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For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
Burnt offerings were instituted by the Lord, but He did not want the Israelites to make those sacrifices at the neglect of being merciful or having the knowledge of the Lord! God’s heart from the beginning of creation was to walk with us as He walked with Adam in the cool of the day. The Lord assigned tasks to Adam and Eve to work the land and subdue the earth, but that was not meant to replace His relationship with them.
Those of us who have adult children have a good understanding of this. We want to see our children to mature, accomplish their tasks well, and fulfill their God given purpose, but we do not want them at the sacrifice of our relationship with them. We love to hear from our children, but we hope that sometimes they call us because they just want to talk to us not because they need something. We also desire that they will develop and maintain a good relationship with their siblings.
The challenge for all of us is that we can misuse motion and activity in replacement to mercy and intimacy. For some of us, we would rather make the sacrifice of getting up early and working hard rather than being patient with a difficult family member. We prefer to write the tithing check than forgiving the brother or sister at church.
The Lord does not want our activities to take the place of our heart condition. He desires for us to have a heart that is merciful and kind towards others. The burnt offering are a representation of being dutiful and feeling self-righteous but missing the heart of God!
Lord, today we pray that you would give us the capacity to be merciful and a desire to know your heart better. Help us not to allow others to annoy or frustrate us so easily. Instead, we want to easily love and be merciful to others.
Fasting is an important part of the Christian life. It gives us heightened sensitivity to the things of the spirit, and it helps us to suspend distractions for a period of time. We live in volatile and shaky times. As God’s people, it is important to be in tune with the Lord and understand His will rather than being swept up with the drama of the culture.
While we may fast from various things such as TV, coffee, and social media, true fasting is associated with food. Fasting can be done for a day or for an extended time. Some people fast from certain foods others fast completely without eating anything. Fasting can have variations based on a person’s health, physical abilities, and God’s direction, and it can be done individually, as a family, or corporately with other believers as the Lord leads us.
Fasting is about consecration to the Lord. Nehemiah fasted for several months before he spoke to the King about the walls of Jerusalem. Esther asked the Israelites to pray and fast with her for three days before risking her life and going to the king uninvited. Both Nehemiah and Esther were seeking God’s wisdom and strategy for the challenging task before them.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Matthew 4:2
Jesus fasted for forty days, and it was after this time of fasting when the enemy came to tempt Jesus. Jesus was able to discern the temptations of the enemy and responded to the temptations with the Word of God. This is the opportune time when the enemy tries to bring doubt, distractions, or ailments to lead God’s people in a different direction. The enemy does not want us to get closer to God or have greater sensitivity to spiritual things. Like Jesus, we need to understand the schemes of the enemy and discern his temptations.
We want to fast with the expectation that we will get closer to the Lord and that He will reveal His heart and His mind to us. This is the time that God may even use dreams to speak to us.
If you have never fasted or if you have a medical condition, please check with your physician to determine what is appropriate for your body and health condition.
It is a blessing to go to deeper places with the Lord. I encourage you to take the step of faith and allow God to meet you. Those of you who have fasted before, you may consider doing it on a regular basis and making it a part of your lifestyle. It is a blessing to fast and the reward of getting closer to the Lord far outweighs the discomfort and the inconvenience that can be experienced.
There is a desire deep inside of us to be free of imperfections and weaknesses. This leads us to look and strive for perfection in our lives. People spend thousands of dollars to look perfect and to dress perfectly. Some spend tens of thousands of dollars to make their house look perfect and to have the perfect furniture and landscape. We expect our children to have perfect grades and act perfectly!
The perfection we seek is unreasonable, and it creates ungodly expectations of ourselves and others. Furthermore, when our high expectation is not met, we can easily be disappointed and seek perfection somewhere where we can control things.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
Our desire for perfection is rooted in our desire to be in heaven someday where there is no sin, shortcomings, rejection, criticism, disease, or failures. We tend to compensate for those desires by putting ungodly focus on things that their perfection don’t have eternal value.
