on our way to Heaven, to spend eternity with the King of kings and Lord of lords!
However, our hope doesn’t remain only in the sweet by and by, God wants to bless us now, He wants to provide us with a little bit of Heaven on earth as well! Why? Well, firstly because He loves His children and wants to bless them and take care of them! Secondly, when we are walking in the blessing of the Lord, others see it and want what we have!
Oh sure, at first they might ridicule you or even badmouth you for not joining in their negative hell-bent ways, but eventually, if you will stand strong and refuse to confirm if you will break the mold, they will see Jesus in you and be drawn to what you have!
This is when we, as Christians, are to always be ready to give an account for the hope that we have! This is when we have the opportunity to share Jesus with others!
Be encouraged today fellow saints, you don’t have to be conformed to this world, in fact, the Lord highly discourages that, instead He encourages us to break the mold and live for Him daily!
Have you allowed negativity to trickle into your life in one way or another? The news, politics, sports, health, church gossip, it really doesn’t matter, the enemy will use anything he can to gain a foothold in our lives...
Here’s how to check yourself easily, what’s coming out of your mouth on a regular basis is what’s in your heart. :)
Don’t be discouraged! Be encouraged, take the next right step, and begin today to slam any door of negativity tight! :)
By so doing, you not only break from the mold of this world, but you allow the Lord to shine brighter in your life!
Come on saints, let’s get there out there and spread the Good News!
Let’s on purpose choose to buck this world’s way of saying, doing, and thinking!
We serve an awesome God who is good all the time!
Think good things, speak good things & expect good things! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones.”
Proverbs 3:5-8 KJV
I don’t know about you but something our family doesn’t leave home without is sanitizer!
We take it to the store, to church, to work, out to eat, you name it - we take it!
Today is episode 7 of “Sin Week,” and it’s the grand finale!
What better way to end this special
series than with what I am coining SIN-itizer, learning to overcome Sin with the Son! S O N - That of course being Jesus Christ Himself!
Something my Pastor says is this: When we learn to put God first in our lives, giving Him access to every room in our hearts, we will live more holy on accident than we ever could on purpose!
What does that equate to in everyday life?
It means spending our mornings with Jesus!
and not just our mornings, but inviting Him into every area - our homes, schools, businesses, churches, finances, vacations - everywhere we go!
Listen, I am a Christian first and foremost!
I am a Christ-follower before I am a husband, a dad, a church-goer, a business owner, or a podcast host!
We all wear so many different hats and play so many different roles throughout any given day, but if we are to remain SIN-itized in these last days, it is imperative that no matter where we go, what we find ourselves doing, or who we are hanging with, that we keep Jesus at the forefront of our every moment!!!
Why?
Is it because God wants to control us? Is it out of some misplaced overly religious condemnation? Is it because God doesn’t want us to have fun?
An emphatic NO to all those things!
In truth, for me personally, it’s because I have come to realize that without Him, I can do nothing, but through Him, I can do all things!
I desire to be SIN-itized!
Sensitive to Him and His word and immune to the fiery darts of the enemy!
Listen, I have been kicked around enough during my life without Jesus and even well after because of the things I have allowed into my life.
The more I get to know the Lord, the closer I get to Him, the more I have come to realize my need for Him! every moment, every hour I need Him!
there are many who will say, “That Jesus stuff is just a crutch - I don’t need all that, I’m a self-made this or that,”
but can I tell you something today, That’s a very dangerous place to be!
Now I’m not against being disciplined, exhibiting strong willpower, or showing initiative, but when our lives - our so-called successes are void of Jesus, they are nothing more than castles in the sand!
There is coming a time when we all will stand before the King of glory and He isn’t going to care about how much money we have in the bank, or how many good deeds we did!
He will wonder what we did with His free gift of salvation! What we did to serve others and reach them with the gospel!
Being SIN-itized isn’t about robbing us of fun, it’s about positioning us to give to others what we are freely given by the ONE who is worthy of the Highest Praise!!
Today, as we close out “Sin Week,” my challenge to you and me is this:
Learn to be intimate with Jesus! Love Him with all your heart, mind, and strength!
Listen, sin is fun for a season, but afterward there is Hell to pay!
Don’t allow sin to mold you and shape you, it makes for a very poor and abusive master!
The Good News is this:
We can start right now sowing good seeds, making the right choices, and it starts by gettin
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It’s day 6 of “Sin week,” and at this point, we have covered where sin came from, why it’s so dangerous, why it’s so addictive, and have even shared a few tips on how to avoid it!
Today, I wanted to take a moment to tell you why this topic is so close to my heart.
I have shared glimpses of my testimony on Mornings with Jesus already, and what a powerful story it is, of how God found me in a jail cell and radically changed me!
However, what many people don’t realize (what I never realized) is that sin and the choices we make have a lasting impact!
Sure God can and will deliver us in a moment if we allow Him to.
He will pull us out of the miry pit and set our feet on the Rock!
Yet, the Bible is very clear, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap!
Unfortunately, it took me years to finally begin wrapping my mind and heart around this truth.
I was always of the assumption that I could sin, ask God’s forgiveness, and then just act as if nothing ever happened…
This just simply isn’t the case, and let me explain why…
Life is connected, and the choices we make today will not only directly affect our tomorrow, but also those around us.
For me personally, I had to learn this the hard way.
Before I met Jesus, I was a total mess. I made so many horrible and wicked decisions that followed me well up into my adult years. Decisions that not only affected me on a personal level but also had an impact on those around me, like my wife and children.
Now listen, Before we go any further, let me just say this: The Bible teaches forgiveness for the Christian 100%
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins AND to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness!”
That’s awesome news!
Many of us are also familiar with the prodigal son returning and how the father in the story was a type of God, running to the son and throwing a party for him upon his return!
The Bible says God’s mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness!
So what I don’t want you to hear is that God is in the business of leaving us in our muck and mire and making us find our own way out, He is a redeemer, and He is a God of second chances and a million chances when we return to Him with humility!
With all that said, however, we must not be deceived into thinking that the Bible teaches any sort of slippery grace, the type of grace that says: be you, be happy, do whatever makes you feel good and then simply ask forgiveness later!
This is erroneous thinking and it’s a huge snare of the enemy!
I have had people tell me so many times, “I wish I had your testimony!” or “Wow, that is an amazing testimony!”
My response is this: Yes it is, BUT I would much rather of had a testimony that involved giving my life to Jesus at an early age, learning to listen to God’s voice from day one, and walking in obedience to Him!
The Great News is this:
We can make a choice today to begin sowing good seeds, and position ourselves to receive a great harvest!
How do we do that?
By finally coming to our SIN-ses and kicking sin to the curb!
By purposing in our hearts and minds once and for all that we are done riding the fence!
We are finished with trying to see how close to the edge of temptation we can go without falling in!
Sin is fun for a season, but afterward, there is Hell to pay!
Life is connected!
I’ve made so many dumb decisions apart from God’s wisdom, His Word, listening to my own reasonings and justifications rather than His still small voice,
BUT, Praise the Lord for His longsuffering!! Else I would have been wiped away a long t
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“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
1 Peter 5:8 KJV
Perhaps you have heard the song before?
Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little ears what you ear, and be careful little lips what you say…
Why? Because the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see!
Listen, the enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and as I heard a pastor say one time, he will take you to Hell with a hangnail if you let him!
What does that mean exactly? Well as my Pastor says, “When emotions are high, decision-making is low!”
Have you ever noticed how oftentimes we make the dumbest decisions when we are tired, hungry, stressed, or over-worked?
Why is that?
Because it’s in these moments that we aren’t thinking clearly, it’s in these moments when our minds are foggy and our capacity to make good, solid, wise decisions is hampered, our judgment is skewed.
You ever notice the signs on the road that warn against driving while drowsy?
Being sober and staying vigilant doesn’t just refer to abstaining from getting drunk or high, although this is certainly advisable, especially if we are to be a witness for Jesus!
It also means keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times,
Taking practical steps to avoid and abstain from all appearance of evil.
For example: if we are struggling with fear, but watching horror movies and listening to the news report every night before bed and when we wake up, this is not the way to keep sober and vigilant!
Listen, we have learned already that it’s the enemy who is the twister of all things good and holy, not God!
God has created things holy and wholesome for us to enjoy like food, work, sex, and all sorts of amazing things, but when we seek to use these things to satisfy our cravings only or use them as a means of attempting to make us happy or fill a void on the inside, these things that were once meant for good will now begin to backfire and slowly erode away our souls!
In other words, each one of us has an invisible throne in our hearts, and it can only be occupied by one person at a time!
Either we keep sober and vigilant and allow Jesus His rightful place on that throne, or else we continue to usurp His authority by steadily neglecting intimacy with Him and placing ourselves on that throne…
I know it sounds harsh when said like that, but the Good News is this:
No matter what decisions we made in the past, we have the opportunity to make the next right one!
We have the chance, right now, to bend our knees and surrender our hearts to the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Not because He is some uncaring, unempathetic entity in the sky, but because He, as our creator and as our Father seeks to know us and for us to know Him, and He desires what is best for us!
Therefore, we ought to as good Christian soldiers, stand as SIN-tinels, keeping watch with all diligence, with sobriety for anything that seeks to steal, kill, or destroy!
And remember, life is connected!
So when we guard our hearts by keeping a careful watch over what comes past our eye, ear, and mouth gates, we are also protecting our witness for Jesus to others!
My challenge for you and me today?!
Let’s be SIN-tinels in the Kingdom of God!
remaining sober, staying vigilant, and being a witness for the One who is oh so worthy!
I want to end with an amazing passage of scripture found in Proverbs to further drive home episode 5 of “Sin Week,”
“My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart fr
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“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
I Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
Have you ever felt like you are the only one struggling with a particular thing like you are the only one going through what you are going through?
If so, be encouraged! The truth is, you are not alone!
Today’s episode is meant to uplift and encourage you!
Listen, no matter what you are going through, no matter what you may be struggling with, you are not alone!
If you are born-again, if you are a child of God, He has promised to never leave you or forsake you!
That means that even in the midst of the most trying times, in the midst of the most challenging temptation, in the heat of the battle, He is there, with you, always;
walking with you through the valley, through the fire, and through the flood!
it doesn’t always seem so, however.
Sometimes it feels like no one cares like no one sees, and the weight of the world is pressing in, but be encouraged those are just feelings and they simply aren’t true!
The Bible says God neither sleeps nor slumbers and that He is an ever-present help in times of trouble!
The Bible says, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all!
That's awesome news!
The question remains then, how do we, in the midst of the most trying times see Jesus?
How do we run to Him when everything inside of us is screaming to give up and give up to that temptation?
