Day 47~ Our God who Loves Us

Isaiah 43:4-5;

"I will give up whole nations to save your life, because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor. Do not be afraid - I am with you!"

Today, we look at Our God as the God who loves us. 

I saved this particular quality of God for last because it is the most important quality of all to remember.

The reason it's the most important is because everything God does in our life is going to reflect this one truth; God loves us.

The struggles we face, the battles we fight, the difficulties and the disappointments, inside all of them, if we were to look closely, we would find God's love, his protection and his grace. You see, God knows what we're made of and he would never send us things we could not handle and he certainly wouldn't put us in a situation without giving us the strength to handle it.

One may say, " But how could you say that God loves us? This world is less than ideal, we see crime, corruption, starvation and war."

The truth is, none of those things reflect God, they reflect human nature.

How can we blame God when we are the ones hurting each other?

Until we learn to truly love one another, wars will never end, starvation will never end corruption will never end, crime will never end and suffering will never end.

All it takes is love.

Not the corrupted kind of love that we see in today's world which is disloyal and seeks pleasure and gain, but the kind of love which is selfless, forgiving, considerate, cooperative and kind. The latter love is the kind of love God wants us to have for one another.

Today, the day we commemorate our Lord's resurrection, is the day we see God's love in action.

It was on a day, much like today, that God restored the hope of humanity by proving to us that he can rise us from death.

Before, it was thought that such a thing could not be done, but now we know, and rejoice in the fact that our God is powerful enough and compassionate enough to restore life to us, even after death.

Our God is a living, loving, merciful God. He said so himself in Isaiah. 

Can you imagine God giving up nations just to save you? 

Is it simpler then, to imagine God putting his perfect, wonderful son to death, for the sake of sinners like us?

It doesn't make sense. There's no way anyone would do that yet God did that for us.

Why?

Because he loves us.

In reality, there's no real reasonable cause for God to have sacrificed his own son. He is the Almighty God. He could create new worlds with new people. Better people, but no, he never gave up on us. He proved his love and loyalty to us. 

He has never left us or forsaken us. And you know what? 

Even if you were the only person on Earth, God would have done the very same thing to save you.

How do I know that?

I know because that's who our God is. He wants to save all of us.

I truly believe that we don't read the Bible to find God, we don't have to find God, he isn't lost. We read the Bible to find ourselves and who better to teach us about ourselves than our creator.

Are you a courageous person fighting giants like the Shepard boy David? Are you running away from something like Jonah? Maybe you're looking for healing like Naaman or perhaps a seeker of wisdom like King Solomon.

Even if you can't relate to any of these, you will find yourself in the Bible and you will see how our loving God can move mountains for you.

This Easter Sunday, which we spend in jubilation at the miracle of our Lord Jesus' resurrection, I encourage you to read the Bible and be a light wherever you may go. 

This world needs you and your life is important and precious.

In God's eyes, you are a masterpiece of great value and worth. Remember that God loves you so much that he sent his Son to release you from guilt and shame and prove to you that there is life beyond death.

If you ever need love, it's not far away, it's tucked under the loving embrace of your heavenly Father's arms and the good news is he's only one call away.

Thank you so much for reflecting with me on the qualities of God for these 47 days. I wish you and your family a Happy Holy Easter. I pray God's blessings upon you; blessings of health, strength, love, long life, happiness and an abundance of God's favor, today and forever, and may your life always be an inspiration to others to the honor and glory of God.

Day 46~ God our Redeemer

Isaiah 47:4

"Our Redeemer, The Lord of Hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel."

Our God is an awesome God, he is very wise and wonderful and he has redeemed us.

To understand God as our Redeemer, we must first understand what it means to redeem.

The word redeem has multiple definitions:

Firstly, to redeem means to compensate for the faults and bad aspects of.
We may have heard someone say at some point, "You must redeem yourself." This means that the person in question has to compensate or make amends for something wrong that they may have done. It also means to save.

Secondly, to redeem means to gain or regain posession of something in exchange for payment.
That is to clear a debt, or free yourslf from debt by paying a ransome.

Lastly, to redeem means to fulfil ot carry out a promise.

So which of these three definitions explains who God is as our redeemer?

Well, unsurprisingly, God's redemption covers all the possible definitions redeem could have.

Through Jesus Christ, God compensated for our faults and bad aspects. He did this by allowing Christ to take our place. Since Jesus was perfect, he atoned for our faults and bad aspects, thereby making amends with God for our transgressions and saving us from sin and shame.

