Probability

Day 8/20 – The Uniqueness of Grace

August 20, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Die to self – John‬ ‭12:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John‬ ‭12:24‬ ‭‬‬

“Like many of you, the universe continues to overwhelm me”. If you look for our nearest neighboring galaxy, its Andromeda. “The Andromeda Galaxy is only 2 million light-years away, but has over “ONE TRILLION” stars. If you haven’t seen the video from the photos that NASA put together,” I highly recommend you “…watching it (3 ½ minutes): https://youtu.be/udAL48P5NJU After looking at that video, if you have been struggling with some degree of self-importance or a big ego, I would hope that it has evaporated.” … ““The Fear of the LORD, is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who Do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 111:10).” Dan Russell

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A history of these Daily Devotions along with other valuable Resources can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

This daily devotion contains, sequentially: Memory Verse (#1 above), Daily Quote (#2 above): and, below: Daily Devotion from “Thoughts From The Diary of A Desperate Man” by Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”), Scripture Reading (read the entire Bible in 1 year), and Prayer Requests.

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The Uniqueness of Grace

Day Two Hundred Thirty-two

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — not because of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

All understand that in inter-personal relationships, reciprocity is essential. For example, if in my relationship with my wife I am consistently abusive, committing adultery, beating her, etc., no one would expect her to continue living with me. Even the Bible allows for separation under such circumstances.306

Grace is a concept foreign to the unregenerate mind. Nothing in all of human experience can cause a person to understand grace. The Judea-Christian religion is the only religion in the world that is the product of revelation, and therefore teaches grace. You will not find grace present in any other religion in the world.

Before you came to Christ, you knew something of love; in all probability there were people in your life that loved you. So also you knew something of faith, for all must commit before knowing. You may have even experienced mercy. But grace is different. Only in Jesus Christ do you discover grace, for His death made it possible for Him to be both gracious and just. You are the recipient of God’s grace because He charged Jesus with your sin while imputing Jesus’ righteousness to you.

306 cf. Matthew 19:9

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Psalm 105-106 1 Corinthians 3 (New King James Version)

Psalm 105-106

The Eternal Faithfulness of the Lord

105

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!

Remember His marvelous works which He has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

O seed of Abraham His servant,

You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

He isthe Lord our God;

His judgments arein all the earth.

He remembers His covenant forever,

The word whichHe commanded, for a thousand generations,

The covenantwhich He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac,

And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel asan everlasting covenant,

Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

As the allotment of your inheritance,”

When they were few in number,

Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

When they went from one nation to another,

From onekingdom to another people,

He permitted no one to do them wrong;

Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

Saying,“Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

Moreover He called for a famine in the land;

He destroyed all the provision of bread.

He sent a man before them—

Joseph—whowas sold as a slave.

They hurt his feet with fetters,

[a]He was laid in irons.

Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the Lord tested him.

The king sent and released him,

The ruler of the people let him go free.

He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his possessions,

To [b]bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

Israel also came into Egypt,

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

He increased His people greatly,

And made them stronger than their enemies.

He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal craftily with His servants.

He sent Moses His servant,

AndAaron whom He had chosen.

They performed His signs among them,

And wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness, and made itdark;

And they did not rebel against His word.

He turned their waters into blood,

And killed their fish.

Their land abounded with frogs,

Evenin the chambers of their kings.

He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

Andlice in all their territory.

He gave them hail for rain,

Andflaming fire in their land.

He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,

And splintered the trees of their territory.

He spoke, and locusts came,

Young locusts without number,

And ate up all the vegetation in their land,

And devoured the fruit of their ground.

He also [c]destroyed all the firstborn in their land,

The first of all their strength.

He also brought them out with silver and gold,

And there wasnone feeble among His tribes.

Egypt was glad when they departed,

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.

The peopleasked, and He brought quail,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

It ran in the dry places likea river.

For He remembered His holy promise,

AndAbraham His servant.

He brought out His people with joy,

His chosen ones with [d]gladness.

He gave them the lands of the [e]Gentiles,

And they inherited the labor of the nations,

That they might observe His statutes

And keep His laws.

[f]Praise the Lord!

Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins

106

Praise[g] the Lord!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He isgood!

For His mercy enduresforever.

Who can [h]utter the mighty acts of the Lord?

Who can declare all His praise?

Blessed arethose who keep justice,

And[i]he who does righteousness at all times!

Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have towardYour people.

Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,

That I may glory with [j]Your inheritance.

We have sinned with our fathers,

We have committed iniquity,

We have done wickedly.

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;

They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,

But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.

Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,

That He might make His mighty power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;

So He led them through the depths,

As through the wilderness.

He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

The waters covered their enemies;

There was not one of them left.

Then they believed His words;

They sang His praise.

They soon forgot His works;

They did not wait for His counsel,

But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tested God in the desert.

And He gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul.

When they envied Moses in the camp,

AndAaron the saint of the Lord,

The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,

And covered the faction of Abiram.

A fire was kindled in their company;

The flame burned up the wicked.

They made a calf in Horeb,

And worshiped the molded image.

Thus they changed their glory

Into the image of an ox that eats grass.

They forgot God their Savior,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

Wondrous works in the land of Ham,

Awesome things by the Red Sea.

Therefore He said that He would destroy them,

Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,

To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

Then they despised the pleasant land;

They did not believe His word,

But complained in their tents,

Anddid not heed the voice of the Lord.

Therefore He raised His hand in an oathagainst them,

To [k]overthrow them in the wilderness,

To [l]overthrow their descendants among the [m]nations,

And to scatter them in the lands.

They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,

And ate sacrifices [n]made to the dead.

Thus they provoked Himto anger with their deeds,

And the plague broke out among them.

Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,

And the plague was stopped.

And that was accounted to him for righteousness

To all generations forevermore.

They angered Himalso at the waters of [o]strife,

So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;

Because they rebelled against His Spirit,

So that he spoke rashly with his lips.

They did not destroy the peoples,

Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them,

But they mingled with the Gentiles

And learned their works;

They served their idols,

Which became a snare to them.

They even sacrificed their sons

And their daughters to demons,

And shed innocent blood,

The blood of their sons and daughters,

Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;

And the land was polluted with blood.

Thus they [p]were defiled by their own works,

And played[q] the harlot by their own deeds.

Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people,

So that He abhorred His own inheritance.

And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,

And those who hated them ruled over them.

Their enemies also oppressed them,

And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Many times He delivered them;

But they rebelled in their counsel,

And were brought low for their iniquity.

Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,

When He heard their cry;

And for their sake He remembered His covenant,

And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.

He also made them to be pitied

By all those who carried them away captive.

Save us, O Lord our God,

And gather us from among the Gentiles,

To give thanks to Your holy name,

To triumph in Your praise.

Blessed bethe Lord God of Israel

From everlasting to everlasting!

And let all the people say, “Amen!”

