Category Archives: Protector / Deliverer

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Comforter, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Strong in Our Weakness

God Will Strengthen Us and Help us

As we read through Isaiah 41, bring to mind that we, as followers of Yeshua, are grafted into God’s people, Israel (Romans 11). Accept the encouragement that Isaiah is declaring for Israel in this chapter as directly applicable to you in your life today as a believer and follower of Yeshua.

Isaiah 41

Israel Encouraged

1“Coastlands, listen to Me in silence,
And let the peoples gain new strength;
Let them come forward, then let them speak;
Let us come together for judgment.

      2“Who has aroused one from the east
Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet?
He delivers up nations before him
And subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.

      3“He pursues them, passing on in safety,
By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.

      4“Who has performed and accomplished it,
Calling forth the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’”

      5The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The ends of the earth tremble;
They have drawn near and have come.

      6Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother, “Be strong!”

      7So the craftsman encourages the smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
And he fastens it with nails,
So that it will not totter.

      8“But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend,

      9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its remotest parts
And said to you, ‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and not rejected you.

      10‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

      11“Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.

      12“You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.

      13“For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

      14“Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

      15“Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them,
And will make the hills like chaff.

      16“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will rejoice in the LORD,
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

      17“The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the LORD, will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

      18“I will open rivers on the bare heights
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water
And the dry land fountains of water.

      19“I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree;
I will place the juniper in the desert
Together with the box tree and the cypress,

      20That they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

      21“Present your case,” the LORD says.
“Bring forward your strong arguments,”
The King of Jacob says.

      22Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the former events, declare what they were,
That we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;

      23Declare the things that are going to come afterward,
That we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.

      24Behold, you are of no account,
And your work amounts to nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.

      25“I have aroused one from the north, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar,
Even as the potter treads clay.”

      26Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”?
Surely there was no one who declared,
Surely there was no one who proclaimed,
Surely there was no one who heard your words.

      27“Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’

      28“But when I look, there is no one,
And there is no counselor among them
Who, if I ask, can give an answer.

      29“Behold, all of them are false;
Their works are worthless,
Their molten images are wind and emptiness.

Reread verses 10-20 above. Take a few minutes in prayer to thank God that He will do that for each of us. Consider and praise Him for His greatness and kindness.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Creative, Eternal, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Strong in Our Weakness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Reflect on the Greatness of Our God

As you read through this today, reflect on the greatness of our God. This is not a time for speed reading or hurrying. This is a time for slowly digesting the word and what it means in our lives.

Isaiah 40

The Greatness of God

1“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

      2“Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.”

      3A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

      4“Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

      5Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

      6A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

      7The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.

      8The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

      9Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

      10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.

      11Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

      12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the span,
And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?

      13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?

      14With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?

      15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

      16Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

      17All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

      18To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

      19As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

      20He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter.

      21Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

      22It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

      23He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

      24Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.

      25“To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

      26Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

      27Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?

      28Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.

      29He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.

      30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,

      31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Take a few more minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to really bring forth the rich message in this scripture. Meditate for a few minutes on the greatness of our God. What impact should this have on how you live your life?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Strong in Our Weakness, Wickedness / Evil

Keep God’s Commandments AND Hold to the Testimony of Christ

Revelation 12 lays out some key fundamentals in the spiritual warfare between Satan and YHWH’s people in some attention-grabbing visualizations. Notice you will find no labels of “Jewish” or “Christian”. These labels are not always meaningful as many call themselves by these names but do not follow YHWH or do not hold to the testimony of Yeshua. In verse 17 we see that the key is not what label someone claims, but if you actually “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus”.

It seems obvious that the Jewish people do not hold to the testimony of Yeshua. However, it may only be slightly less obvious that most who identify as “Christian”, holding to the testimony of Christ, do not keep the whole of the commandments of YHWH. Common Christian teaching holds to some commandments and dismisses many others. It is not simply about “the 10 commandments”. There is so much more to be learned and followed in studying the foundational books of the Bible, the Torah (written by Moses), and the writings of the prophets. For many, they do well to genuinely focus on starting to really live out the 10 commandments in their lives. This is a good place to begin.

I encourage Jewish people to seek Messiah in Yeshua. I encourage Christians to seek to study the Bible and challenge to deepen our understanding of the Hebrew roots of our faith and the fullness of the wonderful things in the law of YHWH.  (Focused Ministries – Understanding the Hebrew Roots of Christianity)

Revelation 12

The Woman, Israel

     1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

     3Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ

     5And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Angel, Michael

     7And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

      13And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help open my eyes to both the testimony of Yeshua and obedience to all Your commandments. Help me fully embrace You and Your ways and not only do so in part as so many do. I want to do more than just claim Your name and go to church. I want to live my life for You. I know I fall short, but please help me. Amen.  

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Thankfulness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God Makes a Way Where We Cannot

When we see obstacles and challenges laid out in front of us, focus not on the size of the problem but rather on the size of our God! God makes a way for success where we cannot. Seek His help. Honor Him. Praise Him. Remain in faith even as you face what seems like overwhelming odds.

Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

      1And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. 2Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and rejection; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver. 4‘Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.’”

