Praying into the New Year

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.”  1 Timothy 2:1-6

Jesus,

 Your name alone brings so much peace to my soul, spirit, and heart. There has not been a time when I have mentioned Your name that You have not shown up. Thank You! Thank You for Your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Jesus every year we gather around the world to celebrate the coming of a New Year and the ending of the past year. My deepest prayer and desire is that as we gather together this year we will sense Your presence, no matter where we are in our faith, or what faith we have, Jesus just make Your name known.

Jesus I pray this celebration would be a celebration of our new beginning in You the One True God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Jesus I ask that You do something even greater than what we could ever expect. Let there not just be one but MILLIONS that will come to know You.

I know many are going to center around drinking and so on, and with that I ask for it to be different this time. Right now Lord would You work in the hearts of all people giving them a sense of desire, hunger, and longing for You and not the world.

Use Your children Jesus to live in such a manner it leaves others longing for You, intrigued by You, and wanting to know more about You.  Jesus again do something so spectacular today it leaves all of us in awe of You.

Please Abba Father soften hearts, transform minds and rise up within Your children stronger than ever before. O’ Lord I pray that today all eyes will be placed on You when the clock strikes midnight and not on a big ball.  May all believers pray their way into the New Year!

Jesus I love You, I love You and I praise You for the indescribable joy that fills my soul. I pray that others would also receive that same joy You so freely give out.

Lord today and this New Year I am expecting great things to come from You. I am expecting lives to be changed for Your glory and souls to be saved for eternity. Amen

Moving past the “me”

 "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.”  1 Timothy 2:1-6

The sweetest and most genuine prayer from a precious college student striving to be Christ-like, Christ focused, and centered on Christ in his everyday life.  Weldon Davis

Dear Jesus,

Forgive me of my sins and where I have failed You so many times before. Thank You for not turning from me, and for maintaining a steadfast hope in my life’s plan. Today I pray for the millions of peers I am surrounded by who are focused on earning a higher education from the many institutions in this world.

I pray for each person’s soul and that they first and foremost seek You as their Savior. I also pray for their outlook on life. All too often we seek what benefits our own life and are too self-absorbed to consider the thoughts, emotions, and burdens of those people surrounding us.

In order to move forward in Your will I realize I must take myself out of the equation and fill it with nothing more than Your abundant love. Please be with the countless nations and college campuses. Allow them to seek a true spirituality in You Jesus.

Thank You so much for Your unfailing love, in Your name I pray. Amen

“Self-absorbance-Too many people in college focus on themselves and bettering their lives rather than spending time to put interest into other people.”

Weldon is one of many college students Garrett and I have adopted as our own. He is an amazing young man who strives every day to be more and more like Christ. Not only does he strive to be Christ like but he strives to reflect Christ on campus, on the baseball field, in church, and in his community.

I couldn’t think of anything sweeter than to hear the heart of a college student and what they wanted to see change spiritually. God is able!

Moving past the “me” goes way beyond just a college campus. It extends to each and every one of us.

Do you focus more on “you”  than others? I pray we too will realize that we must remove the “me” from the equation and fill it with Christ’s love and serving others.

Extreme Home Makeover

 "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone."  1 Timothy 2:1-6

Abba Father,

We praise You, for You are good, faithful, abundant and true. You are worth far more than gold or silver. Lord words cannot express how great, holy, and mighty You are. We praise Your Holy name!

Father today we thank You for the gift of marriage. Thank You for showing us the perfect example of how a marriage should be through Your word.  Lord You designed marriage to be full of…

love, intimacy, passion, trust, commitment, and joy. You also designed marriage to full of effort and to be selfless.

Lord today our marriages are full of bitterness, mediocre commitment and are lacking passion, intimacy, effort, love, trust, devotion, and are full of self.

Father we are in MAJOR need of spiritual change within our marriages. Satan is on the rise and he has set out to destroy our marriages. Lord we need You to come in and do an EXTREME Home Makeover!