I have to be honest with you,
Waiting until the moment when lust is knocking at your door is too late.
We must, as my Pastor says all the time, put the Word of God in when we don’t need it, so it comes out when we do!
If we will build a habit of soaking ourselves in the Word every day, we will be well equipped to stand against the wiles of the enemy!
No temptation that has come your way is special or unique, it’s just common SIN-se and therefore it must bow to the power of the Word every time!
So what do you say, fellow saints?
Why not start today basking in the Word?!
The Bible says, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
When that ol’ devil comes a-knockin with this or that temptation, don’t answer the door!
Yes, giving in to that sin may be fun for a season, it may even bring immense pleasure for a moment, but it’s just that - temporary!
What do you say, you and I purpose in our hearts today not to seek the temporal things of this world and instead give ourselves wholly to the eternal things of Heaven!
Until next time, remember: what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
Psalms 139:23-24 AMP
Ever have a hard time letting go of anything?
Something my Pastor says is this: “Whatever we hold back from God, will be a mess, but whatever we give to Him will be a mess!”
By us willingly allowing Him access into the hidden parts of our lives, it will not only keep the enemy at bay, protecting us from his fiery darts, it will also bolster a more vibrant, intimate walk with the Lord!
We need only look at the life of David to see this at work.
David, when he was a young man spent much time basking in the presence of God.
When we read Psalm 23, it gives us a clear picture of his intimate walk with the Lord:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He leads me beside clear waters, He restores my soul!
Later in life, yes David was a man of war and he even committed adultery with Bethsheba and had her husband murdered!
But he repented, he returned to God with all his heart and God called David a man after His own heart!
Today, I want to encourage you!
Perhaps there is an area that you have been keeping back from God?
Maybe it is something you are SIN-timental about…you keep it back from God, from others, and reserve it for yourself only.
When bad feelings come, when bad circumstances arise, you pull it out and use it to console and comfort yourself…
Listen, be encouraged!
You are not alone!
We all struggle with this or that.
The enemy will come along and he will whisper his lies to you, telling you that your thing is special and that it can’t be thwarted, but don’t listen!
We have learned already that he is the father of lies!
Instead, turn that thing over to God, whatever it is!!
For me, for years it was pornography, even after being radically transformed in a jail cell, even after preaching the Word of God, even after marrying the most beautiful and amazing woman on the planet!
I still had SIN-timental feelings toward this one sin, I used it as a crutch, as a scapegoat for the problems of life and yet it was eating me up on the inside!
I didn’t want to do it, but no matter how hard I tried, I kept running back to it and I used every excuse in the book to justify my behavior, to tell myself that it was okay, that I was the exception, but it just wasn’t true!
In reality, it was stealing my joy. It was sapping my strength, and it was destroying my witness for Jesus!
It wasn’t until I finally gave it over to God, exposing it for what it was, SIN, that I truly got victory over it!
I had to delve into the Word of God like never before, find out who I was in Christ - find out that I wasn’t that old sinful person anymore, that I had the power to overcome anything that comes against me in the name of Jesus and with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God!
So what is it that is keeping you back from being a force to be reckoned with in the Kingdom of God?
What is it that keeps you bound to fear, worry, or anxious thoughts?
I encourage you today to be like David and cry out to God: Search me and know me!
And then get ready!
But remember, whatever God reveals, He wants to heal, so let Him!
Until next time, remember: what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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In today’s episode, we are going to pick up where we left off yesterday and answer the question of where did sin come from.
We will also be exploring the question: if sin is so bad, why does it feel so good?
Sin is fun for a season, but once that season is over, there is Hell to pay!
The truth is The enemy only shows you the thrills and the fun, but he doesn’t show you the lasting consequences or how it will affect everyone else!
Satan is known in the scriptures as the father of lies. Jesus said he has been lying since the beginning.
However, this wasn’t always the case. God created him as a beautiful angel.
Listen to these passages in the book of Isaiah and Ezekiel
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV
“Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Ezekiel 28:11-19 KJV
It really is a sad story, but it was in this fallen state that the enemy met Adam and Eve in the garden and deceived them into eating the forbidden fruit.
The Bible says that Eve saw the fruit, that it was pleasant to the eyes, so she took it and ate it and gave it to Adam who was with her.
Now I’m sure at that very moment, the fruit tasted quite delicious, and it did open their eyes to a whole new world - something they hadn’t known before.
But it wasn’t what they expected and attached to it was an onslaught of negative feelings and consequences.
Satan is a perverter, he excels in taking the things that God has created as good and wholesome and SIN-sationalizing them, overloading the pleasure centers of your brain and body but then leaving you with the lasting consequences!
I have struggled with this many times during my life and perhaps the best example I can give is when I was hooked on drugs.
That very first time I got high and even several times after, there were
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“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19 KJV
Today marks the beginning of a very special week here on Mornings With Jesus, which I am calling SIN week: Learning to overcome sin with the Son, S O N!
As we launch off into sin week, it’s important for us to know what sin is and how it got here in the first place.
To answer that first part,
According to the Bible, sin is transgression against the law.
However, the Bible also says sin is not charged against anyone where there is no law.
Now the law did not come about until the time of Moses, but we know that the effects of sin were felt way before Moses, right after Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
They were kicked out of the garden of Eden and so much evil persisted from that time on…
There was so much evil that God destroyed all mankind save Noah and his family in the flood.
With all that said, there seems to be a contradiction at play:
If sin doesn’t exist without the law, why would God bring the law to mankind?
The simple answer is this:
the Law was given as a gracious act of God to show mankind their depravity, to show them their need for a savior! The Law was given to show mankind the reason for the death and destruction that was reigning on the inside of them, of us!
Now I actually posed this question to the Lord and He gave me an awesome illustration to better drive home the fact of how gracious of an act it was that God would bring the law to us.
Let’s suppose you have something lodged deep in your throat, a quack toy of some kind. You have no idea how it got there, it happened to fall in your mouth one day while you were napping and lodged itself there. Ever since that time, when the moment is just right, you make a squeeking sound. This has been getting steadily worse and yet you have no idea where it is coming from or what is causing it!
One day, someone comes along, a doctor, and says, “I think I know what may be causing this, come to my office and let me perform an Xray!”
Relunctantly you agree to go. While there however, the Xray snaps a photo of what is going on inside your throat!
It becomes quite clear that there is something lodged in there! Upon closer examination, you find that of all things it is a small quack toy belonging to your child!
Apparently, while you were napping away in your chair, your child was playing on your lap and stuck this toy down your throat!
Within this story, the child represents Adam and Eve. They were playing around with the toy that God told them not to mess with and it lodged itself deep within the heart of mankind!
The Bible says, by one man’s disobedience, sin entered the world!
But it doesn’t stop there! Although it very well could have. God could have just left us in our mess. After all, we were the ones to forsake Him and His command, not the other way around!
Instead, in His lovingkindness, He came along with His Xray machine, the law, and presented it to Moses, of all people, a murderer wandering in the desert!
What an awesome God we serve, who instead of utterly forsaking us, not only showed us an Xray of what was going on inside of us, the sin problem, but also became sin for us to loose the pangs of death, Hell, and the grave!
In this first episode of sin week, SIN-gular, it is vitally inportant that we realize that God is so kind!
It was a singular act of disobedience that thwarted mankind into the depths of despair called sin, BUT praise be to God Almighty, because it was His singular act of Love sacrificing Himself for all mankind that provided a way for us to be free from
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If/Then
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
John 15:7 KJV
How many times have you caught yourself saying things like, If this or that happens then this or that will happen? For instance, “If I made more money then I would be secure,” or “If I found the right person, then I would be happy,” or “If I found the right church, then I would be able to flourish...”
The possibilities of if/then scenarios are endless and if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all made them at some point in our lives, even in our walks with the Lord. :)
Listen, be encouraged, the Bible is chock full of if/then’s. However, the if/then’s I am referring to are meant to bring about God-inspired, Holy Spirit induced, Biblical results in your life! :)
God is so good and I love how he doesn’t simply leave us alone to figure things out on our own - He has given us clear directions through His Word!
Living a victorious Christian life isn’t about wishing things could be different or hoping beyond hope that things will change, it's about taking God at His Word, standing on His promises which are always yes and amen, and believing them in spite of how things might look or even feel.
Jesus said, if you abide in me and my words abide in you then you shall ask what you will and it will be done! Now that’s an awesomely amazing if/then!
Be encouraged, God is for you! He wants to see you succeed in every avenue of life!
Stop wishing and start speaking the Word of God!
Stop hoping things will change and start believing they will!
Expect good things!
If you do, over time, not overnight, then you will begin to see change and ultimately be a better witness for Jesus!
If God be for you, then who can be against you! ;)
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Be a Window”
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
Colossians 1:27 KJV
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 KJV
When I was a child and someone would stand in front of the television during movie night or one of our favorite shows, the snarky remark to say them was, “You make a better door than a window!”
In other words, “Move! I can’t see!” This was before rewind tv, if you missed something during the show, you had to wait until the re-run or be lucky enough to have a VCR tape in to record it.
In regards to our walk with Christ, are we standing in the way? Are we allowing others to see Him through us? As a younger Christian, much of my focus was on myself - my victories, my prayers being answered, my healing, my blessings, my dreams, my calling, and so forth.
As I’ve walked with the Lord for several years now, my priorities have changed. I’ve begun to realize that it’s not about me. Jesus was our prime example - He who thought it not robbery to be equal with God took upon Him the form of a servant! Paul was continually identifying as a servant of Christ, going so far as to say that he was being poured out as a drink offering for those under his care.
I want to encourage you today! Be a window! Allow others to see Jesus through you. How? By becoming a servant! The Bible says the greatest among you is the greatest servant. :)
In a world where people’s cameras are always running both figuratively and literally looking most times to catch you doing something wrong, let them catch you doing something right - serving, giving, imitating Christ!
It’s so easy to be a door, to be conformed to this world, allowing its influence to mold us - “look at my house, look at my car, look at my new hairstyle,” etc. and there’s nothing wrong perse with any of these things, but they serve as doors, barring others’ view from what’s important JESUS!
Be encouraged today! Be a window! What we make happen for others, God will make happen for us!
In other words, Move out of the way, ;) the world needs Jesus :)
Remember, What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 AMP
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“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 KJV
If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, perhaps you’ve heard the old adage, “bloom where you are planted.” Simply put, it means to make use of right where you are instead of always desiring to be somewhere else. It can apply to many aspects of life but today I want to encourage you in your spiritual life, your personal walk with Christ. :)
Listen, we all have coulda, shoulda, wouldas. We all have God-given desires that seem at times they are never going to come to pass. Sometimes we get grandiose ideas of saving the world, doing something meaningful with our lives, making a lasting impact, leaving a legacy, and so forth.