God also regained posession of us. He gave his only son to die for us. Jesus paid for our sins by dying since death is the payment for sin. He paid for all our sins, by being a sacrifice. 

Lastly, through Jesus, God fulfilled his promise of sending a messiah to save us, the very mesaiah that  was prophesied about in the old testament. 

So there you have it. God is our redeemer in every way we look at it. He saved us, he paid our ransome and he kept his promise. 

Today, I pray, that we all will gratefully accept the gift of redemption which God gives freely to all of us, through the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ, for God is our redeemer.

Day 45~ Salvation Belongs to our God

Good Friday; the day our God made the ultimate sacrifice for us by offering his son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be made holy through him.

Revalation 7:10;

"And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb."

So, let us start from the begining; this all began when God made something like a contract with Moses and the Israelites.

He wanted to live among his people, but thanks to their sin, he couldn't come among them because his Holiness would destroy them. In order to live among them, there were certain purification rituals that needed to be done.

So, in summary, the first contract said that if we are guilty of sin, we must confess our sins and offer a sheep or goat as a sin offering to God and he would forgive our sins. 
Leviticus 5:5-6.

Today, we don't live under that contract any longer.
Why?
Because God gave us salvation.

What is salvation?
Salvation is generally defined as preservation from harm, ruin or loss.

This definition fits perfectly with what God has done for us. Through Jesus' sacrificial death, we have been preserved by God from harm, that is, we no longer have to live life under God's wrath because now, we have been made clean by the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us.

He has also saved us from ruin because sin leads us down a path of destruction, we know that the price of sin is death, but through Jesus, our sins have been paid for.

He also saved us from loss, which is why we believe that death is not the end of our Journey. We know that our souls will live on even if our bodies die.

Theologically, Salvation is defined as deliverence from sin and it's consequences.

Our God has given us salvation and he has given it to us freely. This means that none of us have to pay for it, none of us have to earn it, we are given salvation because our Lord Jesus Christ was generous enough to be the perfect lamb sacrificed for the payment of our sins.

So how do we claim this free gift?
Well, God made a new contract with us.
The new contract says that if we believe in his son, we will not perish.

John 3:16 says;

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

So today, we can simply confess our sins and ask for forgiveness because the sacrifice has already been made. 

Through confession, we let God know that we are aware that we have sinned and that we are sorry about sinning. Jesus' sacrifice and our confession together is the same as the sin offering as written in Leviticus.

God made it even easier for us to be forgiven and what's more is that everyone on Earth can be saved, because of what Jesus has done.

Remember, Jesus' sacrifice is enough to cover our sins.
Trust in the Lord your God. He gives us Salvation.

If we truly take the time to understand the scripture, we will find that God is very real and also he is a very loving and compassionate God. The depth of what is written in the Bible, can prove that God exisits because it does not conform with the way humans usually think.

Who would sacrifice their perfect child for the sins of the world? No one. 
God did that.

I pray today that as we reflect upon God's salvation, that we will be drawn closer to him and understand his beautiful heart as we journey with him through life.


Today I want to wish you and your family a happy and holy Good Friday, may God's richest blessings and mercy pour out on you today and for as long as you live.

Day 44~ Our Holy God

Today is Holy Thursday. The day we remember the Last Supper which our Lord Jesus, shared with his disciples.

Today, however, I invite you to reflect with me on the topic, Our Holy God.

What does it mean to be holy?

We call today Holy Thursday; this holy means sacred and dedicated to God. That means that we have chosen to devote this day to God.

However, when we're speaking of the word Holy with respect to God, it's something a bit different.

Leviticus 19:2 says;
"Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy."

In Leviticus 19, God tells us that he is a Holy God.
This time, however, Holy, means separate or set apart.

God is separate from humankind.
One way in which he is separate from us is that he is set apart from anything evil, in other words, God is completely good, there is nothing bad, evil or impure about our God.

Holiness is much deeper than we could ever come to understand but what we do know and understand about Holy things is this; it is so good that evil things are destroyed in its presence.

This is why there were very special and specific rules in place for the Israelites when God lived among them.

There were foods which were seen as clean and unclean. There were specific rituals which they needed to carry out for their purification and those priests who worked in the tent of The Lord's presence also had to hold themselves to a certain standard.
Why?
Because if they didn't do those things, God's holiness could destroy them.

Now, God also wants us to be Holy just like him.
Leviticus 11:45 tells us;
"For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."

However, we humans sin and fall short of God's glory, how then can we be holy?

This was the question in everyone's minds for centuries after this statement was made, that is, until one man came and turned the tides in our favor.