Father today I ask You to show up in a mighty way and begin restoring and healing every marriage. 

Open our hearts to see the importance of getting our marriage between You and ourselves right first. Lord how often we forget or don’t even realize we became married to You when we accepted You as our Personal Lord and Savior. The very day we spoke those words, we spoke our wedding vows to You and You spoke them back by accepting us as Your own.

Lord we try and go around You and handle things on our own, and in doing so we come up way short, frustrated, and worse off than before. Lord God we need CHANGE! Marriages are falling apart all around us and couples are giving up. New styles of marriages are being formed that are not even of You. Lord God rise up within each of us today to put a stop to them. Open the eyes, convict, heal, and restore all those who are living in broken marriages, convenient marriages, abusive marriages, same-sex marriages, unfaithful marriages, and all marriages that do not have You placed in the center of them. 

Forgive us Father for trying to re-design marriage to fit our flesh.

Lord right now You know the need of every marriage all over the world. You know the heart of every man and woman, their desperation, their fears, their failures. With that Lord I ask You to come down and reveal Yourself in the biggest way that only You can.

Lord marriage was Your idea, You made that clear from the beginning. From Genesis to Revelation You give us glimpses, description, instruction, and insight on exactly how our marriages should be; full of joy, romance, faithfulness, passion, devotion, investment, and love.

You also made it very clear that marriage is work and we must work at them, because You require obedience.

Lord how can we expect spiritual change within our marriages if we are not even expecting spiritual change within our own hearts? How can we expect spiritual change within our earthly marriages if our marriage with You is not even where it is supposed to be?

Lord may we stop accepting our marriages the way they are, and start expecting them to be greater than they are.

Change our marriages back to the way You intended them to be, give us the grace, the desire, and the obedience we need to make them great and to reflect Christ and the Church. Amen

The anticipation of change…spiritual change

"I urge you, first of all to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.” 1 Timothy 2:1-6

When was the last time you prayed and anticipated a spiritual change in your life?  You know the break out revival type change? Better yet the type of spiritual change that leaves you so moved, so broken, so joyful, and yet ever so new.

I long for such spiritual change every single day. I always want more of Christ within me, I want to be more like Christ with each new second, minute, hour, and day. And I want that for you and every other man and woman created in the image of God.

As a matter of fact I cannot think of a better New Year’s Resolution than to pray for spiritual change to take place within the world.

I have always been a believer in prayer and have even seen the power of prayer in mighty ways. I believe in the One True God and His ability, power, and Holiness to change the heart and lives of people. Do You?

If so would you join me this New Year as we devote each day to praying for Spiritual change in this world? Christ is coming, He will be here before any of us know it, and upon His arrival there will not be time to turn back, to make it right, or even get a second chance. Our time is now, our chance is now, so let’s join together and pray. Let’s reach out and share the Good News with boldness and confidence. Making sure there is ONE LESS person spending eternity in Hell each and every day.

Prayer: Lord move our hearts to a state of urgency and brokenness over the spiritual state of this world and all those who are lost. Bring us to the lowest place we can be, on our faces, as we cry out for You to change the condition of this world. Lord change our hearts first for then when we come before You there will be nothing hindering us.

Lord I ask You to move in the lives of all my brothers and sisters. Move them to the place today where they feel Your call upon them to pray and to share the name of Jesus. Lord I ask boldly in Your name to join together a group of brothers and sisters who will devote themselves to You and to each other to pray every day for all who are lost in this world. Lord develop within us an outbreak of prayer that spreads like wildfire all through out Your land. Amen

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Silence of the Lamb

"He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. Now Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus." Luke 23: 9-11


 Their Christ stood blooded, beaten and chained, silent before His accusers, never uttering a word as they criticized Him, laughed at Him and chanted “Crucify Him.”  And though He was silent His love was not.