These are all well and good and keep dreaming and hoping as high as you can! We serve a great big God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think according to the power working in us - Ephesians 3:20, BUT if we aren’t careful, we can miss Him in the everyday.
He will walk right by us and we will have our heads so high in the clouds dreaming or so low to the ground sulking that we miss Him. Listen, be encouraged today God can be found all around us! All we have to do is keep our eyes open!
Jesus told His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received power and then they would BE witnesses. He didn’t say anything about DOING, He said Being. That means there’s a God part and there’s our part.
Our part: show up, God’s part, show out!
That’s awesome news because Jesus made it abundantly clear that without Him we can do nothing, we need Him, every hour, every moment, we need Him! We prepare the horse for battle, but victory is of the Lord!
Listen, I want to encourage you! Perhaps you are in a place of waiting right now and the temptation to uproot, leave, and look elsewhere is strong, and there is a time for that, but if your only reason to leave, to give up is hoping that it gets better on the other side, you may miss Him!
He said I will never leave you! I will never forsake you! And oftentimes it's in the everyday mundane hum-drum of life when He shows up - be ready!
Bloom where you are planted. First in Jerusalem then Judea then Samaria than the uttermost parts of the earth. :) We can all do to learn more of this especially in these crazy times of pandemic and fear we are living in - it’s the people in our own homes, our workplaces, our churches, our very own backyards that are watching us - their camera is always running and we are called to BE witnesses!
BE encouraged today, there’s so much Jesus to be had right where you are! Don’t keep hoping and wishing to be somewhere else all the time, don’t be that person that always looks for the bad, looks for the trouble around you, looks for the faults - BE that witness who sees Jesus, and then you will be ready to share Him first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria, then in the uttermost parts of the earth.
Bloom where you are planted!
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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In Everything!
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
God is good and He is good all the time! James 1:17 says that every good and every perfect gift comes from Him. Therefore it is imperative that we know He is the blesser - He is the answer - He is our solution!
Sure there are bad things that happen to good people and in spite of these things, we can be thankful and praise Him! Why? Because He is for us! John 16:33 says in this world we will have trouble but then Jesus encourages us to take heart because He has overcome the world!
1 John 4:4 says greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!
Psalm 34:19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all!
In everything, not for everything, we can praise the Lord because He is good and good all the time! We can know that He has our backs! He is our loving heavenly father who desires to see us blessed, whole, healthy, prosperous, delivered, free, full of joy and so much more!
Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him, Us! To bring us joy, not depression! It was the Great Exchange - our mess, our filthy rags for His robes of righteousness! Our shame and guilt for His Peace!
Be encouraged today, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in, no matter how dark it seems or feels, Jesus paid the ultimate price to give you hope and a future, that’s the Good News!
Therefore in spite of whatever goes on in this crazy world and yes it's a crazy world, we can be thankful and full of life ready to share with others the reason for our Peace, His name is Jesus!
No matter what happens, please know that God is for you, not against you! He isn’t bringing about death or curses or pain or trouble or temptation - these things are of the world, NO! He is our ever-present help in times of trouble! He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother! He is our rock, our refuge, under His wings we can trust!
In times of trouble, turmoil, and temptation Run to Him, not from Him! Don’t blame Him, claim Him - He is your solution, and IN everything gives thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you :)
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.”
Acts 2:2 KJV
Jesus is awesome! He specializes in and suddenly’s. The disciples hadn’t a clue of what to expect when He told them to tarry in Jerusalem, they simply obeyed. In their minds, they wondered if God was at that point going to bring down the hammer from heaven and establish His earthly kingdom, but Jesus told them to wait for the promise.
Most scholars say they waited for 7-10 days in the upper room. They prayed, ate, communed, slept, rinse and repeat. They even dealt with the matter of replacing Judas in their ranks. The Bible says they were all in one place in one accord but 10 days - a lot can happen in that span of time, I mean we’re talking about Peter here who denied Jesus, told Him he wasn’t to suffer on the cross, ran back to fishing even after seeing Jesus raised from the dead!
Listen, I want to encourage you today! It’s in the mundane, the hum-drum of everyday life that we can see the Lord move in some mighty ways, we just simply have to align ourselves through obedience to His Word :)
Make a habit of praising Him, singing, worshiping, praying, Bible reading, doing these things might not seem like a lot, but they are positioning you to receive...
Imagine, and suddenly, so and so is put in your path and you are ready to share the gospel with them! and suddenly, so and so is having a bad day and you’re able to encourage them, lift them up, pray for them, buy their groceries, fix them a meal...
The disciples were in that upper room waiting for something they didn’t understand “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” That same day Peter, that's right Peter!! stood up and preached the gospel with such passion that 3,000 people got born-again!
Be encouraged today, you may not be slaying giants, taking over cities, or tearing down mountains in the natural but when you lift up the name of the Lord in praise when you set yourself to intercede for others in prayer when you worship the Lord like David did in the book and Samuel with all your might, you are setting yourself up to receive an and suddenly and if just one person comes to the Kingdom as a result, there’s a party going on in Heaven!
Be encouraged, the Joy of the Lord is your strength!
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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The Famous One!
We, humans, are an interesting bunch :) We are constantly attempting to put ourselves in categories, ranks, groups - I’m this or I’m that...
The biggest pitfall of social media or any venue really that involves people - going to church, going to the store, going to work, is the tendency to compare ourselves with others - to begin the categorization process - They are this or they or that, what about me...
I love Jesus!
His call is to the “whosoever!”
This morning I am reminded of how He entered such a venue of people - a room filled with His disciples, and instead of comparing and contrasting, He wrapped a towel about His waist and one by one, went about the room washing their feet!
What an awesome servant Jesus was while on this Earth, and He is our prime example :)
I want to encourage you today!
Are you born-again? Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior?
If so, the Bible says you and I have the mind of Christ!
We don’t have to compare ourselves with others - money, job, success, clothes, cars, house - we are accepted by the Best, who cares about the rest!!! (Pastor Jim)
Jesus’ call is not to people of prestige or poverty, His call is to the whosoever...
Every once in a while, I have to remind myself,
That I am who He says I am!
I can do what He says I can do!
And that my life is hidden in Him!
When I said yes to Jesus, I said no to self, to comparing and contrasting...
My call is simple, to be like Jesus!
He is Number One, He is the Famous One!
Venues of people are not for comparing, they are for serving - the next time you find yourself in one, whether online or in-person, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
(Philippians 2:5-8) KJV
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Interrupted”
Some of my best moments with Jesus have been in the quiet moments of a simple task like washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, baking some cookies or a cake...
It’s in these moments of quiet and work that I have been visited by the Lord the most!
Oftentimes these events have been to help someone else. For instance, while baking a cake to give to someone or sweeping the floor for a ministry - it’s in this moment of servitude to another where the Lord has shown up and I get an overwhelming sense of His presence!
These moments are awesomely beautiful!
To “feel” God is not something to necessarily seek after (God is a Spirit, not a feeling), nor is it a measure of His presence in our lives by any means. He says that He will never leave us nor forsake us!
If we are born-again, we are never alone, no matter how we “feel.”
Yet when these moments do happen, I welcome them with open arms! And it’s in these moments when, if we will take the time to allow ourselves to be “interrupted” by God we can be changed for eternity!
It’s in these moments where God is always trying to get something to us!
Jesus never ceases to amaze me - His lovingkindness, longsuffering, His tender mercies toward me are overwhelming and especially at times when I know that I know I don’t deserve it - getting impatient with my wife, children, doing or saying things I shouldn’t...
It’s in these quiet moments where I am surrounded by His presence in a strong way where I am reminded of His love for me, of what He thinks about me, of who I am to Him, of who He is, of how He changed me, and all I can do is raise my hands up in surrender to Him, basking in His presence, worshiping Him, singing/saying praises to His name.
And while I magnify Him, He molds me a little more into the image of Himself!
What a beautiful exchange, to be “interrupted” by the Master!
And I use the term “interrupted” with this caveat - It may feel at times like I am being interrupted on my side of things, but really I am being visited by my Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus!
From time to time I will “interrupt” the sleep of one of my children early in the morning to take them out for donuts or a special treat.
As they have gotten older it “feels” more to them like an interruption, but usually, after they get the sleep out of their eyes and realize that I am there to bless them only, they have a change of attitude and perspective. :)
They are slowly beginning to realize that these moments are priceless, spending time alone with their dad - I am teaching them to cherish these times because they don’t always happen.
When it comes to my relationship with my heavenly Father, and with Jesus, the more mature I get in Him, I am realizing that the quiet moments alone with Him are priceless!
It’s in these moments where I receive the strength and faith and confidence to tackle whatever life throws at me!
It’s in these moments where I see Him more clearly and in turn, I am able to share Him more clearly with others.
I am so thankful to Jesus, to my Heavenly Father for loving me, for allowing me into their inner circle!
What about you?
Do you need some rest today? Do you need some quiet time with your Heavenly Father? You might not always “feel” Him, but I do encourage you to reach out to Him, to others, put as much Word in you as possible, and be ready,
The heavenly Father loves to “interrupt” His children :)
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Thought it not Robbery”
Revelation 5 is my favorite chapter in all the Bible. :)
It’s so majestic and showcases Jesus in such a powerful and humbling way!
John looks on as the scene is set in chapter 5 with God sitting on the throne holding a book.
The book is described as having writing within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals.
Suddenly a strong angel proclaims with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and loose the seals?”
It’s such a cut-to-the-heart question!
It takes me back to when Jesus is kneeling on the ground after having been approached by accusers of the woman caught in adultery.
Jesus makes a simple statement, “He who is without sin, let him cast a stone.”
Knowing right well that no one there was worthy, Jesus is able to minister to the woman in a powerful way!
Here we see the angel asking a simple question, but with it comes such a thought-provoking and humbling realization that no one is worthy!
In fact, the Bible says, no man in Heaven, or on Earth, or even under the earth was worthy to open the book OR to look upon it!!
It’s in this moment that John feels the weight of hopeless despair that is mankind without the intervention of Jesus!
And he wept much...
Comfort comes to John when one of the elders standing by tells him not to weep because there is One worthy - the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals!
Every time I read this chapter, it brings tears to my eyes because I know that without Jesus, I am lost!
I am reminded of God’s grace and something powerful I heard a preacher say many years ago, “God did not sit behind some plate glass window and hand us a prescription for our malady, He got in our mess!”
Philippians 2:6 tells us that Jesus “thought it not robbery,” to be equal with God - He was God and He knew it! He said to the religious people of the day, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Yet before we see His triumphal entry in Revelation 5, we see Him described in Philippians as taking on the form of a servant, making Himself of no reputation!
Think about that!