This man is none other than Jesus Christ.
He was perfect, like a lamb without any defects, he came and was sacrificed to God. In fact, he was such a perfect sacrifice that God accepted him as the payment for the sins of the world forever!

Today, on this Holy Thursday, we remember the night on which our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, sat with his disciples, there he told them to break the bread and drink the wine, representing his body sacrificed for us and his blood spilled for us as payment for our sins so that we too might be holy.

Hebrews 10:10 tells us;

"For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time."

There you have it, our Holy, loving compassionate God kept his promise and now we can have a chance at everlasting life.

This Holy Thursday, I pray that we will understand the length, depth and height of God's everlasting love for us as we commemorate the sacrifice that he has made on our behalf. Our Almighty Father is certainly worthy to be praised and adored for he is our Holy God who loves us.

Day 43~ Our God Who Rescues Us

Psalms 35:10;

"With all my heart I will say to the Lord, "There is no one like you. You protect the weak from the strong, the poor from the oppressor."

Sometimes in life, unfair things happen to us. God see's this, he is omniscient, our all seeing God, and he will take care of us.

Psalm 35 reminds us of this. God will rescue us from unfair situations.

God will rescue us without fail, and he will ensure that we come out victorious.

An example of such a situation can be seen in the book of Daniel;

Daniel 6 where Daniel was placed into a Lion's pit by King Darius after he had put out a decree that for 30 days no one was to request anything from God, or any human being except him.

Daniel however still prayed as diligently to God as he usually would and thus, when he was caught, he was thrown into the Lion's den.

This was unfair to Daniel. Why should he not be allowed to serve God as he usually did?

Yet for all, he was thrown into a den of Lions to be devoured.

Now, King Darius felt guilty for throwing Daniel into the Lion's pit, and the very next morning went to the den where he called out;

"Daniel, servant of the Living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the Lions?"

Daniel replied; "May Your Majesty live forever! God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the Lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty." 

God rescued Daniel because he knew that Daniel was innocent. What's more is that after this, King Darius sent out a command that everyone should respect and fear the God of Daniel.

God can use troublesome situations and bring Glory and Honor to his name.

Our God rescues his people. 

Maybe there's a situation you're facing where you're feeling trapped and discouraged.

You need not fear. You serve the God who can shut the mouths of Lions! The God who can trample giants and command the sun to stay in it's place.

He can rescue you. He will defend you. If God has placed you in a difficult situation, you can be sure that he will rescue you from it. It's only a matter of time before he sends the help you need because our God is a God who rescues his people.

Even if the odds are against your favor as with David and Goliath. Even if you need more time, he controls time, as he did with Joshua in the battle against the Amorites. Our God can and will rescue you. Whatever it takes, he is on your side. 

Continue to put your trust and hope in the Almighty God, he rescues his people and he certainly won't let you down.

Day 42~ God our Helper

Psalm 121:1;

"I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Have you ever looked at the mountains in your life? Have you ever been baffled at the size of your mountain and wondered if you have what it takes to climb it?

Today, I want to remind you, you don't have to climb that mountain on your own. Just like King David, I encourage you too, to look at that mountain and tell it, 'My help comes from the Lord who created the heavens and the earth.'

God helps us in times of need and struggle; yes, our God helps us.

You are not alone. No one is alone. God is omnipresent, he's everywhere on Earth and in Heaven so why are you afraid? Why are you discouraged? If God is for you, who dare be against you?

You were asked to climb this mountain because God knows that you have the strength to climb it. He has already done all the calculations. He sees the slippery slope and the plateaus where you will rest. He sees where your grip may falter and where your ankle may slide and he has already decided that he is strong enough and quick enough and capable enough to save you from it all. It's about time you start trusting in your helper.

An example of someone in the Bible that had a difficult mountain to climb was Jonah.

God had told Jonah to go to the evil country of Nineveh but Jonah disobeyed God. He was afraid of his mountain so he set out in a boat going in the opposite direction, but you know what? God already knew that Jonah had decided to disobey him, he already calculated such an outcome and he already had plans.

He sent a storm which overtook the boat that Jonah was in. Jonah knew that God had sent this storm because he was on the boat so he offered himself to be thrown overboard.
Once he was thrown overboard, the storm stopped, but he was in the middle of the ocean, about to be drowned by its waves, how was Joanah to get to Nineveh?

Don't worry, God is our helper.

That was when a large fish swallowed Jonah.

From deep inside the fish, Jonah prayed to God, he praised God, even as he was inside of the large fish which swallowed him.

Jonah 2:9;

"But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the Lord."