[r]Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

Psalm 105:18 His soul came into iron
Psalm 105:22 Bind as prisoners
Psalm 105:36 Lit. struck down
Psalm 105:43 a joyful shout
Psalm 105:44 nations
Psalm 105:45 Heb. Hallelujah
Psalm 106:1 Heb. Hallelujah
Psalm 106:2 express
Psalm 106:3 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. those who do
Psalm 106:5 The people of Your inheritance
Psalm 106:26 make them fall
Psalm 106:27 make their descendants fall also
Psalm 106:27 Gentiles
Psalm 106:28 offered
Psalm 106:32 Or Meribah
Psalm 106:39 became unclean
Psalm 106:39 Were unfaithful
Psalm 106:48 Heb. Hallelujah

1 Corinthians 3

Sectarianism Is Carnal

3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual peoplebut as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it,and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there areenvy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and [a]behaving like meremen? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I amof Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Watering, Working, Warning

5 Who then is Paul, and who isApollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you areGod’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation withgold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on itendures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and thatthe Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone [b]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which templeyou are.

Avoid Worldly Wisdom

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their owncraftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you areChrist’s, and Christ isGod’s.

Footnotes:

1 Corinthians 3:3 Lit. walking according to man
1 Corinthians 3:17 destroys

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please Pray for Brother Robert. Robert says He has a Calling to establish a Church. His Prayer request is “… that God puts together a really amazing ministry team. I see it in the Scriptures. There were ministers, elders, deacons. Those seem to be three different categories of the people serving the body. It seems like that was the simple order they had set up. But it was a spiritual thing that would function through the power of the Holy Spirit. My prayer request would be that the Lord puts together the ministry team in what I feel Him asking me to be a part of.”

Please Pray for Mark H. He has a blood clot in his leg and is suffering terrible pain. Pray for God’s Healing and undeniable Touch on Mark’s life.

Please continue to keep Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico in our Prayers. This Sister and her family, in a short time period, have been hit with a more tragedies (persecutions) than most of us have in our entire life time… the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children. And, recently, her modest home (a shack by any American standard) was burnt to the ground. …Her neighbor’s house caught fire and due to the closeness of her home, it caught fire, too. Brothers & Sisters, please Pray for God’s Holy touch on Fabiola and her family.

Please continue to Pray for Geo, a banker, who was deployed by the military to the Mideast. Pray God would keep him safe and that God would bring Geo closer to Him; and, that Geo would share God with all his company and those who come in contact with him.

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I’ve been told by one Geo’s co-workers, Lorraine Flores, who says she considers Geo a son, that the day Geo was deployed to the Mideast, his girlfriend delivered his new baby. Please Pray Geo would Walk in God’s Light and be a Godly husband and father. And, please Pray for Geo’s family. (Also, please Pray for both Lorraine Flores and her biological son that was deployed the same day as Geo, but to Africa.)

Please continue to Pray for Brother David Porter’s friend’s son, Giovanni (18yrs old). Pray for God’s Salvation, Strength, Healing, and Peace in Giovanni.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Mark Pedder, a missionary in the Philippines. Please Pray for Mark, Mark’s wife for strength in their trials, tribulations and persecution.

Please continue to Pray for Gemma that she be delivered from evil and receive Jesus as her Savior.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt to be reconciled with his son and his son’s family.

Please continue to Pray for Brother John LaPorte’s roommate, Brother Freddy, whose commitment to Christ caused his wife to separate from him for 6 years. The couple have 2 daughters. Both parents has stayed single all this time of separation… Within the recent past, it appears his wife, Arlene, has been Saved and the couple are beginning their reconciliation process. They are planning to reunite the family again under one roof in the next few months. Please Pray for their total reconciliation with God at their helm.

Please continue to Pray for a group of well-known Southern Nevada commercial real estate brokers and associates recently in a one-car accident. The occupants had all been drinking alcohol. One passenger died leaving 3 young daughters, one suffered serious head trauma, two had mild trauma, and the driver has been charged. Please Pray for the driver and all those effected by this tragedy …that God would direct their eyes to Him, The King of Mercy, Grace and Salvation.

Please continue Pray for our President and ALL our government leaders of both parties. Pray they would submit their authority to His Authority and ask for His Wisdom in directing the affairs of our nation. Please Pray that God would open their eyes and they would be obedient to His Will.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Frank Sun, a Taiwanese, that owns several businesses in China and Taiwan. Please Pray Frank will be bold in his sharing Christ in his companies and that he will be faithful to disciple the new Believers.

AND, let each of us use Frank’s example and share the Love and Salvation of Jesus to our coworkers, employees, family, friends and acquaintances … Invest in the Eternal!

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and continue to assist in saving babies’ lives.

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Please continue to Pray for Dave Ubank and his family. They are ministering and rescuing children and families in Syria directly affected by ISIS – Pray for their protection and their ministry. For a short 2 minute video about Ubanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_htIgIvgDM[/embedyt

Please continue to Pray for our Brothers’ and Sisters’ struggling with various addictions. Pray that God would reveal Himself to them that all things are possible through Him… He can Cure any addiction … He is our Great Creator, He is our Savior, He is our Healer …He is our All and All!

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

Please continue to Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters and their families that are suffering and giving their lives for our Faith.

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Please stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Please continue to Pray for our nation that God would open all our eyes to the sin that is drowning us. Abortion, sex outside of marriage, hatred & divisiveness, greed, pride, only to name a few. Please Pray and Fast for our nation to turn from this evil that is enveloping us.

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Please continue to Pray for Brother Ron Brink’s son who had 3+ military tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and who is now suffering brain damage and PTSD. Pray for God’s Healing Power to fall upon Johnathon. (Ron is a 20 plus year missionary in Mexico with Touch Baja… for info on Touch Baja and how to touch the Mexican people for Christ, see http://www.touchbaja.com.)

Please continue to Pray for the Sharon India Foundation (“SIF”) to assisting the poor of India. Through SIF: Widows have received medical treatment and been given quality sewing machines and training on how to use them to make a living. Orphans have been given free education in their neighborhood slum areas. After natural disasters relief has been provided in the nature of medical, food items, blankets, clothing and building materials. Bore wells have been successfully dug to provide fresh water to affected areas. Water purification systems have also been given out on a limited basis. Special shoes have been purchased for lepers with ulcerated feet. Thousands of books have been translated to assist in the ever growing discipleship outreach of E-Squared (Evangelism and Edification/Disciples). Sharon India Foundation has no administrative costs and 100% of all donations go directly to the Indian pastors and their ministries. (Let’s reach India and beyond for Christ…see how you can help: https://sharonindia.org.)

Day 8/8 – Parable of the Vineyard

August 8, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Honesty – Leviticus 19:11 (ESV) “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.” Leviticus 19:11

“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” John 13:15 “God calls you to invest in the lives of others. If you are a follower of Christ you are in the people business giving your life helping others to grow closer to the Savior. The only question facing you is how you go about influencing them for Christ.” Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”)

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A history of these Daily Devotions along with other valuable Resources can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

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Parable of the Vineyard

Day Two Hundred Twenty

“‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ·Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you.'” Matthew 20:12-14

Three factors determine what pay an employee” receives: The amount of time invested (if paid by the hour), the ability of the employee, and the profit he brings to the company. Reward in the Kingdom of Heaven is determined by faithfulness to opportunity rather than by any of these three. In the parable the owner selected people to work in the vineyard at various times of the day. The owner decided when the laborer entered. God decides how long each person spends in His vineyard. At the end of the day each was paid the same amount.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were two of Christ’s disciples. James was the first to die at the hand of Herod, and his brother John, in all probability was one of the last of the disciples to die. John spent about 60 years longer in God’s vineyard than his brother James. If the length of time each spent in the vineyard determined their wage, then James was punished for being a martyr.