The same God who is described as having 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands of angels singing His praises in Revelation 5 is the same God who wrapped a towel about Himself and washed the dirt and animal waste from His disciples’ feet!
He is the same God who took the time to kneel in the dirt and save the woman caught in adultery!
He is the same God who cared enough to step into my jail cell and save me!
I love Jesus! He is our prime example of what it means to be like God and He was not about His rights, His fame, His own desires, He was all about others, serving them and pouring Himself out for them, for me, for you!
Today, take a moment and just bask in the goodness and grace of our loving Savior!
The way up is down.
To be like Jesus is to carry our cross daily, to serve others, to yield our desires, our rights, to His Kingdom!
He will never let us down and the rewards are always well worth the sacrifice!
He is worthy and so are you through what He has done!
Are you weeping today? Are you hurt or lonely or afraid?
Weep not for the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed to open the book and loose the seals!
You may not like the page you are on, but the chapter isn’t over!
I sure hope this has encouraged you and brought some eternal perspective your way today :)
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Give and it shall be given!”
Wow! The Lord has been so good to us, to our family - He is faithful and He is good all the time! :)
Today I wanted to take you back into the archives once again, but also bring you into the now.
You know it's important to look back upon what the Lord has done - it helps to bolster our confidence in Him, but at the same time it's important to realize that “now faith is...”
We cannot live in the past nor should we only dwell on past victories, we need to use them to help us grow in the present, ever looking forward!
Mitzi and I had just gotten married and we had just moved out of a homeless shelter of all places!
Some friends of ours at the church we were currently attending invited us to come to live in their home, in their finished basement.
We were thrilled at the chance!
Mitzi was pregnant with Moriah at the time and I had just gotten a job at a pizza shop one town over.
We had no vehicle, so I needed to be driven to work every day.
One evening Mitzi and I were out walking in the neighborhood, and we spotted a car, it was a Lincoln.
Lincolns had always been my favorite car.
We stopped right there and prayed. We said Father, in Jesus name’ we would like to have a car and make it a Lincoln please. :)
Would you believe the very next day we went out for a walk, came back to the house, and in the driveway was a 1995 white Lincoln Continental!
The owner of the home, the man that was letting us live with him, went out that morning and for some reason, he didn’t know why decided to trade in an old car he was working on to buy us one and settled on a Lincoln!
Praise the Lord! God is good! Now at the time, we knew very little about sowing and reaping, giving to receive, etc. We simply believed God, took Him at His Word and asked by faith.
Fast-forward several years into the now and it was placed upon our hearts (our family) to take one of Moriah’s friends shopping several months back.
We just wanted to love on her and bless her - show her the love and goodness of God!
She was absolutely thrilled and in awe by our generosity and we all had such a blast doing it!
It was enough for us just to be able to bless her!!!
The other day, Mitzi and I were outside and I was checking the mail - we received a letter from a couple at Joy Church.
We are not really close with them, have only spoken with them a couple of times.
The lady writing the letter began to brag on our youngest son Josiah, for his heart for God and by this time, my mascara is running, as is Mitzi’s.
She then begins to tell us that she heard what we did for Moriah’s friend and was so moved by it that she and her husband had been planning for quite some time to bless us!
Enclosed with the letter was a check for hundreds of dollars, well above what we spent on Moriah’s friend!
Praise the Lord!!!
He sees what we do, what we give, pray, sow, etc. and He has promised in His Word to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think!
When we received that car, that was simply God blessing us - we didn't do anything to earn it or deserve it, but it showed us His goodness and it helped to bolster our faith for future victories!
When we received that check, again we didn’t deserve it and it’s not like we earned it by any means, but He was returning to us what we had given out, only it was above what we could ask or think!
I sure hope this has encouraged you!
God is faithful and whatsoever a person sows that shall they also reap!
During this time of ups and downs in the world, the economy, and what have you, God’s Kingdom remains steady and stable!
Put your trust in Him - He is faithful!!!
There is no better ti
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“One Act of Obedience”
I had to go back into the archives for this story of God’s Goodness today!
I was fresh out of jail maybe a year or two.
My wife and I had only been married for a short while.
One day, the Lord placed upon my heart to go and clean, organize, and paint my dad’s garage floor.
My dad and I had not been close since my incarceration - after all I was a very bad dude and I am not sure if everyone believed that I had actually changed :)
I told my wife what the Lord said and she agreed.
I spent a few hours organizing his garage, cleaning it all out and then I sealed and painted his floor with that epoxy coating sealer and sparkles that make it look all fancy.
This entire time my dad was in bed.
After several hours he came out into the garage to see what all the commotion was.
He was so moved! He cried. He told me that he had been wanting to do this for quite some time! Of course, by now I am crying, so thankful to have listened to the Lord!
My dad had just made a big sale on some properties that I was unaware of. He went inside and cut me a check - he gave me a portion of what he made!
I had no idea this was going to
happen, nor did I do it for money, I was just simply obeying the Lord and motivated by love :)
After we parted ways, I went and told Mitzi everything that happened - she was super excited.
We took the money and went and gave it to my probation officer to catch up on my fees.
I was on 12 years' worth of probation at the time! I had to go in every month and check-in and I wasn’t able to leave the state, etc.
She (my probation officer) was so moved that I would do that, she wrote the judge who had sentenced me and told him what had happened.
He was so moved that he decided to rework my sentence and declared “time served” on my case!!!
This meant that I was no longer on probation! I still had years left and in a moment it was erased!
I couldn’t believe it - that one act of obedience to the Lord had brought all this about!
Ephesians 3:20 says He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ask or think according to the power working in us!
He is a good God and He is faithful!
The times I am overwhelmed or discouraged, I am so thankful for the Word of God!
It has been a Rock in my life!
I am also so blessed to have my wife in my life! She has been with me through so much and she is my constant, my best friend! ❤️
Listen, We certainly don’t want to live in the past or dwell on the past, but its good to look back upon the memorials of victories in our lives and see what the Lord has done for us!
If He did it then, He will do it again!
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19 NKJV
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“Follow Him!"
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
The book of Judges is/can be a sad book to read because time and again we see the phrase, “The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.”
However, looking at it through the lens of God’s grace one can see an overarching theme that is so powerful!
No matter how many times the people forsook God, He was always so willing to rescue them, to deliver them, to be their God!
From the outset of God’s creation, He has been wanting mankind to simply follow Him - to fellowship with Him!
Judges chapters 6 & 7 recounts the story of Gideon and the Israelite peoples. The beginning of chapter 6 speaks of the depravity of the situation, the children of Israel were suffering at the hands of the Midianites becuase they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
Yet God was attentive to their cries!
There is so much within these two chapters, but the thing I want to highlight today is how God came to Gideon, called him personally, and then rescued the children of Israel in a remarkable way in spite of Gideon.
You see Gideon dealt with much fear. He feared people. He feared the situation his nation was in. He feared to act upon God’s Word.
But even in his fear, knees shaking, he followed God anyway and God did an awesome thing through Him!
He delivered the Midianites into the hand of Gideon but with very few resources and just a handful of people.
I love what Judges 7:2 says:
“And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”
The Lord dwindled down the army from thousands upon thousands to 300!
Pastor Jim says all the time, “Don’t belittle the little.”
Listen, God can do in a moment what we can’t in a lifetime! Just ask the boy with the loaves and fishes over in the gospels!
The thing I want to highlight the most in these two chapters in Judges is God’s Goodness!
The Bible says the horse is prepared for the battle, but victory is of the Lord! (Proverbs 21:31)
During this season we find ourselves in as a nation, let’s not fall into the snare of thinking that God doesn’t care, that He doesn’t see, that He doesn’t hear...
He is so good! And He wants to fellowship with us, with you, if you let Him.
But you/we have to let Him do it His way!
He doesn’t need our might or prowess, our intellect or science, He just wants us to follow Him!
He wants to show Himself mighty on the behalf of anyone who dares to take Him at His Word!
He is a big God and He isn’t moved because you are dealing with a little fear or worry or anxiety, just do it anyway, follow Him!!
Are your knees shaking? Do it anyway! Follow Him!
That’s all He wants, for you to trust Him, to take Him at His Word! He is not a man that He should lie! (Numbers 23:19)
Will you be like Gideon today and answer the call of God?! Will you say yes to Him?
If you do, get ready! He will do great and mighty things through you as well!
Remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
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“Building A Memorial”
The book of Joshua chapter 3 recounts the story of when the Lord dried up the waters of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross over unto Jericho!
It was a miraculous event especially because the Bible said that this was during a time of harvest when the river waters were exceptionally high.
But nothing is too great for our awesome God!
As soon as the people were over, the Lord told Joshua to have twelve men, one from every tribe, grab a stone from the midst of the Jordan and carry it to their lodging place.
There they were to construct a monument from the twelve stones.
The purpose was simple:
When their children asked in times to come what the meaning of the twelve stones was, the monument would serve as a catalyst to tell the greatness of the Lord - To recount how He brought them over on dry ground unto Jericho!
Not soon after this awesome event, in Joshua chapter 6, the Bible tells how the children of Israel marched around the city of Jericho until the mighty walls came tumbling down!
Marching around that wall all those days, it didn’t look like anything was happening and even on the last day, when they had to march around several times, the people couldn’t see anything in the natural happening, but they had a memorial to look back upon!!
They had a memorial to remind them that because God had done it before, He was well able to do it again!!!
I want to encourage you today - what obstacles are you facing?
What troubles or trials or circumstances do you find yourself in today?
Can I tell you some great news?!!
God is Faithful!! He has done it before and He will do it again - He still heals, saves, and delivers!!
Take a moment today, right now even to recount the many things the Lord has done in your life, build that memorial to Him and His greatness, and be encouraged - He never changes!
If He did it before, He will do it again!
You may not see it or feel it - but He is working!
Tell somebody! Tell your children, your co-workers, your friends, your family, tell somebody what the Lord has done in your life!
When people ask, when your children ask in times to come: “Remember when such and such happened...”
Be bold and redeem that opportunity as an opportunity to brag on God!
Say “Yes I do, let me tell you what God did for me...”
remember: What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 KJV
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An Excellent Spirit: The Daniel Series part 2
“A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.”
Proverbs 18:16 KJV
Oftentimes, the Lord will mold us and make us in the secret place. This molding process can be quite painful at times and it can seem to last forever.
It’s during these times when the Lord is preparing us for what is to come. If we will allow Him to do His work, we will come out on the other side stronger, faster, and better equipped to do that which He has for us!
It’s during these times when it may seem, feel, and appear that we are of little or no value in the Kingdom of God, but do not
be deceived! God is not mocked! Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. :)
Listen, if we will let the Lord have His way with us during these times of pruning and molding, remaining in the refiner’s fire, we will be given many opportunities to sow awesome seeds in times of famine and drought!