I wonder today how many times we have stood silent before those who have accused us, criticized us, and spoken words of hurt against us and yet let Christ’s love in us speak out.

Christ stood in silence because He understood it all, thus going through it all! Just so you and I could have it all!

My prayer for you and me is that we will get to the place where Christ was. The place where we can stand in silence before those who accuse us and allow our hearts to be full of love for them; despite their accusations, their hurtful words, and their mocking and just love them, love them because Christ first loved us. I pray His love will speak louder than any word, just as His did.

Prayer: Oh, Jesus I praise You for the loudness of Your love. It is displayed each and every day through Your word, Your creation, and even in the silence. May I display Your love every day through the silence of my actions. Amen

Here and gone in the blink of an eye

"...Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him." Revelation 19:6 

I stopped and took one last look at all the beautiful decorations that filled our house. (Thanks to my mom) and a wave of sadness came over me. Christmas has already come and gone, all in the blink of an eye. The presents have been opened, the story of Jesus has been told, discussed, and celebrated, and now…the decorations and lights have come down. It’s over…or is it?

Only the temporary, the presents, the lights, the decorations, even the Christmas music. But one thing remains, the life of Jesus. His birth was just the beginning…the beginning of great things to come.

As I pondered on that wonderful thought the sadness lifted and joy filled my heart. The Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of the Most High God is alive. And He lives within you and me!

Celebrating Christ is 24/7, 365 days a year!

Does yours end when Christmas ends, or does your celebration continue on?

Prayer: My precious Lord and Savior, my heart swells with joy and love as I think of Your greatness. I am so thankful for the life You lived here on earth. From Your birth to Your death and now seated on the throne, You Abba Father rein. Amen  

The Night of His birth

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors." Luke 2:14

DAY 25-I cannot believe it is finally here! It has been an amazing journey to Bethlehem. Today we celebrate the life of our King from His birth to the grave to the throne of Heaven. Our Savior and King He is here indeed. Let’s go out and shout at the top of our lungs to the ends of the earth, the battle has been won!!

Twas the night of His birth and all through the fields

Not a sheep was baaing not even a coyote was howling.

The Shepherds were their guarding with care

When all of a sudden they stood with a stare.

Right where they stood was a vision so clear

It was the angel of the Lord that shook them with fear.

As the Shepherds hearts pounded.

There the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded

Don’t be afraid I bring you great news.

I know it will leave you very amused.

It is of great joy for everyone!

For a baby is born, the one and only Son.

Yes the Messiah, has truly been born

And one day the curtain will be torn.

Here in Bethlehem in this tiny town,

Comes forth the child who will wear the crown

He has come as Holy and Pure

Giving a promise that is forever sure.

You must hurry now and go and see.

For He is placed in a manger as snug as can be.

The mother has wrapped Him in strips of cloth

And one day those men will rip them off.

Before they were off their they saw

A vast host of angels singing a song.

Glory to God, in the highest of heaven,

And peace on earth to all whom God favors.

So off they went to see the wonderful gift

And their in the manger the mother did lift

The Savior who came in human flesh.

Quickly they went to share with all

Everything they had heard and saw.

The people were amazed

And their in her heart Mary did praise.

For our Savior is here

and here to SAVE!

Merry Christmas!!  

Here in Human Flesh!

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us)." Matthew 1:23

DAY 24- We have finally made it to Bethlehem, David’s ancient home and soon to be the village where a ruler would be born. Today is the day! Jesus is here!

Mary: The minutes seemed to pass by slower and slower as my labor progressed, and as a distraction I kept recalling the words Gabriel spoke to me in describing my son.

Your son Mary, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over Israel forever and His Kingdom will never end!

My son, who I am to name Jesus, will be Holy, Pure, and Perfect. My heart began to fill up with so much emotion.  The time was finally here, I, a lowly servant girl am about to give birth to the Son of the Most High.  The very one that would shower mercy upon Israel.

