Ezekiel 37:12-14 (NIV)
¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
¹⁴  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'" 

This concept of Healing the Broken speaks directly into my life. Twenty years or so ago, I participated in my first Beth Moore Bible study. It was called, Breaking Free. The verse for that study was...

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners...   (Isaiah 61:1)

When God set about the do a great thing in us, He sent His Son to us. Once we are healed in our Spirit by Jesus, we are strong and free. Breaking our chains like this, provides healing from everything that broke us. Tell how you were healed by the love of Jesus. Your testimony must be told.

Some of us can testify to physical healing, as He still performs miracles today. Other types of healing can be relational. Jesus is Love and His Word preaches Love. I recently went to see the move, Paul, Apostle of Christ. There was a message in this movie I will not forget. When Paul was asked by Luke, how do you forgive all the wrongs that have been done, the injustice of it all (paraphrased by this writer)? Paul responded by telling his companion that it is all about Love. We must love no matter what. 

That is a tough message to hear and to practice. But, isn't that why Jesus came to earth in the first place? It is love that breaks us free from bondage and heals all wounds.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Honor and Glory to King Eternal

JANUARY 6                                                              

Scripture Reading
Read 1 Timothy 1:15-17 and reflect on the passage.

I’m in the midst of a Beth Moore study, so when I read today’s passage from Timothy, I connected with this quote from Breaking Free, “We’ve been eternally saved, but we need lots of help avoiding snares and pitfalls in our earthly journeys” (p. 156). Paul knows a thing or two about snares and pitfalls and wants to help believers avoid them as best they can.

 

As we wrap up this Advent season, the bottom line is that Christ came to save sinners…and we are all sinners. Believing in Him brings us eternal life both now and after we die. But until that time, our belief enables us to experience His mercy and immense patience as we navigate this earthly journey. 

Like many moms, I like to think of myself as a patient person. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit I pray for A LOT. I know I don’t have immense patience, but thank God, our Father does and He’s willing to share it with us! I can only imagine what it must be like trying to keep billions of children in line.  I have trouble with two!

Questions
Although God’s patience is on a completely different level, how can we try our best to mirror it?
As believers we know heaven awaits us, but in the meantime, what are we doing to avoid earthly pitfalls?

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for displaying your immense patience. We don’t deserve it, but You share it anyway.  Help us extend patience to others. Amen.

                                                                                                                        Jennifer Jerrome

Stand Your Ground

How many war movies have you watched where the enemy was approaching, looking as though they could plow right through the fortified barricade set up? How often did you cringe at the possibility our hero would be be overrun, defeated by a cunning, powerful and evil force? Can you hear the shout of the brave commander broadcasting the instruction to his band of frightened warriors, "Stand Your Ground!"?

As Christians, we have a similar battle cry as we do our best to resist Satan and the temptations he uses to achieve his will. These temptations are often camouflaged as something good, or useful or desirable; but they are tools in the devil's hands. Something as simple as the currently popular movie which offers entertainment, but in the form of improper behavior or foul language, can cause us to stumble into the enemy's camp.

You know what tempts you and where you are weak; so does Satan.  He will use those things to entice and take us captive. I remember a Beth Moore study I participated in several years ago, she taught us Satan is real and looking for every opportunity to trip us up. But, we have the upper hand. We have God’s Word and the promise His Son made to us with His death and resurrection.

The encouragement Beth Moore shared was this: to stand our ground, even stomp our feet and proclaim “Satan, you have no authority here!" I have shouted this one-liner while in the midst of many battles. Try it, it works.

2 Samuel 23:11-12

Someone Does Care

John 11:21 (NIV)
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 

Who among us hasn't at one time or another said, "There has to be more to life than this!" A statement like this is often uttered while we are hanging on by a thread. We cry these words during the seasons in life when we are overcome by our own helplessness.

Have you ever found yourself in such a place of despair and grief?

When we don't have faith that there is Someone who will pull us out of our pit of misery, we are forced to wallow in our troubles. Many situations bring us to the place where we just want to lay down and let the world pass by. 

The day I found myself at this juncture, I knew I had a decision to make; either find a way to change, or drown in despair. Either climb out of the pit of meaninglessness and desperate living, or settle in and allow the quicksand of my life to swallow me whole.
Martha's words to Jesus are filled with sorrow. They are also filled with faith. She knew that Jesus did make the difference between life and death. The rest of her words in John 11:22 attest to this faith. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha understood that Jesus knew the Father intimately and spoke to Him constantly. 

It wasn't long after acknowledging the pain life was doling out, that I arrived at my first in-depth Bible study.  It was Breaking Free, by Beth Moore. The verses that spoke into my life and my heart that season were from Isaiah 61:1 and fulfilled in Luke 4:18 -- "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..."

So, is your life filled with joy and hope, or are you still trying to climb out of that pit all on your own? Please connect with me, lets talk it over.

John 11:17-27