God distributes in unequal amounts certain gifts, abilities, and opportunities. The sickly person with few gifts who dies early is not handicapped in the economy of God. Your reward in heaven will not be determined by what God gave you, but by what you do with what God gave you and why you do it.

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Psalm 74-76 Romans 9:16-33 (New King James Version)

Psalm 74-76

A Plea for Relief from Oppressors

A [a]Contemplation of Asaph.

O God, why have You cast usoff forever?

Whydoes Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

Remember Your congregation, whichYou have purchased of old,

The tribe of Your inheritance, whichYou have redeemed—

This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;

They set up their banners forsigns.

They seem like men who lift up

Axes among the thick trees.

And now they break down its carved work, all at once,

With axes and hammers.

They have set fire to Your sanctuary;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

They said in their hearts,

“Let us [b]destroy them altogether.”

They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our signs;

There isno longer any prophet;

Nor is thereany among us who knows how long.

O God, how long will the adversary [c]reproach?

Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

Take itout of Your bosom and destroy them.

For God ismy King from of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the [d]sea serpents in the waters.

You broke the heads of [e]Leviathan in pieces,

Andgave him asfood to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

You broke open the fountain and the flood;

You dried up mighty rivers.

The day isYours, the night also isYours;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

You have set all the borders of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

Remember this, thatthe enemy has reproached, O Lord,

And thata foolish people has blasphemed Your name.

Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

Have respect to the covenant;

For the [f]dark places of the earth are full of the [g]haunts of [h]cruelty.

Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!

Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man [i]reproaches You daily.

Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;

The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do[j] Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declare thatYour name is near.

“When I choose the [k]proper time,

I will judge uprightly.

The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;

I set up its pillars firmly. Selah

“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’

And to the wicked, ‘Do not [l]lift up the horn.

Do not lift up your horn on high;

Do notspeak with [m]a stiff neck.’ ”

For exaltation comesneither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

But God isthe Judge:

He puts down one,

And exalts another.

For in the hand of the Lord there isa cup,

And the wine is red;

It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;

Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth

Drain anddrink down.

But I will declare forever,

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

“All the [n]horns of the wicked I will also cut off,

Butthe horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

The Majesty of God in Judgment

To the Chief Musician. On [o]stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

In Judah God isknown;

His name isgreat in Israel.

In [p]Salem also is His tabernacle,

And His dwelling place in Zion.

There He broke the arrows of the bow,

The shield and sword of battle. Selah

You aremore glorious and excellent

Thanthe mountains of prey.

The stouthearted were plundered;

They [q]have sunk into their sleep;

And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.

At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

You, Yourself, areto be feared;

And who may stand in Your presence

When once You are angry?

You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

The earth feared and was still,

When God arose to judgment,

To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;

With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.

Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;

Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

He shall cut off the spirit of princes;

He isawesome to the kings of the earth.

Footnotes:

Psalm 74:1 Heb. Maschil
Psalm 74:8 oppress
Psalm 74:10 revile
Psalm 74:13 sea monsters
Psalm 74:14 A large sea creature of unknown identity
Psalm 74:20 hiding places
Psalm 74:20 homes
Psalm 74:20 violence
Psalm 74:22 revilesor taunts
Psalm 75:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
Psalm 75:2 appointed
Psalm 75:4 Raise the head proudly like a horned animal
Psalm 75:5 Insolent pride
Psalm 75:10 Strength
Psalm 76:1 Heb. neginoth
Psalm 76:2 Jerusalem
Psalm 76:5 Lit. have slumbered their sleep

Romans 9:16-33

16 So then it isnot of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 Whatif God, wanting to show Hiswrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As He says also in Hosea:

“I will call them My people, who were not My people,

And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

“And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,

‘You arenot My people,’

There they shall be called sons of the living God.”

27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,

The remnant will be saved.

For [a]He will finish the work and cut itshort in righteousness,

Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

29 And as Isaiah said before:

“Unless the Lord of [b]Sabaoth had left us a seed,

We would have become like Sodom,

And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Present Condition of Israel

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law [c]of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they didnot seek itby faith, but as it were, [d]by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,

And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Footnotes:

Romans 9:28 NU the Lord will finish the work and cut it short upon the earth
Romans 9:29 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
Romans 9:31 NU omits of righteousness
Romans 9:32 NU by works,omitting of the law

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please Pray for the Second Saturdays Event coming up this Saturday, August 10, at 7pm (PST). Pray God’s Spirit would move mightily in the men’s hearts and there would be both an inward and outward change in each man attending.

Please Pray for Mark H. He has a blood clot in his leg and is suffering terrible pain. Pray for God’s Healing and undeniable Touch on Mark’s life.

UPDATE: You can’t make this stuff up… Sounds like a script for a movie…

As you may know, we have kept Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico on our Prayer Request list for quite a while now. This Sister and her family, in a short time period, has been hit with a more tragedies(persecution) than most of us in an entire life time… the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children. RECENTLY, her modest home (a shack by any American standard) was burnt to the ground. …Her neighbor’s house caught fire and due to the closeness of her home, it caught fire, too. Brothers & Sisters, please Pray for God’s Holy touch on Fabiola and her family. Although we, His Children, are closely monitoring what assistance the Family of God might be able to provide the family through our Brother Ron Brink, in Mexico… our Prayers are essential. Please don’t relent!

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UPDATE: I’ve been told by one Geo’s co-workers, Lorraine Flores, who says she considers Geo a son, that the day Geo was deployed to the Mideast, his girlfriend delivered his new baby. Please Pray Geo would Walk in God’s Light and be a Godly husband and father. And, please Pray for Geo’s family. (Also, please Pray for both Lorraine Flores and her biological son that was deployed the same day as Geo, but to Africa.)

Please continue to Pray for Brother David Porter’s friend’s son, Giovanni (18yrs old). He was checked into an inpatient behavioral health facility last night. He is on suicide watch. Pray against the demon and lie of Suicide and Satan’s attacks on his life. Please Pray for God’s Strength, Healing, and Peace.

Please continue to Prayer for Sister Kay’s Granddaughter, and Sister Diana’s daughter, Alyssa, who is on medical mission in Spain.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Mark Pedder, a missionary in the Philippines. Please Pray for Mark, Mark’s wife for strength in their trials, tribulations and persecution.

Please Pray for Brother David Porter’s sponsoring “Refuge for Women” an upcoming “Refuge Uniting In Prayer” meeting scheduled for August 14th. Pray for the for those involved in assisting women, the women who are victims and those warring with the sex trafficking industry in Las Vegas.

Please continue to Pray for Gemma that she be delivered from evil and receive Jesus as her Savior.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt to be reconciled with his son and his son’s family.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Frank Sun, a Taiwanese, that owns several businesses in China and Taiwan. He recently preached the Gospel in his Taiwan company inviting his employees to accept salvation. He says that half of his Taiwan staff are now Christians. Please Pray Frank will continue to be bold in his sharing Christ in all his companies and that he will be faithful to disciple the new Believers.