And then…………oh, I can still hear it like it was yesterday, there it was, the sound of His cry. My ears have never heard a better noise!

Then came the moment He was placed upon my chest, the feeling of His little body next to mine was a moment I would capture forever. I gentle wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in the manger. 

Joseph and I could not take our eyes off of Him, here in human flesh, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of the Most High! 

"Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me." Luke 1:46-49

He is here, He is here, I want to shout from the mountain tops, our Savior and Redeemer is here.  Oh, Praise the Lord for today is the day of Salvation, today is the beginning of a new life to come.

It would not take long for the news to travel, and oh, just how amazing it would be delivered.

Stay tuned……………………….

A Place of Resemblance!

"O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel." Matthew 2:6

DAY 23- It has been a long couple of days, but we are finally coming into Bethlehem. Today we will hear all about the moments leading up to the birth of Jesus.

Joseph: It was a long trip for Mary and me, we were lucky enough to have found a donkey to carry Mary. It was beginning to get hard for her to walk; she had already walked such a long distance. Finally arriving into Bethlehem we immediately went to register.  We got everything taken care of and headed over to the Village Inn to try and get a room.

On our way Mary started to go into labor and we both knew it would not be very long after.  Things began to get a little rushed, we went in to try and get a room but there were none available and no exceptions were being made.  So we walked around trying to find a place that would be suitable enough for Mary and the baby.

That is when we came across a stable! Our stables back then were not like your stables today. They were caves that were dark, cold, and dirty, but provided some protection from wind and rain. It was the best we found and at that time seemed just fine for Mary and I, and we really didn’t have that much time anyway.

There were no bed’s just hay and feeding troughs (mangers) that had been carved out of the rock wall of the stable used to place food in for the animals. Mary and I talked and decided with some fresh hay, well as fresh as we could find, we would place the baby in one of the troughs (mangers).

It worked for us and we were thankful just to have somewhere to go. Of course just like you we thought we would have had our baby in Nazareth, but the work of the Lord and the timing of Augustus’ decree decided otherwise. 

But the prophecy of long ago "O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel." (Matthew 2:6) would soon be fulfilled.

My friends upon hearing this story I hope you leave here today with a heart of thankfulness, a heart that will reflect on the place your Savior would be born. We should not be so consumed with the things of this world that will only perish, but with the very things of Jesus. We should be thankful for the warmth of our homes, and beds, and the clothes we have. But most of all my friends remember this. This place, this very cave that was dark and dirty would represent the world, a dark, dirty place full of sin in desperate need of a Savior that would bring light, hope, and warmth.

Deliverance

"I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death." Isaiah 53:12

DAY 22-Today will be our last day here in Jerusalem and then we will be heading on to Bethlehem.  I hope that you have had time to let the words of Isaiah absorb within you.

I want to finish sharing with you the words from our friend Isaiah.

“But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins-that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s plan will prosper in his hands.  When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins……He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners."  Isaiah 53:8-12

How magnificent is Your plan O’ Lord. How Mighty is Your name. Your presence alone O’ Lord is greater than a single breath. Your unfailing love spreads from generation to generation. You gave up Your one and only Son for each of us.  O’ Lord how we praise You for the greatest sacrifice ever made.

Lord today we jump ahead and celebrate the death and sacrifice of Your Son. It is because of Him, His birth and His death our sins have been set free and life is ours to keep. O’ Lord how amazing is Your grace?    

I know all of this seems out of order but it will all come full circle within the next few days. In the meantime I pray that you will see the nature of our Father and His divine plan for each of us.  And remember this journey is not just about the amazing detail of Jesus’ birth but about the amazing detail of His death-the very death that gave you and me life!!!

We must stop here for now I have a meeting and some errands to attend to before we head out tomorrow morning. Meet Mary and I back here first thing in the morning, we must get onto Bethlehem in time to register.