It's strange to think that a person, in such a bizarre situation would praise God, but there Jonah was, praising God in the midst of his struggles, and God helped him.

Jonah 2:10 says;

"Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah on the beach, and it did."

God once again told Jonah to go to Nineveh and he finally obeyed and succeeded in his task.

Jonah's mountain was a big one to climb. He was afraid to do what the Lord asked, but God knows us and he knows the mounatin, he will not ask us to do something we could not handle.

Now, God will help us to climb our mountains but it's up to you to climb the mountain and let go of the pains of the struggle. 

"These mountains that you are carrying, you were only suppose to climb." ~Najwa Zebian.

Don't carry the sorrow, regret and remorse for your entire life because of the struggle you've faced. Yes, the climb is tough, but once it's over, it's okay to let it go. It's okay to let go of the past, it's okay to forgive the people you've met, it's okay to forgive yourself, and it's okay to move on. 

Don't carry mountains you were only suppose to climb. God won't help you carry the mountain because he just wanted you to climb it, now it's time for you to let it go.

God is our helper. He protects us and helps us on our journey. You need not be afraid. Just like with Jonah, God has a plan for your life, he knows what you're going to do and where you're likely to fall. 

It's alright, we all have those times. Just allow God to help you and don't carry your mountains on your shoulders. God is with you. He will help you, he will protect you, just surrender yourself to his will and be safe in his capable hands.

Day 41~ God who Dwells In our Praise

Psalm 22:3 says;

"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."

Our God dwells in our Praise.

This means that when we praise God, he is with us.

This is very powerful because it teaches us that God moves, not when we bring him sorrow or discouragement, but when we show our faith in him through praising and worshipping him.

When we praise and worship our God, our faith and trust in him increases and this helps to bring our desires to pass.

Remember, it is through faith that we are set right with God. When we worship God, we're declaring that he is the one true God and that he is still on the throne. This is the faith that moves mountains; trusting and believing that our lives are in God's hands and that he has everything under control.

So, how do we praise God?
We praise him by singing to him, by praying to him, by being obedient to him and even by reading the Bible and learning more about him. All these things serve to increase our faith. Also by sharing our testimony with others. Our faith is the currency for miracles and breakthroughs.

Praising God also helps to bring us closer to him and shows our thirst and desire for him in our lives.

God is in our praise. Surely, when we praise God, he is there with us, in our midst to bless us and heal us, he's there to help us and encourage us. 

You see, when we're going through difficulties, it's human to feel discouraged and down. However, it takes a lot to see pass our difficulties and look to our God but when we take the time to do this, we show God that he is bigger than our problems and that we're not relying on others or ourselves for the answers but on him.

When we're feeling down, unhappy, discouraged or lonely, we need to praise God. Worshipping God brings with it a feeling of freedom and empowerment because through worship we awaken our belief and hope in him. When you give God faith, he transforms it into the answers to our prayers because he dwells in our praise.
It is our faith that makes God move, not our disappointment and discouragement.

Praise the Lord your God, he has good things in store for you, miracles with your name on it, opportunities waiting to happen and dreams wanting to be fulfilled, your praise will fuel your faith and bring you to God's attention.

Whatever you're facing today, know that God already has the answer, he is our King and he has the final say. Trust in him. Ignite your hope and desire for him through your praise and have no doubt in your heart that your God is with you, for he dwells in your praise.

Day 40~ Our Incomparable God

Welcome to the week that we celebrate in commemeration of the death and ressurection our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Welcome to Holy Week 2017!

Today, on this palm Sunday, I want to invite you to reflect on the subject, Our Incomparable God.

Isaiah 40:25 says;
""To whom will you liken me that I would be his equal?" Says the Holy One."

Our God is incomparable.

There is no other God with such compassion and faithfulness as the God we serve.

He has proven himself countless times throughout existance and he continues to do so until this very day.

Not only does he prove this by taking care of us and doing amazing miracles, he is also the only God who has predicted what will happen in the future and it has happened.

Isaiah 43:11-13 says,

"I alone am the Lord, the only one who can save you. I predicted what would happen and then I came to your aid. No foreign God has ever done this; you are my witnesses."

One example of God's predictions being true can be seen in the book of Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9;

"Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey -- riding on a donkey's colt."

This scripture from the Old Testament in Zechariah, was written between 520-518 B.C.

The fulfillment of this scripture can be seen in various parts of the new Testament, let's look at Mark 11:4-8;

"So they went and found a colt out in the street, tied it to the door of the house. As they were untying it, some bystanders asked them, 
"What are you doing, untying that colt?"
They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the crowd let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on. Many people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches in the field and spread them on the road."