AND, let each of us use Frank’s example and share the Love and Salvation of Jesus to our coworkers, employees, family friends and acquaintances. Brothers and Sisters, let’s take advantage of our God given opportunities, invest in the Eternal!

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies.

Please continue to Pray for Dave Ubank and his family. They are ministering and rescuing children and families in Syria directly affected by Isis – Pray for their protection and their ministry. For a short 2 minute video about Ubanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_htIgIvgDM[/embedyt

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

Please continue to Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters and their families that are suffering and giving their lives for our Faith.

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Please stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Day 7/4 – Responding in Obedience – Happy 4th of July

July 4, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Must Receive Christ – John 1:12 (ESV). “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John 1:12

“If you really want to experience God, go and make disciples.” Francis Chan

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A history of these Daily Devotions can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

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Responding in Obedience

Day One Hundred Eighty-five

“The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.” John 4:49-50

You will often find a conflict of interest in responding to God. The nobleman said, “Come with me.” Jesus responded, “Go alone.” You come to God in desperation and plead His help, wanting Him to do what you think needs done. God

responds, “I will help you, but on My terms. I will decide what needs to be done.”

Naaman the leper sought the help of God’s prophet Elisha. When Elisha told him what to do, Naaman was angry and said, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.”259 Elisha told him to wash in a dirty river.

When the nobleman entreated Jesus to help him, Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” Jesus tells the official that he needs to believe. All the nobleman wanted was for Jesus to heal his son. Believing was important to Jesus, unimportant to the nobleman. Thus the man was trapped: If he refused to go he would show that he didn’t believe Jesus. But if he went he would have no outward assurance that the boy would live. Remember, the official had no history of experiences with Jesus. In all probability this was their first encounter. He was forced to go with only the assurance of Jesus’ Word. Necessity compelled him to walk by faith.

So important is walking by faith to our Lord, that you will find Him often placing you in a position where you are forced to believe. You will find such times uncomfortable, but these are the moments when you learn to trust God.

259 II Kings 5:11

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Job 28-29 Acts 13:1-25 (New King James Version)

Job 28-29

Job’s Discourse on Wisdom

“Surely there is a mine for silver,

And a place wheregold is refined.

Iron is taken from the [a]earth,

And copper issmelted fromore.

Manputs an end to darkness,

And searches every recess

For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

He breaks open a shaft away from people;

In placesforgotten by feet

They hang far away from men;

They swing to and fro.

As forthe earth, from it comes bread,

But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

Its stones arethe source of sapphires,

And it contains gold dust.

Thatpath no bird knows,

Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.

The [b]proud lions have not trodden it,

Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

He puts his hand on the flint;

He overturns the mountains [c]at the roots.

He cuts out channels in the rocks,

And his eye sees every precious thing.

He dams up the streams from trickling;

What ishidden he brings forth to light.

“But where can wisdom be found?

And where isthe place of understanding?

Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

The deep says, ‘It isnot in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It isnot with me.’

It cannot be purchased for gold,

Nor can silver be weighed forits price.

It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

In precious onyx or sapphire.

Neither gold nor crystal can equal it,

Nor can it be exchanged for [d]jewelry of fine gold.

No mention shall be made of [e]coral or quartz,

For the price of wisdom isabove rubies.

The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“From where then does wisdom come?

And where isthe place of understanding?

It is hidden from the eyes of all living,

And concealed from the birds of the [f]air.

Destruction[g] and Death say,

‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’

God understands its way,

And He knows its place.

For He looks to the ends of the earth,

Andsees under the whole heavens,

To establish a weight for the wind,

And apportion the waters by measure.

When He made a law for the rain,

And a path for the thunderbolt,

Then He saw [h]wisdomand declared it;

He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.

And to man He said,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that iswisdom,

And to depart from evil isunderstanding.’ ”

Job’s Summary Defense

29 Job further continued his discourse, and said:

“Oh, that I were as inmonths past,

As inthe days whenGod watched over me;

When His lamp shone upon my head,

And whenby His light I walked throughdarkness;

Just as I was in the days of my prime,

When the friendly counsel of God wasover my tent;

When the Almighty wasyet with me,

Whenmy children werearound me;

When my steps were bathed with [i]cream,

And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

“When I went out to the gate by the city,

WhenI took my seat in the open square,

The young men saw me and hid,

And the aged arose andstood;

The princes refrained from talking,

And put theirhand on their mouth;

The voice of nobles was hushed,

And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

When the ear heard, then it blessed me,

And when the eye saw, then it approved me;

Because I delivered the poor who cried out,

The fatherless and the one whohad no helper.

The blessing of a perishing mancame upon me,

And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice waslike a robe and a turban.

I waseyes to the blind,

And I wasfeet to the lame.

I wasa father to the poor,

And I searched out the case thatI did not know.

I broke the fangs of the wicked,

And plucked the victim from his teeth.

“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest,

And multiply mydays as the sand.

My root isspread out to the waters,

And the dew lies all night on my branch.

My glory isfresh within me,

And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

“Menlistened to me and waited,

And kept silence for my counsel.

After my words they did not speak again,

And my speech settled on them as dew.

They waited for me asfor the rain,

And they opened their mouth wide asfor the spring rain.

IfI mocked at them, they did not believe it,

And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;

So I dwelt as a king in the army,

As one whocomforts mourners.

Footnotes:

Job 28:2 Lit. dust
Job 28:8 Lit. sons of pride,figurative of the great lions
Job 28:9 At the base
Job 28:17 vessels
Job 28:18 Heb. ramoth
Job 28:21 heaven
Job 28:22 Heb. Abaddon
Job 28:27 Lit. it
Job 29:6 So with ancient vss. and a few Heb. mss. (cf. Job 20:17); MT wrath

Acts 13:1-25

Paul and Barnabas Are Sent to the Gentiles

13 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent themaway.

Preaching in Cyprus

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as theirassistant.

6 Now when they had gone through [a]the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name wasBar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) [b]withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is calledPaul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, youson of the devil, youenemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord isupon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

At Antioch in Pisidia

13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men andbrethren, if you have any word of [c]exhortation for the people, say on.”

16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with hishand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: 17 The God of this people [d]Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with [e]an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. 18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. 19 And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

20 “After that He gave themjudges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. 21 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the sonof Jesse, a man after My ownheart, who will do all My will.’ 23 From this man’s seed, according to thepromise, God raised up for Israel a[f] Savior—Jesus— 24 after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He.But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

Footnotes:

Acts 13:6 NU the whole island
Acts 13:8 opposed
Acts 13:15 encouragement
Acts 13:17 M omits Israel
Acts 13:17 Mighty power
Acts 13:23 M salvation, after

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please Pray for Brother David Frear’s family. David’s father-law, Juan, whom we have been Praying for for months, passed away on 6/27/2019 .

Please Pray for Brother Tom Rolfstad who is having a surgical aortic heart valve replacement on July 8th. Pray that Tom and those who surround him would be drawn closer to the Lord.

Please Pray for Brother Mark P, a missionary in the Philippines.