When everyone else around us is focusing on this or that, the Lord may have us doing things, that in the natural may seem counter-intuitive, but make no mistake about it, He is good and He is good all the time! He is purposeful!
The things we do in times of lack will either set us up for great success or cause us to miss opportunities of great harvest.
It is imperative that we learn to be like Daniel...to continue to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in the very face of what may appear to be impossible odds!
I know it may seem like I am speaking in riddles, but if you are in a season right now where it feels like you are being ripped through a keyhole backward, you will relate! :) Take heart! Be encouraged, the Lord is the author and finisher of our faith and He will never leave us nor forsake us!!!
Stay in the fire! It’s here where our character is being built! It’s here where our souls are being renewed! Keep allowing the Word to wash over you daily!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Even If”
During my early years as a Christian, I struggled with self-worth issues and seeing myself in Christ, as He saw me.
Shortly after being released from jail, I met a man at Bible college. We instantly hit it off.
I know it was God bringing this man into
my life - I needed good friends, Bible-believing, God-fearing friends and so what a blessing it was to have this man in my life!
We both had such a love for Jesus and for others!
We hung out all the time - we talked for hours about God, about
ministry ideas, about the future.
He wanted to start a soup kitchen to feed the hungry and I was going to be the preacher!
He was the best man at my wedding.
We both had sons named Isaiah.
We made the perfect team - He loved to worship and sing, I loved to make noise and preach!
As time went on, our families grew and although we still had a passion for ministry, our dreams got put on the back burner for a while.
What a blessing and honor to have this man in my life! He taught me how to step outside my shell, how to love others just as they were, how to be a giver, and love unconditionally, how to see myself in Christ!
As it happened, I took a new job at a maximum-security prison for juveniles about 45 minutes down the road from him.
I was in charge of driving our new recruits to and from the training facility.
One day, after training was over, we all loaded into the van and I was about to take my seat behind the wheel when I received a phone call.
It was my best friend’s brother.
He said, “Maurice passed away last night in his sleep.”
I was frozen.
All I could say was, “Thank you for letting me know.”
I hung up the phone and drove in silence back to the prison, finished out the day, and went home.
As soon as I got home, I pulled Mitzi into the back bedroom, we sat down and I told her, “Maurice passed away.”
We both cried and cried and cried! We sobbed!
We were heartbroken.
He was 30 years old, had just gotten married, had 4 children with one on the way.
It took me two years to fully “get over” what had happened - to fully heal from what had happened.
There were days when I would just start crying out of nowhere.
I would remember something, see something, hear something, and just start weeping.
He was my best friend and I was devastated.
I was never mad at God, but there were many times when the why questions flooded
my mind.
The healing process took quite some time and the Lord is so gracious, He was there with me, with us, through it all!
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 KJV
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“Position, not performance”
During a mission trip in Jamaica, it was my custom to get up early and spend about thirty minutes to one hour with the Lord before going to breakfast - reading the Bible, praying, worshiping...
Near the end of the week, I got up just as before but this time the Lord impressed upon my heart to spend my time with Him downstairs, outside on the patio.
So I grabbed my Bible and went downstairs on the patio and began to read and pray and worship.
Suddenly, a man walked by on the street below. He was just outside the hotel entrance, on the sidewalk. I glanced up briefly to see that he was trying to get my attention.
Not sure of his intentions, I sat for a moment longer. He walked by again.
This time, I got up from where I was sitting and walked to him, to the entrance gate.
I said, “We aren’t supposed to go outside of the gate, but if you want to come in, I can talk with you.”
Reluctantly, he agreed. I could tell he was a bit nervous.
I invited him to sit on the outer wall with me.
Holding something in his hand, he made his move - he was trying to sell me drugs!
Right away I said, “No thank you, Put that away, I’m not interested, but if you have a moment I would like to share some things with you.” “It’s not an accident that you came by here this morning!”
“My name is Josh, and I’m with a group of missionaries from America. We are here telling people about Jesus.”
He was really nervous now and I assured him everything was okay - I wasn’t trying to bust him, I just wanted to share some good news with him!
After a few moments, he lightened up and began to open up to me.
I told him some of my story, how I used to be heavily addicted to drugs, how I went to jail and how Jesus Christ radically changed me!
I shared the gospel with him and reminded him again that this wasn’t a mistake that he was out here this morning, nor was it a mistake that I was there.
I invited him to follow Jesus, to receive Him as Lord and Savior and he said yes!!!!
The Bible says this in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
That man called on Jesus that day and what an honor it was to be a part of it!
That wasn’t me - it wasn’t about my performance. That was the Lord and it was all about my position. I simply obeyed and He let me be a part of something glorious!
I showed up, and He showed out!
One simple act of obedience can position you to receive a huge blessing from the Lord!
The Bible says this in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
The more Word we have on the inside, the easier it is to His hear gentle voice!
Spend time with the Lord today, in His Word - you may be one small act of obedience away, from changing someone’s eternity!
Remember until next time, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) NKJV
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“Sundays are the worst!”
We stopped in at the auto parts store. It was a Sunday. I was tired and the lady behind the counter was tired as well. I joked with her briefly about how tired I was and she began to open up to me about her day.
She said, “Sundays are the worst!” I said, “why is that?” She said because that's when all the Christians come in here after church and are really moody!
I said, “I am sorry to hear that.” I connected with her a bit more, just listening to her as she got to vent a little and lighten up.
As we left that day, we had a plan in place to come back and bless her and speak with her again.
We prayed for her, that her heart would be receptive to the gospel.
Today, we went back to the auto store and the lady was there. We had a return to make already and after completing our transaction I asked if she wouldn’t mind coming out to check the battery on our van.
She said yes and followed us outside. After popping the hood, I said, “I have to confess something to you!” “I didn't really call you out here to check our battery.”
I then handed her a nice financial blessing and reminded her of the conversation we had the week prior. She remembered and was so grateful for the blessing!
I told her that since that day, we had been praying for her!
I then began to share the gospel with her and she was so receptive!
She said yes to Jesus right there in the parking lot and gave me a huge hug! She said, “I feel so lifted right now!”
What an honor to get this opportunity! The Holy Spirit was working on this lady and when the time was right, I shared the good news with her in such a kind and gentle manner and she was so ready to say yes to Jesus!
I sure hope this has encouraged you today! Remember to take time today to walk through crowds slowly, you may be a conversation or two away from changing someone’s eternity!
As my Pastor says, when we change a person’s perception, we change their reception! And generosity truly does breed curiosity!
Until next time, remember:
God’s not mad at you, He is madly in love with you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 NKJV
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“Another in the Fire!”
The book of Daniel chapter 3 recounts the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and how they escaped the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar.
The king had it in his heart to build a giant sculpture of himself and have the entire people bow down and worship the image.
Those who did not bow to the image were warned that they would be thrown into a fiery furnace.
It was found out that there were three men who did not bow to the image, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The three men were brought before the king and after being warned again of their impending doom, they refused to bow to the image, declaring boldly that their God was able to save them and even if He didn’t, they would not bow!
The king in hasty anger commanded the fire to be heated seven times hotter and the three men to be bound and tossed in.
The fire was so hot that it burned to death the mighty men as they dropped the three bound into the fire.
Astonished, the king leapt to his feet!
He said, didn’t we throw three men bound into the fire?!
The people around him said yes.
The king said I see four men loosed and walking in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth looks like the Son of God!!!
After calling the men out of the fire, the king and all the people present were amazed and stood in awe because there was zero singing on any of their clothes nor was there any smell of smoke on them!
The three men stood there whole and happy as a testament of the power and might of the one true King!
Listen, these are trying times.
We are being pressured on all sides to bow to the images of fear and worry and despair and sickness.
But, if we in the midst of it all, will worship the Lord anyway, share the Good News anyway, encourage, uplift, be the hands and feet, and mouth of Jesus anyway...
If we refuse to bow to the images, God will walk with us through the fire and we will not get burnt!
We will come out on the other side as a living testament of the Grace and Goodness of the Lord!
Listen, the world is watching.
What we do now, in this hour,
What we say,
What we post,
It matters.
Life is connected.
Keep praying. Keep giving. Keep believing.
I love you all :)
What you make happen for others, God
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:12 KJV
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14 NKJV
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The Mundane Mandate
“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.”
Psalms 23:4 AMP
If you’ve ever written, then perhaps you have come face to face with something called writer’s block.
This involves staring at the paper before you or the computer screen and just drawing blanks. You want to write, but nothing is coming to you. The feeling can be quite frustrating and even feel hopeless.
However, there are numerous ways past this! I would say the best way is simply, live life! Opportunities have a way of presenting themselves to you around every corner when rather than focus on the stumbling block in front of you, you get busy living, giving, praising!
Sometimes in our Christian walk, we have times like these that arise. We may feel useless, unproductive, weary, and to be frank, fed up with life.
Why is this? I think the number one reason is that we have come to realize that this world is not our home! The old ways of doing thinking no longer satisfy, and for good reason, we have a much higher calling!!!
Listen, we all face slumps, obstacles, challenges, setbacks, feelings of inadequacy, but I have great news for you today! The Lord is with you always, walking with you through the valleys and the times when life seems to be mundane.
He is always there to empower you, lead you, give you purpose and direction!
Listen to this awesome quote by Pastor Jim Frease,
“If it’s been a long time since you you’ve done something for the first time, then it’s about time.”
Sometimes we just need to get away, spend some one-on-one time with the Lord and ask Him, “Lord what would you have me do?”
When we build a habit of listening to the Lord, life will no longer feel boring or mundane and honestly, it's in these moments of the valley where we can draw even closer to the Lord, where we can focus on the things that truly matter!
Life doesn’t have to be about, go here, do that, have that, buy this, to be fun....rather when our focus is on Jesus, He refocuses us on people, on eternity, on the things that truly matter!
Have a case of writer’s block in your Christian walk? Run to Jesus! He is the answer! Get busy living, giving, and praising! You have a high calling on your life!!!
In Christ.
Joshua Sott Zeitz
“Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap if we do not give in.”
Galatians 6:9 AMP
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Snowed In
“The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 AMP
You ever feel snowed in mentally, physically, or spiritually? You ever been guilty of this prayer? “God give me more patience!”
If so, please don’t be discouraged! :) You are in great company!
Be encouraged today! The Good News is this, God has given us patience already. It is a fruit of the spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
Galatians 5:22 AMP
If anyone should be praying for more patience, it’s God Himself, concerning His own creation! And yet the Bible says He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. What an awesome God we serve! He is our example for what it means to truly exercise the gift of patience.