The importance...the significance

"There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him." Isaiah 53:2

DAY 21- It has been a long two days of traveling and we are almost to Bethlehem. We are coming into Jerusalem today and we must stop here. There is something very important that I must share with you before we arrive in Bethlehem. 

Joseph: I have a message to share with you from our friend Isaiah. Please listen closely for the importance of his words and the event he describes is what makes the arrival of our son so significant. Let’s put it this way the importance of His birth is the significance of His death.

"He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.  Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death." Isaiah 53:3-8

My brothers and sisters you must store these words in your heart. Let them penetrate to the core of your soul. For this, though just a part of the prophecy, is what makes this journey, it is what makes the reason of our son’s birth so special. This is the reason we should celebrate, no not what He endured, but what He sacrificed. Today my friends we celebrate the life of Jesus’ death, because from His death we have received life! 

We will stay here in Jerusalem tonight and tomorrow we will continue hearing more from Isaiah.  As we depart from one another I ask that you lift your hearts up to the Lord and praise Him for the ultimate sacrifice.

Life given-Life taken

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted." Isaiah 52:13

DAY 20- It will be a long journey to Bethlehem my friends, but we have much to discuss.  Today the Lord is leading us in a different direction, a direction that will lead us to the cross. It is the cross and the death that makes the birth so magnificent.

Joseph: There are many things we celebrate, but there are two very significant celebrations that will and have changed the lives of many forever, the birth of our Son and the death of our Son.  I know this comes at a very unusual time, but it is so important that you understand just how amazing LIFE is! It is what will make the birth of our son so much greater to each of you.

Over the next couple of days we will be hearing from our friend Isaiah and the prophecy He gave long ago about the prominence of our Son’s life.

We must keep traveling, but I want to begin sharing with you a story that still impacts Mary and me so much, a story that brings bittersweet feelings to our heart. We hope that by the time we reach Bethlehem you will have a deeper understanding of just how amazing the arrival of our Son is.

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him-beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what hey had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about." Isaiah 52:13-15

Please pardon us for being so emotional, it still humbles us every time we share this story.  You see this servant, the one who would be highly exalted, the one who would be beaten and bloodied, so disfigured He could not be recognized, would also be the one that was placed in the womb of my wife Mary. He would be the Savior that would take on our death for us so we could receive life.

So today, today we are celebrating life-life given and life taken. Do you celebrate the gift of true life?

His amazing timing!

“All returned to their own towns to register for this census.” Luke 2:3

DAY 19- We have made it to Nazareth! God has been so good and faithful; He led us here safely.  Today we are going to meet up with Mary and Joseph some things are going on and I am not sure how long we will stay here.  Let’s get going they are waiting.

Joseph: We are so glad you made it, we saw the Lord leading you and we knew you would make it. You are just in time, we are getting ready to leave, a census has been decreed and we must return back to our home towns.

Let me start from the beginning I see some of you with puzzled looks on your face.

Augustus, the Roman emperor has just sent out a decree that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. So we all must return to our home towns to register for the census. Since I am a descendant of King David we must go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. (Luke 2:1-4)

So we have no time to spare we have a 70 mile journey ahead of us, we need to get going.  We will visit on the way.

Have you ever truly stopped and let all of this absorb within your mind.  It is so amazing the timing of all of this.  Apparently Mary was getting close to delivering and God knew exactly where He wanted His son to be. I mean what impeccable timing for Augustus to send out a decree. Oh, the absolute amazing plan our God had.

I think we seem to forget just how planned out our lives really are. What timing for Mary to have to travel, and ladies you know what I am talking about, 9 months pregnant, could you imagine traveling by foot, camel or donkey 70 miles. Augustus could have sent out the decree months before or after. His timing, His timing!

And how wonderful for us, that we are getting to see first hand the work of the Lord.  It is all in His timing and how He wants all things to be done. Why would we choose to live according to our will and not His? The next time you question the timing of things, just remember God is at work and is preparing or placing you there for a very specific reason, so just trust and obey, praise and give thanks, and find the joy and positive despite what your flesh says.