He said they have an unfolding issue with a senior leader, who has had a significant, long term sin revealed. This person was second under Mark over the entire ministry. Once the sin was revealed, it seems the sin runs deeper and farther than anyone could imagine. Mark says, for him personally, this is big one. “This is the last person I would ever have expected, a true friend, someone both myself and my wife genuinely love, our longest standing national in leadership.” Currently, “they have resigned from ministry and have start the blame and slander game to keep the focus off themselves.” A lot of pain going around right now. Mark asks for Prayer, specifically, in 2 areas:

1 – That Marks keeps his own heart and hands clean; and

2 – … Repentance needs to come from this individual.

I would like to add to Mark’s Prayer Request… we need to Pray

for Mark, Mark’s wife and this individual caught in the web sin. … And Note: We can only look to One Perfect Example in our lives… Jesus. (People will let us down, but He will never let us down.) And, from God’s Word, we read and need to mediate on:

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:10 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

James 4:11-12 – Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. …

Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12-14 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; …

James 1:19-20 – Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: …

Luke 6:31 – And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Romans 2:1-4 – Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. …

Ephesians 4:26 – Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Romans 2:6-8 – Who will render to every man according to his deeds: …

Mark 11:25 – And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Please continue to Pray for Brother John LaPorte’s roommate, Brother Freddy, whose commitment to Christ caused his wife to separate from him for 6 years. The couple have 2 daughters and stayed single all this time. Within the recent past, it appears his wife, Arlene, has been Saved and the couple are beginning the reconciliation process. They are planning to reunite the family again under one roof in the next few months. Please Pray for their total reconciliation with God at their helm.

Please continue to Pray for Sister Sonia’s x-husband, Raymond, he has prostrate cancer. His prognosis seems positive, but please Pray for him.

Sister Diane’s grandson, Logan, is scheduled for eye surgery 7/15/2019. Please continue to Pray for Logan and his surgeon.

Please continue Pray for our President and all our government leaders of both parties. Pray they would submit their authority to His Authority and ask for His Wisdom in directing the affairs of our nation. Please Pray that God would open their eyes and they would be obedient to His Will.

Brother Rick Pavlat wife, Ollie, recently had a stroke. She is doing better but her left side has been affected. She is going to need rehabilitation and we would greatly appreciate Prayer. Additionally, as Rick and Ollie are semi-retired missionaries, they have no insurance and request your Prayers for cover the cost of care resulting from the stroke.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies.

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Please continue to Pray for Sister Diana who is witnessing to young persons with confused doctrine. Pray God would speak through her and provide His Holy Clarity directly these young people.

Please continue to Pray for the healing of baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect).

Please continue to Pray for Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico. And, please continue to Pray for her church caught up in the tragedies surrounding the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children.

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

Please continue to Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters and their families that are suffering and giving their lives for our Faith. 10 WAYS TO PRAY FOR OUR PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN FAMILY.. Pray our brothers and sisters will:

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3)

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17)

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3)

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29)

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29)

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25)

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41)

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

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Stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Day 5/31 – Awakening Appetites

May 31, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Trusting God – Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Philippians‬ ‭4:6

“Lukewarm deeds result from attempting to harmonize the wisdom and morality of the world (cold) with the wisdom and morality of God (hot).” from “The Discipline of Delusion: How Secular Ideas Became the New Idolatry” by Jerry Bangert

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A history of these Daily Devotions can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

This email contains, sequentially: Memory Verse (above), Daily Devotion from “Thoughts From The Diary of A Desperate Man” by Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”), Scripture Reading (read the entire Bible in 1 year), and Prayer Requests.

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Awakening Appetites

Day One Hundred Fifty-one

“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the hinds of the field, that you stir not up nor awaken love until it please.” Song of Solomon 2:7

Solomon warns that the appetite for love must not be awakened before its time. Many individuals have neglected his warning, only to live the rest of their lives in regret. One of the most precious gifts an individual can bring to the marriage bed is purity. Prior experience causes the mind to remember the past in the midst of the presence, making the act of love less beautiful than God meant it to be.

Many appetites are natural, such as food, thirst, and sex. Many appetites are acquired, such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, smoking, exercise, and chocolate. Although not all appetites are wrong, you must be careful which ones you cultivate, for once awakened, you have difficulty making them dormant again.

In many respects life is cruel and unforgiving. If in a moment of despair you jump from a tall building, in all probability you won’t get a second chance. You are forced to live with the consequences of the decisions you make. For some appetites, it is a matter of timing. For others, you don’t ever want to awaken them. Therefore make your decisions carefully. As you awaken your appetites ask, “Do I want to cultivate this appetite for the rest of my life?” If not, you should probably let it sleep.

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2 Chronicles 13-14 John 12:1-26 (New King James Version)

2 Chronicles 13-14

Abijah Reigns in Judah

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was[a]Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.

4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which isin the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. 7 Then worthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand them. 8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you area great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of otherlands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that arenot gods? 10 But as for us, the Lord isour God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord arethe sons of Aaron, and the Levites attendto theirduties. 11 And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; theyalso setthe showbread in order onthe pure goldtable, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12 Now look, God Himself is with us as ourhead, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”

13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush wasbehind them. 14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line wasat both front and rear; and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17 Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain. 18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.

19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephrain[b] with its villages. 20 So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.

21 But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings arewritten in the [c]annals of the prophet Iddo.

Asa Reigns over Judah

14 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.

Asa Reigns in Judah

2 Asa did what wasgood and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed the altars of the foreign godsand the [d]high places, and broke down the sacredpillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the [e]high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them,and towers, gates, and bars, whilethe land isyet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him,and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried [f]shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these weremighty men of valor.

9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it isnothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You areour God; do not let man prevail against You!”

12 So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 And Asa and the people who werewith him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army. And they carried away very much [g]spoil. 14 Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much [h]spoil in them. 15 They also [i]attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

Footnotes:

2 Chronicles 13:2 Maachah,1 Kin. 15:2; 2 Chr. 11:20, 21
2 Chronicles 13:19 Or Ephron
2 Chronicles 13:22 Or commentary,Heb. midrash
2 Chronicles 14:3 Places for pagan worship
2 Chronicles 14:5 Places for pagan worship
2 Chronicles 14:8 large shields
2 Chronicles 14:13 plunder
2 Chronicles 14:14 plunder
2 Chronicles 14:15 Lit. struck

John 12:1-26

The Anointing at Bethany

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was [a]who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for [b]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; [c]she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!

‘Blessed isHe who comes in the name of the Lord!’

The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

“Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and thatthey had done these things to Him.

17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The Fruitful Grain of Wheat

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much [d]grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him MyFather will honor.

Footnotes:

John 12:1 NU omits who had been dead
John 12:5 About one year’s wages for a worker
John 12:7 NU that she may keep
John 12:24 Lit. fruit

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please Pray for Brother Frank Sun, a Taiwanese, that owns several businesses in China and Taiwan. He recently preached the Gospel in his Taiwan company inviting his employees to accept salvation. He says that half of his Taiwan staff are now Christian. Please Pray Frank will continue to be bold in his sharing Christ in all his companies and that he will be faithful to disciple the new Believers.