Perfection is a trap of the enemy. If we get caught up with being perfect, it will create, at least, four major problems. First of all, when God asks us to take a stand against something, we will have a hard time losing the approval of people. Second, if the Lord asked us to let go of our perfection in a certain area because it has caused us distraction, it will be difficult to obey the Lord and make the sacrifice because it has become part of our identity. Third, maintaining the image of perfection will make us slaves to a man-made standard. Fourth, people are watching us to see if they can do the Christian life successfully. Creating an unrealistic standard can discourage others who desire to follow the Lord!
Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Daniel 5:12
The scripture tells us that Daniel had an excellent spirit. It does not tell us that he was perfect nor does it imply he was seeking perfection. His excellent spirit led him to have the right heart before God, and he desired to do what pleased God. His excellence wasn’t to impress people with his visions, interpretation of dreams, or his lifestyle. As a matter of fact, his lifestyle of prayer and excellence caused much controversy and trouble for him.
Daniel did not face the problems of perfectionism because that was never his focus. As a result, he was a powerful instrument for God to be glorified through him. Lord, help us to have an excellent spirit but not seek perfection!
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
Stillness before God is about drawing away from all the noise around us and remaining in His presence. This stillness is about having a secret place where no one is watching us and no one will know about it. Most of us have various responsibilities where we are observed by others for being a spouse, parent, employee, employer, advisor, etc. In addition, we choose our “friends” on social media to see the snapshots of our activities. As a result, there doesn’t seem to be a place where we can be away from the eyes of others and to be truly ourselves before a holy God.
The scripture tells us that in the stillness of life we get to know God. In the midst of all the noise and distractions it is difficult to sense His presence or hear His voice. The “knowing” stated in the above scripture is about having an intimate relationship.
Most of us are not familiar with intimacy because it requires stillness and vulnerability. We are not used to sitting quietly because we are scared of silence. When things get quiet for a few minutes, we get antsy. We begin listening to our favorite music, texting someone, or watching a short video on social media. We have become experts in distracting ourselves. The things that we watch or listen could be helpful and spiritual, but are we getting to know the Lord personally? Are those things make us a spectator to someone else worshipping the Lord? Are we enjoying someone else’s revelation of God?
Jesus repeatedly withdrew from the crowd and that included His disciples. Jesus was already intimate with the Father, yet, He gave much attention to withdrawing from the people and having His time with the Lord. This shows the significance of quiet moments with the Lord. Jesus’ miracles and His words of knowledge were amazing. Could it be that those intimate moments with the Lord gave Him greater sensitivity to the unseen world and allowed Him to know the will of the Father clearly in each situation?
For those of us who are uncomfortable with stillness or intimacy, it will require faith to be quiet and still before God. It may feel like we are our wasting time, or we’re not being productive. If we, in faith, go before God and quietly listen to His voice, it will develop a deeper sensitivity to His quiet voice. We will sense His majesty and love, and He will begin to speak to us and give us revelations that we never imagined before.
During the holidays, life has a tendency to get busy with all the festivities, decorations, gifts, and gatherings. As we enter the New Year, most of us clean up our homes from all the activities and bring things back into order. The busyness of the season can also clutter our hearts, hence the need to set it back on the right focus.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god. Psalms 24:3-4
To begin with a clean slate, it’s good to treasure the memories made and let go of all the disappointments and frustrations from the previous season.
Who desires to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Those who desire to get closer to the Lord, don’t need to take anything up the mountain with them. He is looking for a pure heart and clean hands. A pure heart is a singleminded heart whose attention is only on pleasing the Lord.
My goal is to meet with him frequently and hear His voice. I want to repent from anything that He wasn’t pleased with, and put it behind me, so I can be free to move forward in what is before me.
Recently, I heard a story of two ladies who helped a homeless man. He desired to see his sister who lived in Tennessee but had no means to get there. He had not been in contact with his sister for a couple years. The two ladies bought him clothes and a bus ticket, so he can visit his sister. That would have meant that they needed to spend sometime with this homeless man who, most likely, did not look good nor smelled good. However, they were willing to reach out to him and lend him a hand. It would have been a lot easier to write a check to a homeless shelter than doing what these two did! What a blessing for these two ladies to bring joy in this man’s life and see his need fulfilled. He ended up having a place to stay with his sister and will begin looking for a job in Tennessee.
Our hands may be busy with many things, but I want my hands to be busy with those things that matter in the Kingdom. I want to touch those that God wants me to touch. I only want to consider unclean what God calls unclean. The Lord considers unclean those things that come from impure heart and unclean motives.