Because in the end when our eyes are opened we will see just how good and perfect His plan for us was and is. And at the end of this incredible journey we are going to see just how awesome our God is.  I am so excited!!

A Prayer for your journey

"You both precede me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head." Psalm 139:5

DAY 18- Pack up camp, gather the family, we are headed to the village of Nazareth. There we will meet up with Joseph and Mary.  Oh my goodness we are getting close! If everyone is ready let’s head out!

Zechariah: Lord we praise You, we praise Your mighty name.  You are and will forever be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  We stand in awe of Your holiness.  Thank You for the wonderful privilege of being Your children.

Father thank you so much for all of our sweet friends and family that have gathered together over theses last 18 days to hear the stories of Your greatness.  As they leave us to begin their journey to Bethlehem we ask that You both proceed and follow them.

Lord we ask that as they travel You will begin to do a work within them. That You will prepare their hearts for what they will hear and see over the next 7 days. We ask that You remove any and all distractions so they can put all their attention on You.

Go with them now Lord as they leave us to meet up with Mary and Joseph. Bless their time together Lord and again thank You thank You for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful journey. In Jesus name, Amen.

We have enjoyed each and every one of you so much. Elizabeth and I will continue to pray for you as you journey the rest of the way. Give Joseph and Mary our love.  Just follow the light that precedes you it is Jesus leading the way.

He deserves more than leftovers!

“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord." Luke 1:76

DAY 17-Don’t you just enjoy each day that we get to spend as a family hearing and learning about Jesus?  I hope you have been blessed thus far. Today we get to continue hearing the praises of Zechariah.

Zechariah: Isn’t God so good?  My wife and I can not tell you enough how wonderful it is having all of you here with us. Didn’t you enjoy hearing yesterday how wonderful our God is? Today I want to continue sharing with you how great our God is and the blessings that poured out from within about our son John.

“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace." Luke 1:76-79

Could you imagine having such a call on your life even before you were born? Well guess what, you do have a call on your life, and you did even before you were born. It is the call to help prepare the return for Christ. It is a call to share the Great News of the Savior that has come to redeem and save us. It is a call to join with other believers and lift your voices in shouts of praise to our Heavenly Father. And that my friend is a great enough call to praise God about, because it is an honor to be a child of the Son of God.

I want to leave you with one last thing today; God should be praised and come before anything or anyone.  He does not deserve our leftovers and He does not deserve to be put off until it convenience's us. He deserves the very best we have to offer and He deserves the very first part of our day and time. Think about how you feel when someone chooses to take the best and leave you with the leftovers, though you might be thankful, you are still prone to want the very best yourself. Or how about when someone you love puts you off until it convenience's them or until they have time for you. It stinks doesn't it, it even gets old after a while and can make you become bitter and harden your heart towards them because of the lack of love, time, and attention that we all desire and want. It's not fun is it? How do you think God feels when we do it to Him?

Let me ask you something. How many times do you begin your conversation with God asking Him for what YOU want and need? Then once you finished making your "Self" requests you close with 30 seconds of thanks and praise.  I have done that so many times, but through all of this I am learning that He should be praised, honored, and adored before a single word is spoken for me or anyone else.  I am also beginning to see and experience the benefits and joy that fills my spirit when I praise Him first, because it takes the focus off of me and puts the focus on Him, where it should be in the first place. 

Have you praised God today?

Have you praised God today?

"Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy."  Luke 1:67

DAY 16- Today we have the wonderful privilege of hearing the praises lifted to the Lord through Zechariah.

Zechariah: Yesterday I shared the importance of the Holy Spirit; I hope that you recall all we discussed so that you will see the significance of these words.