Please Pray for Joy, Leif and Espen. Joy lost her unborn baby Sunday morning, 5/26/2019. Please lift her family up to the Lord.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Kevin Parkinson’s daughter, Amber Lee, who had been a meth addict for many years…She recently had a massive stroke and has came out of a comma. Please Pray for Kevin and his family; and that Amber receives Jesus.

Please continue to Pray for Brother K and his family. The enemy is working overtime on this Brother and his family. He and his wife have children from two different marriages including their own. The children are manipulating each other and the parents; and, trying to put a wedge between the Brother and his wife.

Please Pray for Sister Anna who is now home in El Salvador taking care of her mother.

Please Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies.

Please continue to Pray for Simon, Sister Sonia’s friend, he needs heart and kidney transplant; and, above all needs to receive Jesus.

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Please continue to Pray for Sister Diana who is witnessing to young persons with confused doctrine. Pray God would speak through her and provide His Holy Clarity directly these young people.

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Please continue to Pray for the healing of baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect).

Please continue to Pray for the Salvation of Hagen who is HIV positive and is deathly ill.

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3)

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17)

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3)

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29)

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29)

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25)

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41)

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

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Stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue Pray for our President & government leaders that they will would seek God and Walk in His Ways.

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Day 5/10 – Measuring the Work of God

May 10, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Serve Others – Mark 10:45 (ESV) “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

“An axiom of Scripture is: Steward the temporal; give your life in exchange for the eternal. Keep the value of your possessions in proper perspective; they are resources given by God to assist you in investing in “the fruit that remains.” This best prepares you for an eternity with Him. What does your investment portfolio reveal about your belief?” Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”)

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A history of these Daily Devotions can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

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Measuring the Work of God

Day One Hundred Thirty

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12

If someone were to ask you to list the six most important things Jesus sought to impart to His disciples in the three years of His public ministry, what six would you give? You might include faith, the importance of self-denial, love, and forgiveness. But whatever your list includes, in all probability you will find that they are characteristics that cannot be measured. Significant, lasting work in the life of a person touches attitudes, values, world-views – ingredients that defy measurement.

You can force a person to read and memorize the Bible, and sit under the preaching of the Word, but you cannot influence the difference it will make in his life, to say nothing of measuring it. If you have difficulty determining what God is doing in your own life, you have an impossible task making such a determination in the life of another. You can measure the number that professes faith in Christ, but even here you run into difficulty. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”204 The work of drawing a person to the Savior may have been accomplished before you met him, and many that do profess Christ are not converted.

Why would you want to try to measure the work of God? What do you seek to accomplish? Paul warned the Corinthians that such efforts often flow from a desire to compare; you need to measure what you are doing in order to compare favorably with another. You must be careful that such endeavors don’t become a substitute for walking by faith. With the work of God you will never be able to determine success by that which you measure, and your comparing yourself with others is at best, counter-productive.

204 I Corinthians 3:6

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2 Kings 10-12 John 1:29-51 (New King James Version)

2 Kings 10-12

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of [a]Jezreel, to the elders, and to [b]those who reared Ahab’s sons,saying:

2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons arewith you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3 choose the [c]best qualified of your master’s sons, set himon his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, two kings could not [d]stand up to him; how then can we stand?” 5 And he who wasin charge of the house, and he who wasin charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons,sent to Jehu, saying, “We areyour servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what isgood in your sight.” 6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:

If you arefor me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.

Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, werewith the great men of the city, whowere rearing them. 7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent themto him at Jezreel.

8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.”

And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You arerighteous. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? 10 Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Ahaziah’s Forty-two Brothers Killed

12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at [e]Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who areyou?”

So they answered, “We arethe brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of [f]Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

The Rest of Ahab’s Family Killed

15 Now when he departed from there, he [g]met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, comingto meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart istoward your heart?”

And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”

Jehu said,“If it is, give meyour hand.” So he gave himhis hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Worshipers of Baal Killed

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, [h]“Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it.21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the [i]temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “Ifany of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall behis life for the life of the other.”

25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in andkill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw themout, and went into the [j]inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the sacredpillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacredpillar of Baal, and tore down the [k]temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is,from the golden calves that wereat Bethel and Dan. 30 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what isright in My sight, andhave done to the house of Ahab all that wasin My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu [l]took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

Death of Jehu

32 In those days the Lord began to cut off partsof Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which isby the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu [m]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria wastwenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

11 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2 But [n]Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took [o]Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who werebeing murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah

4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the [p]escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. 5 Then he commanded them, saying, “This iswhat you shall do: One-third of you who [q]come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house, 6 one-third shall beat the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. 7 The two [r]contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king. 8 But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.”

9 So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belongedto King David, that were in the temple of the Lord. 11 Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right [s]side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. 12 And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave himthe Testimony;[t] they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah

13 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts andthe people, she came to the people inthe temple of the Lord. 14 When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside [u]under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses’ entrance intothe king’s house, and there she was killed.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and alsobetween the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and [v]images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed [w]officers over the house of the Lord. 19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword inthe king’s house. 21 Jehoash wasseven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash[x] became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name wasZibiah of Beersheba. 2 Jehoash did what wasright in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But the [y]high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4 And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s census[z] money, each man’s assessment money—andall the money that [aa]a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests take itthemselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the [ab]damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

6 Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, thatthe priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7 So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the otherpriests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take moremoney from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” 8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive moremoney from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who [ac]kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the Lord. 10 So it was, whenever they saw that there wasmuch money in the chest, that the king’s scribe[ad] and the high priest came up and [ae]put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they [af]paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the Lord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. 13 However there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord. 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. 15 Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16 The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

17 Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to [ag]go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent themto Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Death of Joash

19 Now the rest of the acts of [ah]Joash, and all that he did, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of [ai]the Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21 For [aj]Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of [ak]Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes:

2 Kings 10:1 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX Samaria;Vg. city
2 Kings 10:1 the guardians of
2 Kings 10:3 most upright
2 Kings 10:4 Lit. stand before
2 Kings 10:12 Or The Shearing House
2 Kings 10:14 Or The Shearing House
2 Kings 10:15 Lit. found
2 Kings 10:20 Consecrate
2 Kings 10:21 Lit. house
2 Kings 10:25 Lit. city
2 Kings 10:27 Lit. house
2 Kings 10:31 was not careful
2 Kings 10:35 Died and joined his ancestors
2 Kings 11:2 Jehoshabeath,2 Chr. 22:11
2 Kings 11:2 Or Jehoash
2 Kings 11:4 guards
2 Kings 11:5 Lit. enter in
2 Kings 11:7 companies
2 Kings 11:11 Lit. shoulder
2 Kings 11:12 Law, Ex. 25:16, 21; Deut. 31:9
2 Kings 11:15 Lit. between ranks
2 Kings 11:18 Idols
2 Kings 11:18 Lit. offices
2 Kings 12:1 Joash,2 Kin. 11:2ff.
2 Kings 12:3 Places for pagan worship
2 Kings 12:4 Lit. the money coming over
2 Kings 12:4 any man’s heart prompts him to bring
2 Kings 12:5 Lit. breaches
2 Kings 12:9 guarded at the door
2 Kings 12:10 secretary
2 Kings 12:10 tied it up
2 Kings 12:11 Lit. weighed
2 Kings 12:17 Advance upon
2 Kings 12:19 Jehoash,vv. 1–18
2 Kings 12:20 Lit. The Landfill
2 Kings 12:21 Zabad,2 Chr. 24:26
2 Kings 12:21 Shimrith,2 Chr. 24:26

John 1:29-51

The Lamb of God

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who [a]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

The First Disciples

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

40 One of the two who heard John speak,and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the [b]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of [c]Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, [d]A Stone).