It may feel at times like the weight of the world is on you, like God is not moving, like He doesn’t hear you like you are snowed in on every side, but it’s in these times that we must remember If God is for us, who can be against us!
It’s not so much that we need to pray for more patience, but rather thank God for the patience He has already given us!
By choosing joy in the midst of our troubles, by choosing to thank Him instead, He will help us to shift our focus and rehone our priorities and now instead of praying for more patience, we can pray for what to do while we are waiting! :)
Listen, God is not slack! He isn’t slow concerning His promises!
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly]. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] From this time forth and forever.”
Psalms 121:1-8 AMP
It might look like you are surrounded, but you are surrounded by Him! :)
We all have to wait, we all have times of being snowed in, but it’s in these times that we have to wait already, that we can take advantage of the time and see what can be done in spite of the waiting!
Why not praise Him anyway! Why not grow closer to Him!
Grab a blanket, cuddle up with Jesus, and rest in His loving arms today! :)
You might be snowed in, but you aren’t really, you’re nestled snug in the loving arms of your Father!
Choose joy today! Choose patience! :)
If you do, you will be amazed at the outpouring of creative ideas and peace that comes flowing toward you, in you, and all around you. :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Speak the Word
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17 NKJV
Today, I just wanted to take a moment and share a powerful gift we have at our disposal, our words. :)
Words hold immense power! They have the power to build up and tear down, to bring life and bring death!
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”
Proverbs 18:21 AMP
*Remember these can be positive or negative consequences ;)
See how James describes the tongue:
“Now if we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark!”
James 3:3-5 AMP
Listen, the words that we speak are extremely important and the more I mature in the Lord, the more I have come to realize that. :)
As a believer, we have been made like Jesus! That’s awesome news!
Be encouraged today, you have the authority to speak life into those around you!
You have the opportunity to share the Good News, to speak light into the darkness!
Once again, let’s look back on the Genesis account of creation and see how God handles the darkness, He didn’t think the darkness away, nor did He bother describing the darkness, He simply said, “Let there be light!”
Did you know that you and I have the same opportunity? We can look out at the crazy world we live in and follow the crowd and use our words to tear down others, make gifs meant to highlight the darkness, use our words to simply describe the things we see, OR we can be like God and say, “Let there be light!”
“Use your words to design your life, not to describe your life.” - Pastor Jim Frease
It takes very little effort to describe the darkness around us, but it takes immense courage to swim upstream, to go against the grain and use our words to speak life, to build others up, to speak and believe the Word of God when it appears that no one else does!
The easiest way to start this awesome habit is at home: the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word...
One of the best ways to begin exercising our faith is by speaking the Word at home!
Instead of simply reading your Bible, begin to speak your Bible! :)
In this manner, you will be speaking the Word out of your mouth, it goes forth and comes into your ears, works its way into your heart and mind, and thus nestles its way into every core of your being!
If we will practice this one simple thing over and over, we will fill ourselves with the Word, readying ourselves!
You will be surprised how over time, you will begin quoting scriptures during your everyday activities. When we are full of the Word, and life bumps us, the Word spills out!
Make up your mind today to be a speaker of the Word and not a bearer of bad news :)
It will take some time, but over time, you will be a force to be reckoned with and the gates of Hell will not be able to prevail against you because of the Word that is in you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon [Peter] and his companions searched [everywhere, looking anxiously] for Him, and they found Him and said, “Everybody is looking for You!” He replied, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so I may preach there also; that is why I came [from the Father].”
Mark 1:35-38 AMP
What an awesome example we have in Jesus! He taught us so many things through His earthly ministry, and one of them was the necessity of spending time with God!
Here we see Jesus getting up early, drawing away from the distractions, and getting clarity for His next steps!
Clarity comes through intimacy with Him!
In fact, the Bible goes so far as to say this (Jesus speaking):
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 NKJV
Listen, without Him, we can do nothing, BUT the good news is this:
“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
Philippians 4:13 AMP
Making it a habit to get up early and spend time with the Lord will teach us to put Him first! It will allow us to gain vital clarity for our day and direction for our life!
I would say this also, seeking Him early, is not just about a time frame, but also a preventative and preparatory measure. In other words, seek Him before the storms of life come!
My pastor says it all the time, “Put the Word of God in you when you don’t need it, so it comes out when you do!”
Be encouraged today! God wants you to know Him more and one of the best ways to do this is by spending our mornings with Jesus through His Word!
There is no set-in-stone definitive way, but the principle is this: Put God First in your day! Clear away the distractions, allow His Word to wash over you, and learn to listen to His voice! You will be amazed at the things you learn sitting at the Master’s feet!
I want to end today, by sharing a love song I wrote to Jesus! What an honor it is to know Him more. :)
“Found in Your Grace”
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
I’m seeking you early,
I’m seeking your face,
lost without mercy,
Found in Your grace.
Battered and broken,
lost and afraid,
is where I first saw Him,
it’s where I was changed.
Knelt down in your presence,
I lift up Your name,
just a glimpse of Your glory,
never the same.
Dancing with Jesus,
Swept off my feet,
Caught up in His presence,
sweet Intimacy.
I’m Washed in Your Word Lord,
Bathed in Your Peace,
humbled and open,
Into me see.
Mold me and make me,
I’m in Your hands,
To You I relinquish,
I yield to Your plans.
You’ve never once failed me,
You’ve never let go,
I’m No longer broken,
in You, I’m made whole.
I’m No longer dirty,
In You, I’m made clean,
Intimate Jesus,
Into me see.
I’m seeking you early,
I’m seeking your face,
lost without mercy,
Found in Your grace.
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Mornings with Jesus”
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:2-3 NKJV
Ever since I gave my heart and life to Jesus all those years ago on that jailhouse floor, something I have loved to do is get up early and spend my mornings with Jesus!
It’s during this time where I have received some of the greatest revelations from the Lord, where I have come to know Him more, where I have learned to develop my prayer language, where I’ve prayed for others, where I’ve received countless breakthroughs, and so much more!
There’s just something about getting up early when everyone else is asleep and getting away, alone (but never alone) with God - basking in His presence, its the most beautiful thing and it’s where I have developed a deep intimacy with the Lord!
There is so much to be said regarding spending time with God, but for today I wanted to hit on one specific area, soul-winning :)
When I was born-again in jail, I received a passion to preach, to share what Jesus did for me. Yet, as a young believer, I knew very little Word and oftentimes I spoke more from feelings and was very truth-oriented.
I knew what God did for me and I was convinced that He wanted to do it for everyone else, and He did! But I didn’t know how to get the message out without sounding mean or without sounding like I didn’t know what I was talking about.
Over the years, the more time I have spent with Jesus, the more I have come to rely on Him and His Word alone.
I still have the same passion to preach and really moreso to see people come to Jesus. However, something is different.
My mornings with Jesus have revolutionized the way I reach out to others.
My walk with the Lord now has very little to do with self-discovery and really everything to do with Jesus-discovery!
In other words, the more I seek Him, want to know Him, see Him, hear Him, the more like Him I become.
in fact, my pastor has said it like this, “when we put God first, we will live more holy on accident than we ever could on purpose.”
This has radically changed the way I reach others for Jesus!
Preparation time is not wasted time!
Through this I am building myself up on the Word, gaining confidence in what I believe, and more than anything, I am being intimate with Jesus through His Word!!!
I have come to realize that it's these moments, my mornings with Jesus that prepare me to be ready to share the gospel at a moment's notice with anyone the Lord would have for me and I can know for certainty of what I believe and moreso in whom I believe!!
I truly hope this has encouraged you :) Christianity is not about performance, its all about position :)
Our life is hidden with Christ in God, and the more we learn to know Him, the more we will be like Him!
If you struggle with sharing your faith, with sharing the gospel with others, don’t beat yourself up - start spending some extra time with the Master, He will teach you, train you, prepare you :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 AMP
I love the Lord! He has this awesome ability to cut right to the heart of a matter in a way that leaves me without excuse but also provides plenty of room for mercy! The way He handles me no matter how foolish, selfish, or childish I’ve been, makes me want to tell others, “Come meet this awesome Jesus who found me right where I was and offered me forgiveness, life, hope, peace!”
Listen, you are so valuable to God! More than you know!
Be encouraged, “Whatever God reveals, He heals.” - Pastor Jim Frease
John Chapter 4 tells of the interaction between the Samaritan woman and Jesus at the well and before their conversation ended, Jesus had managed to cut right to the woman’s heart revealing that He knew of her previous and current troubles with men, He knew her sin, and yet He offered her eternal life right where she was!
At that moment, when Jesus revealed these things to her, she could have gotten offended and walked away. She could have received her forgiveness from Him, but then never told anyone. She could have run back to the village
and claimed all manner of evil against Him. There could have been a much different result, but instead, she went back to her people and declared to them boldly, “Come meet a man that told me everything I’ve ever done!”
When Jesus truly gets a hold of your life, He heals you from the inside out! He takes away the shame and guilt attached to the sins and mistakes you’ve committed. He heals you in a way that you are free to declare, “Come meet a man that told me everything I’ve ever done!”
Be encouraged today, You have so much more to offer than you know!
What has the Lord done in your life? What obstacles, sins, addictions, weights has He freed you from?
What victories, healings, miracles, comforts, encouragements has He offered you?
I want to challenge you today, don’t run from those things, look and pray for opportunities to share them with others!
We live in a society that values putting your best foot forward, putting up facades, being flawless - But can I encourage you today? Without Him, (Jesus) we can do nothing!
It’s in this place of vulnerability and humility that we can be a witness to the people around us
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 KJV
Jesus came to bring us life and life more abundantly! That’s awesome news! :)
I wanted to keep today’s devotion short and sweet, God is for you, not against you!
There are so many voices in the world. They scream and holler and yell, these voices are meant to silence the Word of God, to rob us of our peace, to steal, to destroy our lives...
If we aren’t careful and take these voices in, take them to heart, take them personally, they will slowly begin to erode away at our faith, our convictions, our conscience.
I want to encourage you today, don’t let them!
Stand up tall for the Word of God, the B.I.B.L.E :)
God’s Word is the only voice we need to allow into our lives, why? Because it’s the only voice that can give life, peace, hope, joy, freedom, and so much more!
When the storms of life arise the Word of God is our sure foundation! It’s our refuge! It’s our strong tower! Under its wings, we can take refuge!
We were never meant to do life alone, to allow the winds and waves of the world’s many voices to beat against us, sapping our joy. We were meant to walk hand in hand with Jesus and be overcomers!
Take courage, today saints! Don’t allow the goliaths in the world to overtake you! They might be big, they might be loud, but we serve a God who has overcome the world!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.”