This is what we commemorated today, Palm Sunday. Imagine, our God predicted that this would happen hundreds of years before it came to pass.

Our God is incomparable. He is like no other God. He has done countless amazing, mind boggling miracles, all of which have been recorded in the Bible, including healing incuable diseases, wining victories under unfavorable circumstances and making a way where there seemed to be no way.

He is our Awesome God who sent his only son to be sacrificed for our forgiveness, so that we may have everlasting life.

I pray today that this week will help bring us closer to our loving, kind, merciful, completely unrivaled, incomparable God and may we understand the significance of the sacrifice he made on our behalf.

Day 39~ God who Wants us to be Happy

Psalm 30:5 says;

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."

God wants us to be happy.

In life, we sometimes have situations and troubles that leave us feeling down and discouraged. Sad memories, guilt, stress, they all add up into a huge pile of sorrow and like an anchor, they pull us down to the ocean floor.

I want to encourage you today, God does not want you to be sad, depressed or unhappy.

In fact, Psalm 144:15 says,
"Happy are the people whose God is the Lord."

They didn't say woe be unto the people, or unhappy be the people or stressed and anxious are the people, no, they said happy are the people whose God is the Lord. 

Why are they happy?
Because our God is the Lord who loves and takes care of his people. Our God who is faithful and kind and who wants what's best for us.

Life is tremendously difficult. No one expects you to be perfect or happy all the time, but remember, even as it is okay to be sad, it's okay for you to be happy. It's okay to celebrate your life and your victories even if they're small. It's okay to smile and to laugh. It's okay to be silly and it's okay even if other people don't approve of your happiness. Your life doesn't have to measure up with anyone elses life for you to be happy.

Your God wants you to be happy.

You don't need to live a life full of sorrow. God wants you to live a happy life. He's there for you, he's taking care of you, he gave you this beautiful gift of life, of course God wants you to be happy.

God wants us to be prosperous, to be joyful, to have peace. For this he showers us with his mercy, grace and love.

God wants us to be happy.

Look at the great men and women of faith in the Bible, Abraham, David, Ruth, Ester, and all the others who were faithful and loyal to God, their lives were blessed with abundance, prosperity and happiness.

God also wants us, his people, to be happy.

Have faith in God knowing today that he wants his people to live happy lives. Right now may not be the most exciting or happiest time of your life, or perhaps it is, just remeber to take each day, one day at a time and enjoy each precious moment because time passes on. God really wants you to be happy.

Serve God and do the right things and there is no doubt that your life will be filled with an abundance of joy, peace and happiness, so much so that it will overflow from you unto the lives of those around you.

Day 38~ Our God who Provides

Philippians 4:19 says;

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Our God Provides for us.

When we think about God providing for us, it's typical to think of food, clothes and other basic necessities, and yes, God does provide those things for us, but he provides much more than just that.

In fact, the Bible says that all good gifts come from God, James 1:17.

We must remember that God is the one that gives us hope, wisdom, strength; he is the one that gives us all good gifts, our talents included.

Our God provides for us,
He provides us with opportunities, good health and strength, forgiveness. You need it, God provides it.

There was a time when the world needed saving and he sent us a 'superhero' to save us, that superhero was not like the DC hero's such as Superman or Batman, but Jesus Christ, who was just like us, yet through fulfilling the law, he became a bridge between us and God our father.

Back when they needed to be saved from Egypt, God sent the Israelites a man called Moses. He provided a way out for them through him.

When the people needed a warning, God sent a man called Jeremiah and another called Ezekiel, to warn the people of their sins and impending destruction. He provided a way out through them, but the people did not listen.

Our God is a God who provides for his people. We need to remember this.

In fact, God supplies all our needs according to his riches in glory.
This means that we're not getting low quality provisions, God is providing for us from the best that he has.

It's okay to ask God for what you need. God will provide for you. He loves you and wants what's best for you.

I pray today that we will trust in God to provide for us on our journey of life because he is a good God and he will never let us down, he will always supply all our needs.

Day 37~ Our God whose Ways are Perfect

2 Samuel 22:31;

"This God- his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him."

Our Almighty God is perfect in all of his ways.

What this means is that God does nothing wrong, he makes no mistakes and everything he does is right.

When we're facing trails and temptations in our lives, it's easy to wonder, 'Why is God allowing this to happen?'