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and redeemed them. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant with them, the covenant he gave to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness forever." Luke 1:68-75

Notice the very first words spoken through me were praises to God for all that He had and was going to do.  He was going to send us a Savior, a Savior that would redeem us and save us. That in its self was enough to celebrate. 

I want you to let these words resonate in your heart as we start getting closer to Bethlehem for the birth of a very special baby.

The importance of today is for you to be reminded to make your first words spoken be words of praise to the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am.  

Have you praised God today, have you lifted your voice to Him with praise and worship?  If you have not done so today would you stop and take a moment to praise God for sending His Son to redeem and save you! 

Send it on down!

"Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy." Luke 1:67

DAY 15- Wow! We are 15 days into our journey, can you believe it?  It is going by so fast.  There have been so many wonderful stories shared and so many more to come.

Zechariah: We have enjoyed being with you over these last 15 days.  We hope you have been as blessed as we have. We look forward and are thankful for each new day the Lord gives us to share of His amazing grace and love.

Yesterday we shared of the great news that spread throughout Judea. Our son’s name and my restored speech! Upon my ability to speak again I became filled with the Holy Spirit. There is so much importance in the Holy Spirit that I find it necessary to share with you just how He works.

In the book of John 14:10 “The words I say are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me." Jesus was saying when I speak it is the words of my Father in me not my own. And just as you and I speak on behalf of our Father it is not our words but the words of our Father that lives within us.

In Jeremiah 1:9 "Then the Lord touched my mouth and said, "See, I have put my words in your mouth!"  It is the Spirit that allows the Word of God to be in us.

When my wife was greeted by Mary she was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that gave her the words to speak to Mary. It was the Holy Spirit who would fill our son John even before his birth, and it would be the Holy Spirit that would speak through him in the wilderness.

And the day I regained my speech I was filled with the Holy Spirit and began praising God.  I say all this in hopes that tomorrow as I share the words of praise with you that you will understand it is the words of my Father in me. It is all about Him, it is by His power alone that any of us can share the Good News. The most important of all, the conception of Jesus was from the Holy Spirit.

I want to close today with this scripture for you to think about until we meet again. It is from the book of John "If you love me obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." John 14:15

The word spread and the wonder fell.

“I wonder what this child will turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way.” Luke 1:66

DAY 14-Goodness can you believe it is day 14? I hope you are seeing and learning so much about our incredible Heavenly Father. I hope with each new day you are seeing the importance of each story. It is these stories that lead up to our destination in Bethlehem.

Zechariah: Yesterday I shared with you the day of John’s circumcision ceremony and the moment I regained by speech. Today I want to share with you the news that spread throughout Judea.

It was the moment everyone heard words come out of my mouth that their jaws dropped and their eyes widened. “Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked. “I wonder what this child will turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way.” Luke 1:65-66

I want to share with you what our friend Isaiah says in chapter 55:10-11-it will help you see how much control and ho mighty our God is.  “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to and will prosper everywhere I send it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

Wow, isn’t it awesome to see how that really does happen. It was my speechlessness; my son receiving the name John, and it was the moment I could speak again that sent people out spreading the news. I believe that this was the beginning of just how special our son would be, and how influential he was going to be on the world. That is the reason he was born to prepare the way for the one to come.

Did you know that you are very similar to my son John, each and everyone of you? At your birth the news spread and people rejoiced. You were brought into this world to do just as our son John did-he prepared the way for Jesus-You are here to prepare people for the return of Jesus. That is such a special privilege!  Make each day a special day, a day devoted to preparing for His return.  And most of all remember the words of our friend Isaiah and rest assured that when the Spirit speaks through you that God will take it and accomplish all HE wants it to and it will prosper everywhere HE sends it.

He is coming, yes He is coming, oh thank you Jesus, we await your coming!

Keep my lips sealed!

“Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.” Luke 1:64

DAY 13-Today we will be gathered by family and friends of Zechariah and Elizabeth as they join in the story of this great day, the day of John’s circumcision ceremony.

