Our Awesome God

  Fun Deuteronomy 31:6 “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Joshua 1:9 “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Psalm 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Being strong and courageous is not always the problem. Staying focused on God—and not every small problem that erupts into our lives—that is often the greater challenge. We fret over so much: our finances, our car, our home, our family near and far, our church family, our community, our nation, and the world. Then we add the illnesses that develop from the stress of these burdens, alon...

  Fully Equipped for Divine Intervention Joshua 11:9 "Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots." John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." The Requirement of Radical Obedience In Joshua 11, the Israelites are finishing the conquest of the Promised Land. Joshua faces a massive coalition of enemies with superior weaponry (horses and chariots). God commands Joshua to destroy these weapons rather than keep them for themselves (Josh. 11:9). What Joshua learned: God often requires us to destroy the "chariots" (our false securities, worldly dependencies, or methods of fighting in the flesh...

  Isaiah 41:8–10 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you, and I will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Let me love you! Count the ways that God has loved us—loved you. He loved you and me before our grandparents were born. He loved us before our parents were born. He proved His love for us over 2,000 years ago. He loved us when He formed the earth. Why do you think so many humans have turned away from God? Over 2,000 years ago, Christ told His disciples to go forth and make disciples of others. I believe every human has had some moment in their life where God has shown up for them. But we, as silly humans, live from one moment to the next, and often we quickly forget where our help c...

  Divine Symmetry: Life, Death, and God’s Perfect Order ​The Bible often reveals God’s truth through symmetry —a divine balance where beginnings and endings mirror one another, chaos is answered with order, and death is never allowed the final word. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture shows us that God works in patterns of restoration, purpose, and promise. What feels sudden or heartbreaking to us is never without meaning to Him. ​Redemptive Symmetry: Adam and Christ ​The relationship between Adam and Jesus serves as a perfect mirror image of loss and restoration. ​ 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (NLT) ​“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” ​ 1 Corinthians 15:45–47 (NLT) ​“The Scriptures tell us, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living person.’ But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a ...

 The Warrior and Reward I love you Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; My God is my rock, my strength in whom I find protection. My buckler, and the horns of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:1-2 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; Seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Proverbs 2:1-8 The Warrior’s Sanctuary David doesn’t just list titles for God; he uses imagery born from his years as a fugitive hiding in the Judaean wilderness. Th...

  The Morning Offering: Finding Your Center ​The Foundation: Holy Scripture ​ Psalms 5:1-3 O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. ​ Psalms 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  ​ Psalms 59:16-17 But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. ​ Lamentations 3:22-24 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his f...

                                         The Inner Search 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 [9]That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,     and no mind has imagined what God has prepared     for those who love him.” [10]But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. [11]No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. [12]And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. [13]When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. [14]But people who aren’t spiritual can’t re...