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In reading the Old Testament I sometimes get the impression that God is begging and pleading with us to do the right thing. Consistently, He repeats himself over and over and over again, that He is God. Further, He reminds the children over and over and over again what He has done for them especially removing them out of bondage from the Egyptians. Yet, they continue turning their backs on God.

Ezekiel 20 is the story of Israel’s rebellion. Idol worshipers are described. Moreover, it talks about their abominations. Undoubtedly, it makes the case of why it appears the Lord is begging and trying to reason with the Israelites. Resolutely, in verse 19 God clearly states He is God, walk in my statues, keep my judgement and do them. Without question, that sounds simple, right?

Our love for God is a heart issue. If we find it difficult to walk in God’s statues, keep His judgement, and do them, and we say we love God, we have to ask ourselves why this is difficult for me to do. Truly, if someone has our heart, we want to do anything for them. Powerfully, God demonstrated this by giving us His son, Jesus.

It is clear God has a yearning love for us. Given his steadfast nature toward us of continuing to give us warning and warning, after warning and telling us of the abundant, victorious blessings that awaits us when we take heed, why would we not want that for ourselves? Furthermore, why are we not yearning for God as He yearns for us? Questionably, do we have a reckless abandonment for God? Honestly, do we believe He is who He says He is?

Jesus talks about us having child-like faith. Admittedly, we cannot do that on our own. In the natural/flesh hearing the words sound simple. Nevertheless, we complicate it because our heart for God is not quite there yet. Of course, Satan wants us to reason it out. Admittedly, sometimes what God has asked us to do does not make sense. But, some things are simple. After Jesus resurrected and came back from the dead the disciples had no problem doing what Jesus asked them to do. Clearly, it became simple for them. In like manner, will it become simple for you? Love & Blessings!     

There are some things you just cannot make-up especially when you are reading the Bible. When God gave me this assignment October 2021, I welcomed it with open heart. At this writing it is October 9, 2022. I am fast approaching a year of taking on this assignment. I knew that God wanted to show me some things. Graciously, I have also realized that God really wanted me to get to know Him more in a deeper way. He knew he had my attention. He knew he had my heart. He knew I knew He does not like sin because of what it does to us. Sin is destructive in our lives. However, I believe God wanted to impress upon me the deep, deep seriousness of sin and its impact on our lives.

I believe when God sees our hearts, he knows those hearts that are bent towards Him. Conversely, God knows those hearts that are not. It is often said when we see in the Bible repetitive words that Jesus or God repeats, it means we really need to take notice of what He is saying. It has importance and significance. It is not something to brush or pass by. We need to stop and take stock of what God is saying.

Words have meaning. In my journey of reading some of these words that we see repeated often are, “Truly, truly and Verily, verily: spoken often by Jesus. We read them often in the New Testament. However, I am reading the Old Testament. I have seen the patterns of the children of Israel constantly turning their back on God. Moreover, I am reading Ezekiel 16 and verse 23 quickly caught my attention because I had NEVER seen, “…woe, woo unto thee, saith the Lord God.” KJV.  That gave me pause and I realized I needed to write about this.

I thought about our lives. God loved Israel, but they lived defeated lives. They had blessings and times of peace. Invariably, throughout the Old Testament they called wrath into their lives because of their disobedience. They were not living an abundant, victorious life God wanted them to have. He wanted Adam and Eve to have it. Tragically, they took their eyes off God. Unfortunately, they paid attention to Satan and struggled after that. Again, there is nothing new under the sun/Son. This is relevant today. We have a choice to embrace the abundant, victorious life God has promised us through Jesus Christ. Or, we can choose to keep our eyes on Satan’s distractions in the world and culture and experience the woe, woes of life. Love & Blessings!

Recently we had another Jail Ministry Graduation from the Nurture Block Program! The graduation is such a treat for the graduates. They are sharing at the graduation their, for some of them, reconnecting to their faith. They receive brand new Bibles which excites them because for some of them it is the first Bible they have ever received and owned. It is also the first time many of them have actually spent time reading and researching things in the Bible.

Graduation for some of them signals a time of transition with their jail sentences. A couple of them are released. A few are sent back into the main population of the jail. Others are transferred to other jails in other cities to serve sentences for offenses in those cities. Finally, some are transferred to prison.  These various transfers tug at my heart, especially the ones who are transferred to prison.  As you can see many prayers are needed.  I ask that you continue to keep the jail population across the world in your prayers. Ultimately, we know that God has a plan for each of them even in their incarceration.

So, I have a new set of beautiful faces of women before me. Many of them are so eager for this opportunity the jail offers in this Nurture Program. You can see it in their faces. Humbly, this is another opportunity God entrusts me to share his love, grace, forgiveness, and His abundant, victorious life He has promised. Yes, this life is available to those who may have life sentences in prison.  It is a promise of eternal life with our Savior, Jesus, and our Father, God, and so much more!  These men and women with life sentences who come into the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus Christ have the opportunity to evangelize others in the jails and prisons. It is a testament of how our God wastes nothing in our lives. Love & Blessings!

Ezekiel is used by God to speak to His people. They have once again turned their back on God. This has been a consistent pattern and theme of the Old Testament. I believe God sent me on this journey to read the Bible once again as a way to get to know Him. When we get to know God, we become intimate with Him. We learn somewhat how He operates, what He loves, what He hates, how He blesses His people and how He disciplines His people.