Philip and Nathanael

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter[e] you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Footnotes:

John 1:30 ranks higher than I
John 1:41 Lit. Anointed One
John 1:42 NU John
John 1:42 Gr. Petros,usually translated Peter
John 1:51 NU omits hereafter

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for Brother Kevin Parkinson’s daughter, Amber Lee, from his first marriage who had been a meth addict for many years…He just heard she had a massive stroke! Please Pray that Kevin and others will deliver the message of the Gospel to her and that she receives Salvation before it’s too late.

Please Pray for Brother K and his family as him and his wife have children from two different marriages including their own. The children are manipulating each other and the parents; and, trying to put a wedge between the him and his wife.

Please Pray for Sister Anna’s mom who is in near end stages of life; and, Pray for Anna who is returning home to El Salvador to live.

Please Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies.

Please continue to Pray for Jenny Nadeau who has multiple surgeries scheduled and is currently in a weakened state from a recent blockage removal surgery. Pray that she and those around her will witness first hand our Masters Love and Holy Touch.

Please continue to Pray for Simon, Sister Sonia’s friend, he needs heart and kidney transplant; and, above all needs to receive Jesus.

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Pease continue to Pray for Brother Bob Summers that he have complete healing after his surgery for a blood clot in his brain.

Please continue to Pray for Sister Diana who is witnessing to young persons with confused doctrine. Pray God would speak through her and provide His Holy Clarity directly these young people.

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Please continue to Pray for the healing of baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect).

Please continue to Pray for the Salvation of Hagen who is HIV positive and is deathly ill.

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3)

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17)

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3)

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29)

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29)

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25)

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41)

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

+++

Stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue Pray for our President & government leaders that they will would seek God and Walk in His Ways.

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Day 5/4 – The Sentence of Death

May 4, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

Put Christ First – Matthew 6:33 (ESV) “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

“Let them see You in me;

Let them hear You when I speak;

Let them feel You when I sing;

Let them see You; let them see You in me.” J J Weeks

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A history of these Daily Devotions can be found at: lylebrennan.com.

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The Sentence of Death

Day One Hundred Twenty-four

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

In his mind Paul was convinced that in all probability his hours were numbered; he did not expect to escape with his life. The situation was so void of hope that the only escape was from Him who has power to raise the dead, and it was so desperate that rescue was akin to being raised from the dead. He says that the reason God brought him into this situation was so he would learn not to trust himself.

Note the three tenses: who delivered, is delivering, and will yet deliver. There is no terminal experience with God. The experience of past deliverance does not guarantee future deliverance; there may come a time when God elects not to deliver you. You derive peace and confidence from the character of God, not from your expectation of what He will do. No matter how crushing your experience, God will use it for your betterment.

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves.” You cannot have confidence in God until you renounce all confidence in yourself. Your confidence in God is proportional to your lack of confidence in yourself and therefore God brings to you the threat of danger all of your life, else you would cease being dependent.

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1 Kings 16-18 Luke 22:47-71 (New King James Version)

1 Kings 16-18

The Reigns of Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab

16 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying: 2 “Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, 3 surely I will take[a] away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.”

5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 So Baasha [b]rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.

7 And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.

Elah Reigns in Israel

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reignedtwo years in Tirzah. 9 Now his servant Zimri, commander of half hischariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward[c] of hishouse in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11 Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, thathe killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [d]idols.

14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people wereencamped against Gibbethon, which belongedto the Philistines. 16 Now the people who wereencamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was [e]taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house [f]down upon himself with fire, and died, 19 because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in Israel

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reignedtwelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria,[g] after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill. 25 Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who werebefore him. 26 For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.[h]

27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

28 So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place.

Ahab Reigns in Israel

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who werebefore him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a [i]wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation [j]with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest sonSegub he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.

Elijah Proclaims a Drought

17 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “Asthe Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be thatyou shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

Elijah and the Widow

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongsto Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow wasthere gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it,he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a [k]jar; and see, I amgathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go anddo as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring itto me; and afterward make somefor yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”

15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for manydays. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

Elijah Revives the Widow’s Son

17 Now it happened after these things thatthe son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so [l]serious that [m]there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” 21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.

23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you area man of God, andthat the word of the Lord in your mouth isthe truth.”

Elijah’s Message to Ahab

18 And it came to pass aftermany days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”

2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there wasa severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was[n]in charge of hishouse. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4 For so it was, while Jezebel [o]massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.” 6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Isthat you, my lord Elijah?”

8 And he answered him, “It isI. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”

9 So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 Asthe Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He isnot here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here” ’! 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon asI am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me!”

15 Then Elijah said, “Asthe Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.”

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is thatyou, O troubler of Israel?”

18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have,in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send andgather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of [p]Asherah, who [q]eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord isGod, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets arefour hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay iton the wood, but put no fire under it;and I will prepare the other bull, and lay iton the wood, but put no fire under it.24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

So all the people answered and said, [r]“It is well spoken.”

25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare itfirst, for you aremany; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it,and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, [s]hear us!” But there wasno voice; no one answered. Then they [t]leaped about the altar which they had made.

27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry [u]aloud, for he isa god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, orperhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with [v]knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the timeof the offering of the eveningsacrifice. But there wasno voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that wasbroken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid iton the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour iton the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do ita second time,” and they did ita second time; and he said, “Do ita third time,” and they did ita third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

36 And it came to pass, at the time ofthe offering of the eveningsacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You areGod in Israel and I amYour servant, and thatI have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You arethe Lord God, and thatYou have turned their hearts back to Youagain.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that wasin the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it,they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He isGod! The Lord, He isGod!”

40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

The Drought Ends

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there isthe sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There isnothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

44 Then it came to pass the seventh time,that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, [w]‘Prepare your chariot,and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded[x] up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Footnotes:

1 Kings 16:3 consume
1 Kings 16:6 Died and joined his ancestors
1 Kings 16:9 Lit. who was over the house
1 Kings 16:13 Lit. vanities
1 Kings 16:18 captured
1 Kings 16:18 Lit. over him
1 Kings 16:24 Heb. Shomeron
1 Kings 16:26 Lit. vanities
1 Kings 16:33 Heb. Asherah,a Canaanite goddess
1 Kings 16:34 At the cost of the life of
1 Kings 17:12 Lit. pitcheror water jar
1 Kings 17:17 severe
1 Kings 17:17 He died.
1 Kings 18:3 Lit. over the house
1 Kings 18:4 Lit. cut off
1 Kings 18:19 A Canaanite goddess
1 Kings 18:19 Are provided for by Jezebel
1 Kings 18:24 Lit. The word is good
1 Kings 18:26 answer
1 Kings 18:26 Lit. limped about, leaped in dancing around
1 Kings 18:27 with a loud voice
1 Kings 18:28 swords
1 Kings 18:44 Lit. Bindor Harness
1 Kings 18:46 Tucked the skirts of his robe in his belt in preparation for quick travel

Luke 22:47-71

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly

54 Having arrested Him, they led Himand brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

57 But he denied [a]Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellowalso was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”

Immediately, while he was still speaking, [b]the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster [c]crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Mocked and Beaten

63 Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. 64 [d]And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” 65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

66 As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.”

But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. 68 And if I [e]also ask you,you will by no means answer [f]Me or let Mego. 69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

70 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”

So He said to them, “You rightlysay that I am.”