Psalms 37:23-24 AMP
I love Psalm 37 because it reminds us where to keep our eyes, on the Lord, and not on other people, especially ungodly people - those who seem to be prospering in everything, but aren’t living for the Lord.
Listen, when we follow Jesus there are going to be times when we will be tempted to jump out of the fire of God’s Word! It hurts and it’s uncomfortable to our flesh (our carnal desires), but don’t lose hope!
The Bible says in Galatians 6:9 not to become weary in well-doing! If it says not to, then there is a real threat of doing it! :)
How do we avoid growing weary? By allowing God to order our steps.
As my Pastor says, “We live in a microwave world, but we serve a crockpot God.”
In other words, we tend to want things right now, but God would rather us be properly prepared to receive. Why?
He wants what is best for us and if we got everything we ever wanted right away without ever having to work for it or attain the character to hold onto it, it wouldn’t be long before it was lost, damaged, stolen, or worse it consumed us!
Be encouraged, God is for you, not against you! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.”
Proverbs 24:16 AMP
You ever feel discouraged, broken, defeated? You are not alone! The Good News is this: God is not a feeling, He is a spirit, and He has created us in His image and His likeness! :)
That means, that we are a spirit first as well.
it is super important that we realize this truth, that we have feelings, but they are not the deciding factor! In other words, we don’t have to be, and shouldn’t be led by them.
Perhaps you already know this or maybe this is new to you, but we are spirit beings, we live in a body and we have a soul (a mind, will, and emotions).
Jesus said to the woman at the well, God is a spirit and those that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
Jesus also taught that the Word of God is spirit and life. (John 6:63)
Again, Jesus said this about Himself in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...”
What does all this mean exactly? It means that the way to grow spiritually and to ultimately know Him more is by feasting on the Word, on Jesus Himself! :)
In John 1, Jesus is described as the Word,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 KJV
Intimacy with Jesus through the Word of God is the key to overcoming anything life has to throw at us!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:30 AMP
Christianity was never meant to be hard. Sure, some of the decisions we have to make at times can certainly be difficult, especially to our flesh, but Jesus’ call has always been simple, “Follow me.”
Christianity is about surrendering our lives in favor of His life! Surrendering our sin in favor of His forgiveness! Surrendering our inability in favor of His grace!
It’s about positioning ourselves to receive what He has provided for us! :)
That’s awesome news! Granted, it doesn’t sit well with our flesh, wanting things outside the parameters of the Word of God and it doesn’t always sit well with our minds if they haven’t been renewed to the Word of God.
However, this can be remedied easily through surrender. The key to living a prosperous life in Jesus is surrender. :)
Listen, when we truly get a revelation of how much God loves us, of how good He truly is, we will want to surrender our lives to Him! We will want Him to get into every area of our life, every room in our hearts!
Christianity is easy peasy, so long as we surrender to Him! By so doing this, we are saying, “God I trust you!”
Easy doesn’t mean we will never face hardships or trials or storms or even be asked to suffer for His name’s sake. Easy means when we choose to surrender to Him, He gives us the grace and strength to overcome ANYTHING that may arise!
Listen, even Stephen in the Bible, when he was being stoned to death for his stance for Jesus, was said to have peace and he simply fell asleep!
The way of the sinner is hard. The way of man-made religion is hard. Christianity is easy.
Follow Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. He is for you, not against you! :)
He has given us His Spirit, His name, His authority, His grace, His strength, His peace, His Word, and so much more!
He has given us Himself!
Our response: I surrender all!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Shortcuts
“Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 AMP
Something we enjoy doing as a family is playing video games, specifically platforming games which involve much jumping, quick thinking, and memorization.
Some of the levels get quite difficult because they require you to memorize where certain things are.
One wrong move, and it's game over.
One of the best ways to get past these levels is watching each other play, paying close attention to where to jump when to jump, and when and where not to. :)
I love Jesus!
In our walk with Him, He places people in our lives that we can follow. If we are careful to pay attention to what they do, how they handle certain situations, the habits they hold, and so forth, it will greatly help us, providing special insight into certain situations, causing us to gain victory in areas simply because we know what to do and what not to do!
The people serve as God-given shortcuts! :)
The Bible serves as a major God-given shortcut, it is chock full of people that have done both good and evil things of which we can garner much wisdom, knowing what to do, and what not to do.
Listen, God-given shortcuts never involve compromise, however.
If the people in our lives are not emulating Jesus, we don’t need to and shouldn’t follow them.
However, be thankful for the ones who are!
Be encouraged today! Take an assessment of the people in your life right now. Who are the ones who are perhaps further ahead in an area that you are struggling in? What can you learn from them?
Don’t worry, a close walk with Jesus will keep us away from compromise.
We are not on this journey on our own. We are the Body of Christ.
Who can you learn from today?
Remember, Until next time, What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Tell Him
“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalms 34:1 NKJV
Learning to express our love for the Lord will take our relationship with Him to a whole new level! :)
It can be easy to build a habit of doing devotions at a certain time, praying and thanking the Lord for various things during those allotted times, and that is awesome!
However, what if we built a habit of being vocal about our Lord outside the parameters of our slotted Bible time?
What if we told Him throughout the day how much we loved Him? Perhaps we express our love for Him during work, during our workout routine, during our commutes, our errands, our family time, what if we allowed others to see how much we love Him...
It doesn’t have to be anything extreme, but it could look something like this:
We are out to lunch with our friends, and we take time to thank God for our meal, we take time to bring up God at least once in our conversation, perhaps thanking Him for His goodness in some manner...
Listen, we don’t have to be spooky. The more vocal we are about our love for the Lord, the easier it will be to share Him with others! :)
It can be so easy to keep God confined to our devotion time only, our church time only, and never allow Him to shine through in other areas of our life.
If you are someone who has trouble in this area, start small. Start by giving God glory when someone compliments perhaps on a job you do...” Hey good job on that project the other day!” your response could be something like, “Thanks! Praise the Lord!”
If that seems foreign to you or overly spiritual to you, then perhaps you struggle with expressing your love for Jesus in front of others! :)
Don’t be discouraged! You got this!!!
Listen, Jesus endured the shame of the cross for you!
We are on this journey together! Loving God, loving people, and sharing the gospel with others!
Start today, start by vocally expressing your love for Him throughout your day!
You will be surprised how much more vibrant your relationship becomes!
Remember until next time, What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Love never fails!
“Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)
Today’s devotional serves more as a challenge than anything else. From time to time, I will crack open the Bible and turn over to 1 Corinthians 13 and read the whole chapter a few times over, allowing it to sink down deep.
Sometimes, especially in the midst of a project, or just the busyness of life, it can be easy to get tunnel vision.
But as my pastor says, “People work is more important than paperwork.” - Pastor Jim Frease
1 Corinthians 13, often coined the Love chapter, helps me keep the why behind the what clearly in view.
God is all about people! He loves you more than you will ever know! Did you realize that He is always thinking good things about you?! That you are His favorite! You are the apple of His eye! Only God can do that, have more than one favorite at a time! What an awesome God we serve. :)
I want to encourage and challenge you and me to keep focused on the things that truly matter. God is Love. Therefore, let us focus on loving Him and loving people today. Be sure to take some special time to reach out to someone today, encourage them, lift them up, let them know how special they are to you, to the Lord!
We are living in crazy times. People all over the world are hurting, struggling, confused, and lost. Take some time today to be a light!
Keep this in mind when you are out there spreading love:
God is love.
Love is not God.
Therefore when you Spread God, you will spread love. :)
How do we do this? By spreading the Word. Stick to the Bible. Always accompany your good works with the Good News!
And remember, until next time, what you make happen for others God will make happen for you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
In Acts 6:8-7:60, we find the story of Stephen. He was chosen by the disciples to be one of seven to serve on their behalf in the ministry. The Bible describes him as a man full of faith and power, who did great signs and wonders among the people!
Can I tell you what that equates to? He was full of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit!
In fact, He was so full of the Word, that the religious people, who tried to catch him up in various arguments, being jealous of him, were not able ever to stand against him. The Holy Spirit gave him the words to speak in every situation.
Because of this, because they were not able to stand against him in words, they resorted to spreading malicious lies about Stephen. I love Stephen’s response!
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You ever find yourself anxious, worried, and fretful over many things? I know I have!!!
What’s the cure? Sit at the Master’s feet! Allow His sweet Word to wash over you. Only then will you be fit for service and able to tackle whatever the day and the world throws at you.
The need for doing things will never go away. There will always be another this or another that, but when we have the opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus, to learn from Him, these are the moments we should never shy away from or negate in the name of “duty.”
Jesus said Mary chose the good part, and it wouldn’t be taken away from her! What do you say we take some time today and learn from the Master? His Words are life and spirit and they will never be taken away!
We are saved to serve, not the other way around. Let the Lord wash over you today. Learn from Him.
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There are opportunities all around us to serve others, and share the Good News! The Bible, consuming it on a daily basis, helps us keep an eternal perspective. Hence, it helps position us to be able and ready to share with others when opportune times arrive!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Let it Burn
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”(1 Corinthians 1:27-29) KJV
Do you have a desire to make the Lord known to others? Do you want to be available when situations and opportunities arise to make Him known?
What a mighty God we serve! He allows us to play a part in His plan and it never ceases to amaze me how God can take the weak and base things of the world and confound the wise.
I have had times in my life when I simply didn’t want to exist anymore. I wanted to give up, to die, to end it forever, and yet the Lord stepped in and rescued me!
God is a rescuer! He is a redeemer! And He doesn’t just redeem us for the sake of redeeming us, although He could. Instead, He so desires to do life with us, to lead and guide us, to give us purpose beyond the pain!
That is a God who not only is able and willing to save but who saves to the uttermost!
That’s amazing Grace!
He doesn’t simply give us a new lease on life. NO! He gives us life! He doesn’t simply perform heart surgery, He does a heart transplant!
We don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it!
In the sight of a holy God, our works, our deeds, our supposed goodness is as filthy rags, and yet He chose us! The base things of the world to present the glorious gospel to those around us! What a mighty God we serve!
So today, the challenge question is this: Are you available?
Are you available, to not only be inconvenienced for the sake of the gospel, but also to share to the good news of what Jesus has done?
Listen, there is coming a time when the things we do will be tried with fire and only those things which have eternal value will remain. All the rest, our personal ambitions, successes, our castles in the sand, will be burnt up.
Therefore I say, let it burn today! Let this be our heart’s cry right now: Father, burn away the dross, the things that don’t matter, and let me love the things you love and hate the things you hate!
There is coming a time when it will all be tried by fire anyhow. Why not start today!
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Today's encouragement is longer than usual, but hang in there! And most of all, be encouraged!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Hear my cry, O God; Attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, When my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”
(Psalm 61:1-3) KJV
"Fight in You"
by Joshua Scott Zeitz
I know that life’s been pulling.