The truth is, if God's ways are perfect, then what do we have to fear? If God sends us into stormy waters, he has a purpose for doing so, and since we know that God has plans to bless us, isn't it right for us to believe that our troubles will, in the long run, bless us or through us, bless someone else?

God's ways are perfect and he is not like human beings, that is, he cannot be tempted; James 1:13 tells us;

"Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

If God sends you into a difficult period, it's not because he wants to hurt you. Remember, God doesn't want anyone to die. He wants us all to live happy lives.

God's ways are perfect. He sends us down a difficult paths to propel us to higher heights.

God has been in the life making business for too long to lead us into storms without some kind of purpose.

Let's take Joseph, son of Jacob, as an example.

He was his father's favorite son, out of jealousy, his brothers plotted against him and sold him into slavery. 
This was his first storm.

In Egypt, where he was carried, Joseph had found favor with his master, since God was with him, and Joseph's master left whatever he had in his care.

However, his master's wife framed him and so he was sent to prison.
This was his second storm.

It was in prison that Joseph interpreted the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners
Three years later, it was from one of these prisoners that the King was informed about Joseph's talent for interpreting dreams and thus, his loyalty to God, won him a place, second in rank only to the King of Egypt.

This story is very well known and it serves to show that God has a plan and he can use what was meant for our harm to our advantage.

God's ways are perfect. He knows how to bless us, he also knows how to help us grow.

Through trials and testing, God teaches us how to live and also, he helps us to become stronger, wiser and more knowledgeable.

Our God's ways are perfect and his word is true. 
I pray today that we will all see God's hand work wonders in our life and that we remember through our difficult seasons that our God's ways are perfect and that he won't fail to take care of us.

Day 36~ Our God who Wants us to Live

Ezekiel 18:32 says;

""I do not want anyone to die," says the Sovereign Lord, "Turn away from your sins and live.""

 Book of Ezekiel, much like the book of Jeremiah, spoke about the fall of ancient Jerusalem. 

Before the fated day, God warned the people through these prophets to turn from their evil ways and return to him, however, they did not listen.

The scripture we're focusing on today however, gives us great insight on the way our merciful, loving God thinks.

He says that he does not want anyone to die.

God does not want anyone to die.

If we think about it, why would God want anyone to die? 
He took the time to create each of us, he breathed his precious breath of life into each of us. 
It's no surprise then that God wants us all to live. 

Not just live in the sense of existing on Earth, but also live eternally with him.

John 10:10 reminds us that God wants to give us a rich, satisfying, abundant life.

How can we claim such a blessing?
He tells us in the same verse; he says, "Turn away from your sins and live."

God wants each and every one of us to live, however, what kind of life would we be living if we live sinful lives?

Our God is a holy God. 
Unholy things cannot exist in the presence of holiness, the unholy thing would be destroyed.

Of course, God knows our limitations and so he has already put things in place for us.
Through Jesus' sacrifice we have been made holy, as Hebrews 10:10 reminds us, and this sacrifice stands for all time.

Now, it's up to us to repent of our sins and step into the grace that God has blessed us with.

There isn't one single person that this promise doesn't hold for, so I pray today that we will all do our part and repent of our sins and mistakes, because our God who created us and breathed his life into us, wants us to live.

Day 35~ Our God who Wants to Bless Us!

We know that our God is an awesome God and that he loves us. We also understand that he wants to bless us and through our obedience and faith, we can have just that.

Today, let us reflect on the topic; Our God who Wants to Bless Us.

Today's scripture is found in Genesis, where we see a man who had just been given a blessing and was told to sacrifice it.

Genesis 22:2 says;

""Take your son," God said, "your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.""

Issac, was Abraham's promised child, he was Abraham's blessing from God, yet God asked Abraham to sacrifice him.

I could imagine Abraham thinking, 'But God, I've wanted this so much. It was a miracle that I even had this child and now you're asking me to take his life?"

However, Abraham did exactly what God had told him to do.
Of course, before Issac could be sacrificed, God stopped Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice.

That day Abraham's faith and trust in God won him this promise,

"I make a vow by my own name - the Lord is speaking - that I will richly bless you. Because you did this and did not keep back your only son from me, I promise that I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore. Your descendants will conquer their enemies. All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed your descendants - all because you have obeyed my command."

Let me ask you today, if God asked you to give up the thing that you love most, for his sake, would you, like Abraham, obediently do so?

It takes a lot of faith to believe in God when he asks us to give up the things that we love, Abraham was a great man of faith. Usually, though, when God asks us to give up something, it's bad for us and giving it up is in our best interest. 