      5So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7“Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

      8Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10“Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11‘Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 12‘Did the gods of those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple

      14Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying, 16“O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17“Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. 18“Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, 19and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 20“Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.”

God Answers through Isaiah

      21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

22this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:
“She has despised you and mocked you,
The virgin daughter of Zion;
She has shaken her head behind you,
The daughter of Jerusalem!

      23“Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And haughtily lifted up your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!

      24“Through your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses.
And I will go to its highest peak, its thickest forest.

      25‘I dug wells and drank waters,
And with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the rivers of Egypt.’

      26“Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I planned it.
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

      27“Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,
They were dismayed and put to shame;
They were as the vegetation of the field and as the green herb,
As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.

      28“But I know your sitting down
And your going out and your coming in
And your raging against Me.

      29“Because of your raging against Me
And because your arrogance has come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back by the way which you came.

      30“Then this shall be the sign for you: you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 31“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32“For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”’

      33“Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, or throw up a siege ramp against it. 34‘By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the LORD. 35‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”

Assyrians Destroyed

      36Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Praise God that He is an ever-present help in times of trouble.  Take some time and prayerfully reflect on situations where God has delivered you or provided a way for you in the past. What are the key challenges you are facing now that you need to bring before God to ask for His help? Do that now, with humility and faith.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Mockers, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The World Will Tell Us That God Cannot Help

We will all face struggles in our life. We will face obstacles and enemies and challenges that are beyond our ability to manage on our own.  As we focus to put our faith in God, the world around us will tell us we are foolish and that God will not help us or does not exist. Stand strong. It is in God and God alone that we should trust in these circumstances.

Isaiah 36

Sennacherib Invades Judah

      1Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field. 3Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.

      4Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have? 5“I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me? 6“Behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 7“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 8“Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9“How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10“Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

      11Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

      13Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14“Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16‘Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 17until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18‘Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And when have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20‘Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

      21But they were silent and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Take heart and be encouraged. God is our rock eternal. God is our shield and protector. Do not be dismayed by the words of the world spoken against God. Instead, put your faith in God and lean not on your own understanding.

Take a few minutes in prayer to reflect and thank God for specific things He has done and is doing in your life to deliver you from difficulty. In what areas of your life are you now facing a difficulty for which you need to put your full trust in God? Ask Him to help in Jesus’ name.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discipline / Guidance From God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider

Our Help Is in God, Not Man

Israel turned to Egypt for help when they should have turned to God. We should pay attention in our own lives to avoid the same mistake. For us it will not be putting our trust in Egypt, but perhaps politicians, our employer or even friends. Seek help first and foremost from the LORD. Then He will show you from where He will bring help.

Isaiah 31

Help Not in Egypt but in God

1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!

      2Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster
And does not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers
And against the help of the workers of iniquity.

      3Now the Egyptians are men and not God,
And their horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the LORD will stretch out His hand,
And he who helps will stumble
And he who is helped will fall,
And all of them will come to an end together.

      4For thus says the LORD to me,
“As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”

      5Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem.
He will protect and deliver it;
He will pass over and rescue it.

      6Return to Him from whom you have deeply defected, O sons of Israel. 7For in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which your sinful hands have made for you as a sin.

      8And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of man will devour him.
So he will not escape the sword,
And his young men will become forced laborers.

      9“His rock will pass away because of panic,
And his princes will be terrified at the standard,”
Declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

The people of Israel put their faith in man rather than God. This attitude creates separation and anger with God. Let us always put our trust in Him first. He shall direct our paths. Here are a few scriptures to remind ourselves that God will be with us.

  • [Joshua 1:9] 9“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
  • [Exod 33:14] And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
  • [Deut‬ ‭31:8‬] And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.”
  • [Matt 28:20b] And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Trust in God’s Protection

As you read Isaiah 26, remember that the people of Israel had gone through tough times. Other nations had ruled them. They had drifted far from the LORD. There was a remnant that held tight to God. Think about the joy and praise emotionally that they were feeling when He rescued them from that and restored them! Whatever you are experiencing, you can put your faith in God and trust Him.

Rejoice in the LORD! Trust in Him for protection and sing songs to glorify Him. Praise Him.

Isaiah 26

Song of Trust in God’s Protection

      1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

      2“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful.

      3“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.

      4“Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

      5“For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.

      6“The foot will trample it,
The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.”

      7The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

      8Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.

      9At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

      10Though the wicked is shown favor,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.

      11O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it.
They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.

      12LORD, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.

      13O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we confess Your name.

      14The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have wiped out all remembrance of them.

      15You have increased the nation, O LORD,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land.

      16O LORD, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your chastening was upon them.

      17As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains,
Thus were we before You, O LORD.

      18We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born.

      19Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

      20Come, my people, enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.

      21For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.

Be encouraged! The LORD is our protector and our savior. There is nothing and nobody that is too big or too challenging for Him to handle.

I invite you to take a few minutes to pray.

Reflect on all that God has done for you. Give Him thanks and praise in a personal and specific manner. Then share with Him whatever challenges you still face and ask for His help. Put your faith in Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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I Will Exalt You, I Will Give Thanks to Your Name!