Lending a hand to those who are in need for Christ’s sake, even when they look or smell dirty, is one of the cleanest things we can do. Lord, give us the courage to be your hands and feet in this world and serve you with a pure heart and clean hands.
Happy and blessed 2018! As we get older, it seems like the years go by much faster. This also means that it is important to make the most of every opportunity and not let them pass by.
In the last few days the Lord has been speaking to me about a ” New Order”, so I would like to share a scripture that ministered to me.
“…No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Luke 2:21-22
When God begins to do a new work in our lives, it requires us to be sensitive to that change of season and adjust accordingly. This means that we first perceive it in faith, and then, in the natural, we begin to make room for it. We don’t wait until things change, but we welcome the new by changing our perspective and mindset with what is about to come. The new order could be in God’s revelation, relationships, career, finances, ministry, etc.
Our natural tendency is to hang on to what has worked in the past. Some of us may even be comfortable with what hasn’t worked in the past; we prefer to hold on to what is known because we are just tired of believing that change is possible.
The Lord’s character and His principles don’t change, but He is always in the business of changing and transforming lives. While things don’t always change in our timeline, God is still at work behind the scenes. We will see the eventual change in our lives as well as the lives of those around us.
When God brings a new situation in our lives (new wine), instead of trying to understand it based on our past experiences, let’s ask God for a new perspective (new wineskin). Let’s believe God that there is a new order of things, and that God has a new provision and a new plan that we know nothing about. Our preconceived notions will not make sense of it all, but we can trust Him to give us what we need in the new season. The Lord is always faithful, and while He will alway faithfully provide what we need, how He plans to provide it, can be different from one season to another.
As we are about to enter 2018 in a few days, it’s a good time to reflect on the past year and think about the year ahead. Some choose to have new year resolutions. I have found that new resolutions don’t work for me. I tend to forget what they were and can’t recall where I documented them!
If we choose the right priorities in our lives, the new year resolutions will be the byproduct of those priorities. Whether the specific resolutions get accomplished or not, we are still moving in the right direction and are developing in ways that help us grow and become all God has purposed for us. Some of the things that we can think about are as follows:
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Where we will spend our time and energy in 2018? Making time for the Lord and our family is at the top of the list. Working diligently, tithing, saving, and giving is important in getting our financial house in order. Developing healthy friendships is important to our well-being.
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Allowing faith, hope, and love to rule our lives and choke fear, hopelessness, and pride is going to be critical to our spiritual growth. Faith, hope, and love also ripen the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and allow others to see more of Christ in us.
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Finally, making time for the lost is crucial. It is in discipling the people that communities change, and the Kingdom of God is advanced. Below are some scriptures to meditate on as we embark on the New Year!
Time with the Lord
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory. Psalm 63:1-2
I hope that I can have this kind of longing towards the Lord. There are many things out there that ease the thirst momentarily, but they ultimately leave us disappointed and bankrupt. He is the only true source of life, hope, and encouragement in all seasons of life!
Growing in the Spirit man
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
It is time for the bride of Christ to grow up and mature. I desire to grow up and put away my immature and childish ways of handling things. Let’s bring to the Lord our self-focused habits and lay them at the Cross and allow the Lord to help us love deeply and do life better with others!
Reaching the Lost
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30
While we may prefer to be around people who are like-minded, the lost needs to be reached. It is not easy to be around prickly, opinionated, or difficult people, but everyone needs Jesus! Let’s ask the Lord to give us the grace to serve those who are different from us in behavior, culture, lifestyle, or political preference and reach them for Christ.
I pray that we all cease the moments God gives us to grow in Him and reach those He puts in our sphere of influence!
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:25-38
The Holy Spirit led Simeon to go to the temple to see the Messiah! The Lord had spoken to him about seeing the Savior before he died, and when the spirit led Simeon, he did not hesitate to go to the temple. When he saw the baby, he held the baby, and with the eyes of faith, he recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Simeon prophesied boldly about Him. He even declared that through Him the salvation was going to come to the Jews and the Gentiles. This was the first time that salvation for Jews and Gentiles was mentioned in the New Testament!