In today's world, we have a lot of distractions. There are lots of ways to keep ourselves occupied, time easily escapes us whether we're meeting deadlines for work or school or spending our time doing chores or watching movies, there are hundreds of ways we can spend our time, but how much of that time do we spend with God?

Spending time with God is in our best interest, God doesn't need us, we need him and his guidance and protection, we are the ones that need to increase our faith so he can bless us.

Sometimes, we may even get caught up in the wrong things, we may spend our time with the wrong people or with addictions or even with negative thoughts, not realizing that those very things are steadily pulling us away from God.

Luckily, we can easily return to our Heavenly Father, he is always waiting for us to come to him. He wants to spend time with us, he wants to have a relationship with us.

We need to be like Abraham and obediently do what God is commanding us to do. We have to give up on those negative things that keep us away from him and we need to make more time for him. In this way, we can learn to trust in God and our faith will make us right with him and he will bless us. 

Could it be that there is something that God is asking you to give up for his sake? Is there something in your life that is restricting the growth of your faith and trust in God?

The funny thing is that God saved Abraham's son by providing a ram for the sacrifice, yet, years later, God sacrificed his own son for all Abraham's descendants.

Yes, God will do difficult things for you, impossible things for you, miraculous and wonderous things for you, but you must trust him and sacrifice the things that are pulling you away from him.

Psalms 84:11 reminds us;

"...no good thing will he withhold from from them that walk uprightly."

Our God wants to bless us abundantly above and beyond, now, it's up to us to claim his blessings by living right and trusting in him, just like Abraham.

Day 34~ Our Merciful God

Lamentations 3:23-27 says;



"The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.
The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience - to wait for him to save us - And it is best to learn this patience in our youth."

God is merciful.
What does it mean though, to be merciful?

Before we can define merciful, we must first define mercy.
Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

To be merciful then, means to exercise mercy.

What's interesting about the definition of mercy is that it is to show compassion and forgiveness to someone that you should be punishing.

Yes, God is merciful. He does not punish us as we deserve, instead he has compassion and forgives us.

This scripture in lamentations was written during a time when God was pouring his wrath on Jerusalem.

Yet for all, the writer says this; "The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise."

In our own lives, it's difficult, especially when we're facing difficulties, to believe that God is merciful, yet here, the writer is saying this as he watches the people of Jerusalem starve to death.

This is what faith is!
Believing in what you can't see. Knowing that God is good and that he is still merciful and loving even when the medical report says different, even when the report card says different, even when the addiction says different, even when your difficulties say different, God is still merciful.

The writer continues, by saying that the Lord is merciful to those who trust in him and that we need to learn patience.

When we're searching for a breakthrough and it's not coming; this is when our faith is being tested!

Especially when we don't see a way out, when we don't see the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel, during this time of insecurity and confusion; this is when we must rely on the one being that never changes; Our Almighty, All Powerful God.

The writer reminds us that God is good to those who trust in him, those who have faith in him and rely on him, we just need to be patient.

Why Patient?
Because God doesn't work on our timetable, we need to be patient, knowing and believing that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever; if he was merciful back then, he's sure to be merciful now, if he was good back then, he's still going to be good to us now. This is the faith we need to hold on to.

Today, I encourage you to remember that our God is a merciful and loving God. His mercy is renewed every morning, this means that nothing that you do or go through is going to exceed God's mercy for you. His mercy and love will always be more than enough to cover your sins. There's no doubt about that!

The question is, will you accept his love and mercy?

Day 33~ Our God who Has Plans for Us

Jeremiah 29:11 says;

""For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Our God is a God that plans for us.

You couldn't be a mistake. Your presence here on Earth couldn't be an accident, do you know why? It's because God planned for you.

God said in Jerimiah 1:5,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."

This means that God knew who you were even before you became aware of it! 

God knew you; your strengths, your weaknesses, your character!

And he planned for you.
He planned where you would live and who your parents would be. None of us get to choose where we're born.

He planned what your passions would be, what your career would be. God has made plans for you.

Not only did he plan for the good days, but our God is so amazing, that he even planned for your bad days. He knew that you would react the way you do, he knew that you would slip here and stumble there. He knew and he made plans, not to harm you, he didn't make plans to hurt you, but he made plans to prosper you and give you hope for the future.

My question is, if God has already planned things out for you, why are you making plans for you?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have dreams, goals and aspirations, but even when things don't go according to your  plan, don't worry, don't  get upset, know that God has a plan, he's had a plan even before you were born, trust him. As long as things go according to God's plan, know that there is nothing for you to fear, because God's plan is to give you hope and a future.