Take some time this day to reflect on God’s favor and give thanks!

Isaiah 25

Song of Praise for God’s Favor

1O LORD, You are my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

      2For You have made a city into a heap,
A fortified city into a ruin;
A palace of strangers is a city no more,
It will never be rebuilt.

      3Therefore a strong people will glorify You;
Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

      4For You have been a defense for the helpless,
A defense for the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.

      5Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.

      6The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.

      7And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

      8He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.

      9And it will be said in that day,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

      10For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain,
And Moab will be trodden down in his place
As straw is trodden down in the water of a manure pile.

      11And he will spread out his hands in the middle of it
As a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim,
But the Lord will lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands.

      12The unassailable fortifications of your walls He will bring down,
Lay low and cast to the ground, even to the dust.

No matter what your situation may be, whether you are on the mountain or in the valley, trust in the LORD and give Him thanks and praise. His plans are good. He is faithful. He is our shield and protector and deliverer. Rejoice and be glad in His salvation!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Judgment on the Earth but the Remnant Still Rejoices

Many are concerned with a great variety of difficulties on the earth, such as pollution. They see in the carnal only, the physical. They do not see the spiritual. God shows us in Isaiah 24 that the earth is polluted by its inhabitants, not because they used too much plastic, but because they broke the covenant with God. The people have transgressed laws and violated statutes. People have turned what is good into evil and evil into good in their minds. It is this that defiles the earth. It is for this that the earth will be judged and those on it.

Be encouraged, though, as there will be a joyous remnant remaining. God will make a new heaven and a new earth. God will reign among His people again!

Isaiah 24

Judgment on the Earth

      1Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word. 4The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

      7The new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the merry-hearted sigh.

      8The gaiety of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The gaiety of the harp ceases.

      9They do not drink wine with song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

      10The city of chaos is broken down;
Every house is shut up so that none may enter.

      11There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
All joy turns to gloom.
The gaiety of the earth is banished.

      12Desolation is left in the city
And the gate is battered to ruins.

      13For thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.

      14They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD.

      15Therefore glorify the LORD in the east,
The name of the LORD, the God of Israel,
In the coastlands of the sea.

      16From the ends of the earth we hear songs, “Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “Woe to me! Woe to me! Alas for me!
The treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”

      17Terror and pit and snare
Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.

      18Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit,
And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

      19The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is split through,
The earth is shaken violently.

      20The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a shack,
For its transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, never to rise again.

      21So it will happen in that day,
That the LORD will punish the host of heaven on high,
And the kings of the earth on earth.

      22They will be gathered together
Like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will be punished.

      23Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,
For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.

As believers, we can be encouraged that there is a remnant that survives and thrives with joy, even in hardship. Trust in God. Put your faith in Him. Rejoice and give thanks at all times.

I invite you to pray with me.

Father, thank You for protecting Your remnant and keeping us joyful! Thank You for the hope and faith that you will renew the earth and reign over us! Praise God who is worthy of all honor and glory. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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God Is Stronger than Any Enemy You Face

As we continue to read Isaiah, we see the same theme continuing in chapters 20-21. God can humble even the mightiest of those who stand against His people.  In Isaiah’s time, it was nation-states. That may still be the case for some of us, depending on our home country. Many nations persecute followers of Yeshua aggressively or simply fail to protect them. In nations like the USA, many, including government and businesses have a tendency to persecute Christians. It may not be a threat to your life, but rather it may be an attack on your business.

Regardless of whoever may oppose you, be encouraged that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! God is mighty and unmatched. He is sovereign and can humble anyone at the time of His choosing.

Isaiah 20

Prophecy about Egypt and Ethiopia

      1In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, 2at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet.” And he did so, going naked and barefoot. 3And the LORD said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush, 4so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5“Then they will be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. 6“So the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and we, how shall we escape?’”

Isaiah 21

God Commands That Babylon Be Taken

      1The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea.
As windstorms in the Negev sweep on,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.

      2A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have made an end of all the groaning she has caused.

      3For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.

      4My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.

      5They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields,”

6For thus the Lord says to me,
“Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.

      7“When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
Let him pay close attention, very close attention.”

8Then the lookout called,
“O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

      9“Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”

      10O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.

Oracles about Edom and Arabia

      11The oracle concerning Edom.
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?”

      12The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”

      13The oracle about Arabia.
In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night,
O caravans of Dedanites.

      14Bring water for the thirsty,
O inhabitants of the land of Tema,
Meet the fugitive with bread.

      15For they have fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow
And from the press of battle.

      16For thus the Lord said to me, “In a year, as a hired man would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will terminate; 17and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken.”

Regardless of what or who you face. Be encouraged and put your hope and faith in God! He is a loving Father. He does not make mistakes. We can often grow stronger through trials.

Romans 8:28

28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, You are worthy of all praise! There is none like you! Help us to put our trust in You and You alone. Thank You that we are invited to be in a relationship with You through Yeshua. Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward us. Thank You for being our shield and or refuge! In Yeshua’s name, I pray. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.