Furthermore, Anna who was a devout woman of God and known to be a prophetess also saw Jesus and recognized Him as the Savior. She began to speak about Him to others and told them about the redemption that was going to come. 
Both Simeon and Anna were faithful servants of the Lord who were wise and ready for the appearance of the Savior. They had prepared for decades for the arrival of Jesus on the scene. While they did not see the work of Jesus on the Cross, they welcomed it from a distance and spoke boldly about it to others.
Jesus’ birth is the demarkation in history pointing to the fact that everything is different after His birth and His sacrificial work on the Cross. Just as Simeon and Anna were chosen by God to proclaim the Messiah, He has chosen all His sons and daughters to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and Reconciliation with God. Hallelujah!
May His peace, joy, and rest be with you today and always! Merry Christmas!
“Are you ready for Christmas?” If this was a question asked of you, how would you answer it? Would you think about all the Christmas gifts that you still have to purchase? Would you be thinking about the need to still send out Christmas cards to family and friends? Would shopping for food be on your “to do list”? The Truth is that most of us know the reason for the season, but all the preparation for Christmas celebration takes away our attention from what truly matters.
He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:5-7
There was no room for Jesus when He came to the world. The people were too preoccupied with their hustle and bustle to pay attention to the Messiah arriving at their neighborhood. He came to the world, and the world was too busy doing what the earthly king had demanded. They all had to go to their respective cities for taking part in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus from his empire.
The sad reality is that many Christians will celebrate Christmas without Christ because of all the cultural and family expectations. They will do all the preparations and buy gifts for family and friends. Santa will show up to cheer the children, but there will be no room for Jesus. He is not going to be discussed at the dinner tables, but politics and sports are going to be the highlights of the discussions.
Many people think they are prepared, but in time they find out that they really were not prepared as they should have been. What is the difference between the prepared wise individuals versus those who are inadequately prepared?
There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it. Proverbs 21:20
The wise people always take care of their spiritual life first. Their intimacy with the Lord gives them the oil of insight and illumination that prepares them at a moment’s notice for any need that arises. They are in tune with God and with people’s needs. They know when and how to step in to share some of their spiritual treasures with those who are in need. The foolish ones are selfish and have no understanding of God’s desires in any given situation. They are only focused on how they can be blessed and are not there to serve others or give of themselves.
As you prepare for Christmas, spend time with the Lord and give Him room to speak to you without any agenda on your part. Then pray for those that you will come into contact with in the next couple of weeks and ask the Lord to prepare you for those visits. Be mindful of the lonely ones around you and try to reach out to them. Be ready spiritually for the Lord using you in others’ lives and be open for how he will use others to minister to you.
I shared in the last two devotionals about Jesus’ parable in regards to the wise and foolish virgins. There was another virgin whose obedience changed the history of mankind! Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a wise virgin who heard the voice of God and was prepared to respond!
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38
The call of God to Mary came in an unexpected form! She didn’t know that someday an angelic visitation would change her life, but Mary was ready! She had a tender heart towards God, and she called herself, “the Lord’s servant.” She must have had an intimate and loving faith towards her God. Therefore, the Lord chose her and favored her because He knew He could trust her.
The call of God upon Mary wasn’t going to be easy. To be an unmarried pregnant woman could have meant shame, gossip, and disdain by her community. She didn’t even know how Joseph would respond to this call. However, she did not concern herself with all those worries.
Mary’s commitment to the Lord was greater than any fear of man that she was faced with. Those fears were not going to hold her back from doing the will of God. She did not ask the angel if the Lord could wait until Joseph marries her, so that her pregnancy could be acceptable to people. She just declared, “May your word to be fulfilled.”
Mary did not have all the hang ups of a carnal man. Most of us would worry about other’s approval of us and would not want to do anything that could lead people to think less of us. Mary, on the other hand, just said yes to God and allowed God to back her up and protect her. She was pure from selfish motives or ambitions. This wasn’t her idea; it was God’s plan. Her faith was in the Lord, and God was surely faithful to her and provided for her all the way. This wise virgin was ready, and she had plenty of oil for her lamp to provide her illumination in the midst of difficult and uncertain times.
Has the Lord been asking you to do something that man’s opinion is holding you back? First, please ensure that it is the Lord calling you. Then take a step of faith by simply saying “yes” to Him.