71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Footnotes:

Luke 22:57 NU it
Luke 22:60 NU, M a rooster
Luke 22:61 NU adds today
Luke 22:64 NU And having blindfolded Him, they asked Him
Luke 22:68 NU omits also
Luke 22:68 NU omits the rest of v. 68.

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Please Pray for Sister Anna’s mom who is in near end stages of life; and, Pray for Anna who is returning home to El Salvador to live.

Please Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies.

Please continue to Pray for Bill E. who has been recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Pray for God’s healing hand in this matter and that Bill’s prescribed treatments and procedures go well. Above all, Pray that God reveals Himself to Bill and his family and that God would comfort them during this difficult time.

Please continue to Pray for Simon, Sister Sonia’s friend, he needs heart and kidney transplant; and, above all needs to receive Jesus.

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China.

Pease continue to Pray for Brother Bob Summers that he have complete healing after his surgery for a blood clot in his brain.

Please continue to Pray for Sister Diana who is witnessing to young persons with confused doctrine. Pray God would speak through her and provide His Holy Clarity directly these young people.

Please continue to Pray for Jamie to accept the Lord into her life and the Peace only He can give her. Jamie recently lost her man that she had been with for over the 30 years to suicide.

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Please continue to Pray for the healing of baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect).

Please continue to Pray for the Salvation of Hagen who is HIV positive and is deathly ill.

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3)

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17)

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3)

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29)

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29)

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25)

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41)

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

+++

Stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue Pray for our President & government leaders that they will would seek God and Walk in His Ways.

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Day 1/10 – The Price of Peace

January 10, 2019 By Lyle Brennan Leave a Comment

He supplies your every need – Philippians‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:19

God “…promises us that if we will devote ourselves to His cause, He will greatly reward us in heaven. I frequently hear believers say that they could never be motivated by so base a thing as eternal profit; such motivation smacks of selfishness. This kind of piety may be a cloak covering a fear of God holding them accountable for how they invested their lives, an accounting that appreciably influences their standard of living in eternity. Not wanting such accountability, they hide behind piety.” Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”)

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The Price of Peace

Day Ten

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans

12:18

The family unit affords a vivid illustration of this truth. The better we know someone the more difficult it seems to maintain peace. There are probably two reasons for this. First, because we know them well their weaknesses and idiosyncrasies become glaringly apparent. Second, familiarity tends to invite presumption; we are prone to impose on those close to us. Thus the family becomes an environment inviting confrontation.

It is in the nature of the case that people believe that they give to a relationship more than they receive. There may be notable exceptions, but generally the perception of the wife is that she gives more to the marriage than her husband, and if they have a happy marriage, it is because she is willing to do so. Ironically, the perception of her husband is the exact opposite. This phenomenon has to be factored into all relationships in order for peace to exist. Selfishness must yield to giving more than you receive.

The world, on the other hand, encourages individualism, which leads to isolation. Children are encouraged to draw away from their families, indulging their own appetites. The heroes of entertainment portray lives of hedonism and selfishness. Incompatibility is adequate ground for divorce. The family fractures and each goes his own way. Then on special days the media portrays the gathered family living in beautiful harmony. The autonomous individual feels lonely, alienated, and angry. Frustrated that he has never had such an experience, he concludes that he is a victim; somebody has wronged him.

In reality, the fault is his. He refuses to freely give of himself without demanding reciprocity. He is not willing to overlook the faults in others that seem to him to be so obnoxious. In short, he is unwilling to pay the price of peace, not defined by the absence of tribulation, but the presence of things like forgiveness, biblical love, and gentleness.

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Genesis 25-26 Matthew 8:1-17 (New King James Version)

Genesis 25-26

Abraham and Keturah

25 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac

12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 [a]Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their [b]settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He [c]died in the presence of all his brethren.

19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 And the Lord said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name [d]Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called [e]Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a [f]mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called [g]Edom.

31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

33 Then Jacob said, [h]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelech

26 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, [i]showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 Then Isaac departed from there and [j]pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well [k]Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name [l]Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name [m]Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”

28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a [n]covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”

30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it [o]Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is [p]Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Footnotes:

Genesis 25:15 MT Hadad

Genesis 25:16 camps

Genesis 25:18 fell

Genesis 25:25 Lit. Hairy

Genesis 25:26 Supplanter or Deceitful, lit. One Who Takes the Heel

Genesis 25:27 Lit. complete

Genesis 25:30 Lit. Red

Genesis 25:33 Take an oath

Genesis 26:8 caressing

Genesis 26:17 camped

Genesis 26:20 Lit. Quarrel

Genesis 26:21 Lit. Enmity

Genesis 26:22 Lit. Spaciousness

Genesis 26:28 treaty

Genesis 26:33 Lit. Oath or Seven

Genesis 26:33 Lit. Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven

Matthew 8:1-17

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed

14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served [a]them.

Many Healed in the Evening

16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses.”

Footnotes:

Matthew 8:15 NU, M Him

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“You cannot know until after you believe and speak; that is the order: believe, speak, know.” Walt

PRAYER REQUESTS

Brother Nate, wife Jellah and their daughter Jael arrived in Las Vegas from the Philippines on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, they arrived sick. They are still sick almost 2 weeks later. Please Pray that God would heal them and also keep Dave and his wife Sally from catching it.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Wayde Yeley’s mother‘s heart condition.

Please continue to Pray for:

1) Healing for baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect); and

2) Peace and healing for Marlene Webb – 84-year-old who Prayed a few days ago to receive Christ as her Savior; Pray for her to truly embrace God’s Peace and Plan for her remaining time on earth. (She is very sick with congenital heart failure. Thanks )

Please continue to Pray for Brother Juan, David Frear’s father in law. He is recovering from a liver AND kidney transplant.

Michelle continues to request Prayer for her husband and herself (Michelle and Jesus Arredondo) as they are wanting to start a family.

Please continue to Pray for Micheal Bolognini and his father, Louis Bolognini. Louis was released from hospital and taken off cancer medication and went into hospice care. Pray they will experience God’s Presence and Hope in Jesus.

Please Pray for the Salvation of Hagen who is HIV positive and is deathly ill.

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren.

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS.

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3)

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17)

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3)

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29)

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29)

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25)

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41)

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

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Stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue Pray for our President & government leaders that they will would seek God and Walk in His Ways.

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children.

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”