I know that life’s been hard.
I know you don’t yet see it,
but you have come so far!
Don’t give up the fight!
Don’t give up the fight
no never lose sight,
of the Hope that is guiding you!
He put the fight in you!
The answer is YES!
He does delight in you!
He does reside in you!
Lift up your head from the valley,
YOU’RE COMING THROUGH!
Greater is He that’s inside of you!!!
Fear’s taking flight from the Light that is bright in you!
The Word is alive, and it’s quick, and it’s shining through!
Healing the hurt, and the pain, and the shame that’s been blinding you!
My God is Good, and His Grace has been hiding you!
His Love never fails, and His mercies are Tried and True!
You can trust in His wings!
They’ll put the flight in you!
Lift up your eyes,
open your heart,
He’s inviting you!
I pray that this spark
will ignite in you!
Don’t give up the fight!
Let Hope abide in you!
Let Jesus abide in You!
He put the fight in you!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 AMP
When we seek the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength, we should never be fooled into thinking everyone is going to now like us or want to be our friend!
In fact, the opposite may very well happen.
God has placed eternity in the heart of every man, woman, and child, but not everyone wants to be reminded of that.
The gospel message, the message of the cross, the Good News that Jesus Christ came to earth, to die, for us, was raised from the dead, and now lives forevermore to make intercession for us, to give us eternal life, to give us Himself, is not something everyone wants to hear.
Not even Christians…
Sadly, many Christians see the gospel as something one hears in order to get saved, but then after that, it’s a message for the lost only....
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Perhaps you have heard it said that God works in mysterious ways? While He certainly does things that we can't oftentimes explain, this is sadly used to describe a God that is out of touch and unreachable.
This just simply isn't true! In truth, we serve a God who wants to reveal things to us and through us and the way to get closer to Him is by adhering to His Word, by having a pure heart and a pure mind!
Be encouraged today with this episode!!
Thanks so much!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Perhaps you've heard it said, that ignorance is bliss? In our walk with the Lord, this simply isn't true! In fact, the more Word we know, and in turn, the closer we are to the Lord, the less the enemy will be able to wreak havoc in our lives! If you are struggling today or perhaps you feel stuck in your walk with Jesus or knowledge of the Word, I encourage you to run to Him! He is the answer you seek! :)
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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“And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Matthew 6:28-29 KJV
Do you ever notice how we tend to place emphasis on things that don’t really matter that much?
We get frazzled when things aren’t just so. We don’t have the latest thing, and we move mountains to get it, thinking to ourselves, I must have it!
Something breaks or gets torn or gets stained and we freak out, thinking oh no! that was my favorite such and such...
I wonder what would happen if we would put that kind of gusto into our walk with the Lord?
Oh no, I forgot to spend time with the Lord this morning! “Jesus, I’m sorry!”
Darn, there I went again doing things on my own! “Jesus, I need you!”
I wonder what would happen if we traded a little more earth for a little more heaven?
I wonder what would happen if we traded a little more temporal for a little more eternal?
How would our perspectives change? Our perceptions?
Today, I just wanted to remind us all that the things we have - the clothes, the cars, the toys, the stuff, just don’t compare to our beautiful Lord and Savior!
You ever hear the old song...”You can’t get to heaven in a (insert your favorite item here)...”
As we scurry and hurry about our day today, don’t forget to take some time to focus on the things that truly matter!
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“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” 1 peter 2:12
You ever hear the saying, misery loves company? Wow, is this true! You ever been around someone you knew from the past before you knew Jesus and all they could talk about is the good ‘ol days? The days when they knew you prior to your relationship with Christ? They look at you and they don’t really understand the change that has taken place on the inside. They think it quite strange that you don’t want to join them in the activities you used to join them in…
You may already know this, but perhaps not, the world is watching you! Your friends, co-workers, family members, and even complete strangers. Why? What is so special about you?! Is there something special about you?!
Can I just answer that for you? YES!
If you are a born-again believer, Most assuredly yes, there is something remarkable about you!
Do you want to know what it is? Here you go:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Listen, you are a child of the King of kings, and the Lord of lords! You might not realize it or feel like it, but you are royalty! There is coming a day when you shall rule and reign alongside Jesus! Be encouraged by that today, that no matter what comes your way, no matter what happens to you or around you, you are His and He is yours!
Now, let’s bring this back a little and look to Jesus - I’m sure you already know this, but Jesus has always been God. Before He was Jesus, He was the second person in the Godhead. Therefore He was, has always been, and will always be God, full of glory, holy, supreme…
Yet, during His earthly ministry, He did not use His position as Master of the universe to exact His will on those around Him, instead, He went about doing good and serving others! He is our example of what we should be doing as well.
I just wanted to send a little reminder to us today that although we are a royal priesthood, our priority is to serve others, to be a light, to be a witness for Jesus always!
The world is watching, what do you want them to see?
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“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fails not: and when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31) KJV
Jesus is so awesome! Here we find Him with His twelve disciples at the Passover dinner. He is about to be crucified and He stops the dinner conversation to encourage Peter!
Peter, as you may already know is about to deny Jesus on three different occasions. At the dinner table, however, he tells Jesus he is ready to follow Him wherever. Jesus knows already however that Peter will deny Him!
Rather than be angry, however, or cut ties with him, He tells Peter I have prayed for you, that your faith would not fail!
Immediately after the dinner, Peter is amongst the disciples whom Jesus takes with Him to the garden to pray. Here we find Peter falling asleep twice.
Immediately after that, when the slew of guards led by Judas Iscariot comes to arrest Jesus, we find Peter cutting off the ear of one of the men!
Then of course, once Jesus is arrested, Peter denies Him three different times.
Fast-forward now, Jesus has been crucified. He suffered an excruciating death on the cross, He was buried, and after three days and nights in the heart of the earth, He is raised from the dead!
He could have, at this time, go straight on up to Heaven. His work was done. Instead, He showed Himself alive to 500 people, and He didn’t just do that, He took special time to spend with His followers! What an awesome God we serve. :)
There is one particular time I want to point out found in John 21. Here we find Peter and a few of the disciples right where Jesus first found them, they were out fishing. Just as the first time He met them, the disciples were coming up empty-handed.
Jesus tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. When they did, they were scarcely able to draw in the nets for the multitude of fish! John immediately recognizes who it is that has been talking with them and tells Peter, it is the Lord!
They go to shore and haul in their catch. Jesus invites them to dine with Him, and during their meal, Jesus asks Peter a question, three times, “Lovest thou me?”
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More Word, Less Me
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” (Philippians 3:7)
We are living in some crazy times! Did you realize the Apostle Paul was living during some crazy times as well? Did you realize that ever since sin entered the world, crazy times have been prevalent?
Sin always brings death. Death always means separation. Separation from a loving Father. Therefore, wherever sin is allowed to run rampant, so too darkness is going to run rampant.
To try and counteract the effects of sin in any other way than with the Word is futile. This is why it is so important that we as Christians delve into the Word in these last days like never before!
We are living in a time of gross darkness and the only thing to dispel it is the Word!
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
The apostle Paul was an awesome man of God, but he knew that without Christ, he was lost!
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Phil. 3:13,14)
Listen, when life kicks our bucket, whatever’s on the inside, in abundance, is going to spill out!
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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
One of my favorite things about a hotel room is the heavy curtains that oftentimes hang in front of the windows. They allow you to sleep in longer, blocking the light from spilling in.
It’s easy to lose track of time with such heavy curtains, however. You open your eyes and it’s so dark in the room. You think to yourself, “It can’t be later than 4 or 5 in the morning”, until that is, someone goes and pulls back the curtains causing instant blindness to everyone inside! You look at the clock on the table which reads 9:30, what?!!!
You ever catch yourself praying for more patience? more faith? peace? You ever say something like this: “Oh God! give me the patience to deal with so and so?”
If so, don’t fret, you’re not alone! :)
However, I have good news for you! Pull back the curtain, you already have it, all the patience, peace, faith, goodness, self-control, you will ever need.
You may not feel it. It might not look like it. But you have them! They are probably just hidden behind some heavy curtains. :) Listen, the Word of God is described as a lamp unto our feet and a light onto our path. (Psalm 119:105) The more Word we allow in our lives, the more light we allow into our lives, and in turn, the more of Him we allow in our lives! :)
When we pull back the curtains and allow the Word to spill into our rooms, (our hearts), impatience has to flee! Unforgiveness has to go! Anger has to subside!
It’s really a simple matter of replacing old ways of thinking and doing with the Word!
If you are a born-again believer, the Spirit of God dwells on the inside of you! You have the fruit of the Spirit! Claim it, speak it, draw them out by pulling back the curtains and allowing the Word to get into every nook and cranny of your life!
This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you won’t gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
Pull back the curtains and allow the Word to wash over you today cleaning you, refining you, renewing you! :)
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Today, I want you to know that you matter! You are not a pawn in the arena of an uncaring or un-empathetic God! You matter! He cares about the big and the small in your life today.
Be encouraged, because you matter!!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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As Jesus hung on the cruel cross, in His dying moments, He said, it is finished! The debt for our sin had been paid! Now, as believers, we don't have to fret, worry, or be fearful! Why? Because it is finished! Through Him, we have the victory and no devil in Hell can stand against us in Jesus' name!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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The enemy knows that our battles are won or lost in the mind! He tries to throw fiery darts our way all the time, and the best way to combat this is by meditating on the Word of God!
The more Word we have on the inside of us, the less room we will have for wayward thoughts and the more Word we will have in our arsenal!
By learning to meditate on the Word of God, we will be well on our way to thinking good thoughts!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Jesus is our prime example of what it means to be a servant! He said in His Word that He came not to be served, but to serve, and this is the example He laid out for us believers to follow!
When we are serving others, putting their needs above our own, is when we are the happiest and have the biggest sense of fulfillment!
Jesus went so far as to lay down His life for us! Surely we can choose to serve others today!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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Publish: Sep. 10, 2021 @12AM Edit
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Today's encouragement comes from Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord Always and again I say Rejoice!"
The great apostle Paul is writing this book while imprisoned for the gospel and yet he encourages us to rejoice in the Lord always!
If he could do it while chained up and surrounded by sewage, surely we can as well!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
"Whatever we make happen for others, God will make happen for us!"
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Sometimes when we wake up in the morning, we can feel an overwhelming sense of dread or discouragement. In order to combat this, it's vital that we speak the Word of God, and rather than let the circumstances around us dictate our day, we tell our day how it will be!
The joy of the Lord truly is our strength and that strength comes from the Word of God living on the inside!
Speak it out today!
In Christ,
Joshua Scott Zeitz
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