Does this mean that you should not plan your life? Certainly not. It's okay to have a plan in place, but as Proverbs 16:3 reminds us;

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."

Tell God what your plans are and if it is in line with his will for your life, then he will bless your plans. If it's not in his will for your life, then he will guide you in the right direction and lead you to something better.

Trust in the Lord your God. He loves you. He's made plans for you, so please do your part and have faith and courage, knowing that if things work out in God's way and in his timing that you need not be disappointed or afraid, because he has already made preparations for you!

I encourage you today to leave your plans in God's hands, he will guide and nuture your plans if they are right for you, if they're not, he will lead you to something even better than you thought, dreamed or imagined.

Day 32~ God Delights in those who Fear Him

Psalm 147:10-11;

"His pleasure is not in the strength of his horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love."

Our God delights in those who fear him.

What does this mean?

Well, to put it simply, those who fear God won't do anything wrong. 
Why?
Well, because they know of his mighty power and all the amazing and extraordinary things he has done and so they are aware that he holds life and death in his hands.

Of course, it doesn't mean that we have to be afraid of our creator himself, but we need to realize that he is in complete control and he has power that's beyond anything we can ever understand. Knowing this helps us to fear him and not wish to displease him in word, action or thought.

Naturally, it's not always easy to do the right things, even when we fear God, but don't worry, we all sin and fall short of God's glory, this is why Jesus was sent to bridge the gap between us and our Heavenly Father, but as God fearing people, we know the difference between right and wrong and we know when we must humble ourselves and ask for God's forgiveness.

The Psalmist tells us that the Lord is not pleased by the strength of his horse or his soldiers, but he delights in those who fear him.

God loves those who fear him.
He loves those who fear him because they respect him and he can rely on them to do what is right.

Job was a God fearing man.
We know this because even his wife told him, after all that he had gone through, that he should curse God and die, but what was Job's response?

Job replied in Job 2:10

"You are talking nonesense! When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends s trouble?"

He also said in Job 13:15,
"Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him..."

When God sends us troubles, it's quite conterintuitive to respond in such a way. Usually, we may ask God, 'Why me?'

But Job was God fearing and so his faithfulness saved him.

I hope that we too can fear God so that he may delight in us and rely on us to be his faithful servants.

Day 31~ Our God who Renews Us

Romans 12: 1-2 says this;

"So then my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves up as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you would be able to know the will of God- what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect."

Our God is a God that renews us.

In this scripture, the apostle Paul is talking to the church at Rome, but he teaches them something that is valuable to us even today.

He tells them that they need to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God.

Firstly, let us examine the word sacrifice.

The word sacrifice comes from the latin words sacer, meaning sacred or holy and facio, meaning to do or make.

So the word sacrifice means to make something holy.

The apostle Paul tells us that we should offer ourselves as a sacrifice, in other words, he's telling us that we need to give ourselves to God, to be made holy.

Not only that, but he says that we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices, this means that we should give our lives to God, so that he can make us Holy.

Now, the question remains, how do we live holy lives?

He tells us this in verse two, he says;

"Do not conform yourselves to the standards of the world, but let God change you inwardly by the renewing of your mind."

This means that although we may live in a world that values money and power and how much we have and what brands we wear or who our friends are, we need not value those things, but we should let God renew us, or make us pure again, so that we value the things that he values.

Why should we value what God values?

We should value what God values because he knows what's truly valuable.

Our perceptions of value have been corrupted by this world. 

We value things that we gain from, things that we think will bring us pleasure and happiness, when the truth is, those are the very things that destroy us.

Money doesn't bring happiness, what we buy with money may bring us temporary happiness, but true happiness is a choice.

What is good and pleasing to God?

Let's go back to the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

These things please God because it shows that above all things, we love God, the God who created us, this world and everyone and everything in it. 

The truth of the matter is this; the only way we can make the world a better place, is by becoming better people. If everyone would take the time to change themselves, evaluate their values and look deep into their heart's and see the truth, this world could be better.

By giving ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, he can change us and renew our mind, that is, he can change our thoughts and the way we percieve this world. He can teach us what is right.

God wants to renew our mind so we live happy, peaceful lives which glorify him and please him. It's up to us though, to offer ourselves to him.

When you offer yourself to him, God can use you to help, uplift and inspire others.

I truly wish that we all can offer ourselves to God so that we can be renewed. I pray today that God will change our perceptions so that we can live Holy lives which are pleasing to him and through being renewed that we can bring him the honor and glory he deserves.