Thank you for coming, thank you for being faithful followers of our Lord.  I am elated all of our family and friends could be here as we share and remember one amazing day.

Our baby was already eight days old! As Jews we have a law that every male is to be circumcised on the eighth day and will also receive their name on that day. A little history on the importance of these ceremonies;

           

It was a covenant made between God and Abraham. Abraham was to serve God faithfully and live a blameless life, upon doing so God would make him the father of many nations. Abraham’s other part of the agreement was to have every male among him be circumcised; the flesh of his foreskin must be cut off, thus bearing a sign that they accepted the covenant. It would also be a mark they would bear of God’s everlasting covenant. (Genesis 17)

Elizabeth: All our family and friends gathered for this exciting day, and wanted to name our baby Zechariah after his father. Family names were very big to us! But I knew what the Lord wanted so I said, “NO! His name is John!” You can imagine the commotion that comes next.  The whispering and outburst of questions began. “Elizabeth, what are you saying? There is no one in our family with that name.” So of course they all turned to Zechariah.

Zechariah: Remember I could not speak or hear. So there I was watching everyone when I saw all eyes turn to me and hands and arms flying around as everyone was trying to gesture to me for a name! I motioned for a writing tablet and wrote “His name is John!” And in that instant I could speak and I began praising God.

It reminds me of a verse in the book of Psalm “Take control of what I say O’Lord, keep my lips sealed.” Psalm 141:3 He did just that to me. I spoke words of doubt that day in the sanctuary and from that day on He sealed my lips.  Wow, our God is amazing.

I cant’ help but to wonder if there are days we speak words of doubt, hate, anger, etc that should result in our lips being sealed. Let’s just trust fully in the Lord and His power, words, and authority, and pray that in all situations He will take control of our words and keep our lips sealed. 

Complete Fulfillment

“You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth.” Luke 1:14

Day 12- Today is a very exciting day for all of us, today is the arrival of John also known as John the Baptist. So take off your shoes, come on in, and find your place in the living room, the baby will be here soon.

Elizabeth: It had been a very interesting nine months I must say, being old in age sure made things a little more difficult. I did not get around as easy as the younger mothers did. I had a lot of discomfort with my pregnancy. When Mary came to visit me I was in my sixth month. She stayed with me for three months before returning home.  She was of great help and though pregnant herself she took good care of me.

I remember them saying Elizabeth it’s time are you ready?  I had never been more ready for anything.  It all went as I expected and I will never forget that moment.  He was here; our baby boy was finally here.  It was the first sound of his cry that made my heart flood with joy. He was beautiful and healthy and made in the image of our God. 

Zechariah: The day of John’s birth was truly a special day. It was a day our faith went from just faith to complete fulfilled faith. It was a day that the words spoken through Gabriel were fulfilled, and it was a day as new parents our hearts were filled.

That day in the sanctuary I remember Gabriel saying, “You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth.” Luke 1:14 and that is exactly what happened.

Upon the arrival of John the word spread quickly to our neighbors and relatives that the Lord had been very kind to us, and everyone rejoiced with Elizabeth. (Luke 1:58) It was just as Gabriel said it would be.  It was truly an honor that the Lord found approval in Elizabeth and I and that we were there first hand to see His promises being fulfilled. 

I can truly say that day was a great day, and we all have great days that we receive wonderful blessings, but there are two days approaching that will be the greatest days for you and I. Days that will bring absolute fulfillment.

I pray today will be the day you receive Jesus, I pray if you have already received Him will be the day your heart is filled with fulfillment, love, and thankfulness. I pray your eyes will be open to see the ultimate gift God gave us, Christ and it is the gift of Christ, His sacrifice, and blood that promises life.  If you are searching for hope, to fill a void or to be fulfilled by something or someone, let it be Jesus! He always stays true to His word and will always fulfill His promises.