Ezekiel 6 spells out once again how God is going to discipline his people for turning their backs on Him. Verse 11 say they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. This is so clear and repetitive throughout the Old Testament. I believe it is God’s message to His people on His discipline methods.

Fast forward to today, 2023. When we see pestilence, in the case of COVID, that affected the whole world, how can we not believe it was not God sending a message to the world? Why are we slow to acknowledge it? Why do we dismiss it? There is much idolatry that is going on in the world. Satan has successfully blinded many of us in thinking everything is alright and God does not care if we have other things before Him such as our careers, jobs, families, hobbies, and other vices. We are deceived if we think that God does not care. Just read for yourself in the Old Testament how angry God became of the idolatry the people committed against Him and how He consistently used war, famine and pestilence to discipline them. It really gives us a moment to pause in our own lives. Love & Blessings!

Moab’s destruction can be likened to our own destruction. If we put other things before our God, it will destroy us. It is the reason why God hates sin because it destroys the people He loves.

In Jeremiah 48 we are reading about the destruction of Moab. God is destroying the people because they magnify themselves against God. Imagine that! Sometimes we get so caught up in who we are and our importance, that we start to magnify ourselves. We call attention to our so-called accomplishments when in reality we could not have done any of it without our God.

We are reminded by Moab’s destruction that God can humble us and bring us down to size or call us home when we start placing people, places, and things in front of him.  After reading the 47 verses about Moab, we no longer hear of these people in the Bible. Oh, let this be a lesson for us. Love & Blessings!

We all have received bad reports. Invariably, they are never pleasant to receive. Basically, on July 25 I received such a report. I went in for a screening mammogram. Less than an hour later when I returned home I had received a bad report from the screening. They wanted me to come in for more testing. One was for additional imaging and, if needed, an ultrasound.

I thank God for surrounding me in a cocoon of PEACE. Immediately, I thought what is this bad report? I thought it was wrong and not cancer. However, I did my due diligence. I inquired about making a follow-up appointment for additional testing.  Not once did I panic or have anxiety about this bad report. God’s supernatural PEACE was surrounding me.

On August 7, I had my follow up appointment. After having to endure both tests, I received a good report before I left the lab. God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Satan tries to shake us up with bad reports. God is above all things. (Psalm 96:3)  When we know we are doing all God has called us to do, there is no need for fear. God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19).When we are walking in God’s purpose for our lives, He will lead and guide us into those purposes. Satan’s lie, a bad report, is only a distraction to keep us from God’s BEST… Claim it! Love & Blessings!

In Jeremiah Chapter 32: 30 – 36 illustrates what evil the children of Israel brought on themselves. God’s anger and fury has been provoked time and time again. Finally, the soft landing is how God once again proclaims them as His people and He will be their God (Jeremiah 32:37-38).

Two take aways from these scriptures. Number one, sometimes the evil that is in our lives could be from our own doing as we see here in Jeremiah and throughout the Bible. When we are disobedient to God, ultimately we hurt ourselves. It is why God hates sin, because it destroys the people He loves. Secondly, our God loves us so much and with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), why can’t we love him back the same from our hearts?

That is not to say we will be perfect. But when God examines our hearts He should see a deep abiding love we have for Him not some shallow, wishy washy, serve God with my lips and my heart is far from Him kind of love. Believe me, God knows the difference. Love & Blessing! 

Some treasurers are meant to be shared. Here’s one…

We are studying The Fruit of the Spirit during my time with the ladies at the jail. This week we studied on the fruit of JOY. The young lady presenting did a beautiful job peppering her presentation with scriptures referencing to JOY. The Holy Spirit was moving during the presentation. At the end of her presentation, she said in amazement she never knew how simple what God is asking from us to have faith and believe! Adding, she never realized until now since she has been here (jail). We witnessed the scales being removed from her eyes… It was a BEAUTIFUL thing! I shared it is because God now has your attention.

The Bible says heaven rejoices when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7) I believe God hearing this young lady say these words put a big SMILE on His face! I told them we sometimes complicate the things God has asked us to do. He asks us to have faith and believe; He will do the rest! Once we have done what God has asked us to do, trust that He will do His part. It may not always LOOK like we expect, but it will give us the same results.

I pray this is an encouragement to YOU!

Thank you for your love and support.

Love & Blessings!

This journey of reading the Bible cover to cover, has been so revealing. It has been a blessing in many ways. Time and time again I have seen how God’s people have turned their backs on Him. Time and time again I have seen how God has restored them. What have been striking are the many times God sent war, pestilence, famine and in Jeremiah I am reading how God is going to send evil their way.

Jeremiah’s prayer in Chapter 32 so eloquently describes how loving and kind God is which we all like to hear. Yes, He is a forgiving God. However, there are lessons to learn in our disobedience. When we turn our backs on God there are evil consequences. I grew up thinking anything bad happening was because of Satan. That thinking came from my ignorance and immaturity.

Now that I am eating and seeking the meat of God’s word, I so clearly see everything evil in the world does not come from Satan. Some of it comes from our own disobedience. We suffer from what we have done to ourselves. Many times we want to blame others, but it is us and our disobedience to God. Because our disobedience or sin destroys us little by little, God will continue to correct us until we learn the lessons He wants us to learn. Love & Blessings!