In Deuteronomy 10, the Hebrew people had left Egypt and had been in the wilderness for a while. They had just witnessed their leader, Moses, ascend the mountain with two stone tablets to be with the Lord. After being alone with the Lord, He told Moses it was time for them to begin their journey to possess the land He had promised to give his forefathers. Accepting Christ into our lives is just the beginning of our journey. First, the wilderness is a place of trial for us as believers and is not a bad place to be in our walk because it draws us closer to the Lord and makes us trust Him more. We see God providing everything they needed to survive the elements of the desert. By day He gave them a pillar of cloud to shade them from the scorching sun and a pillar of fire by night to give them light and warmth during the desert cold, as well as water and manna. Remember the two stone tablets. While on the mountain, God gave Moses specific instructions that we must apply to our own lives. In verse 12, Moses stands before the people just like our Pastor does and tells them they must fear the Lord, this is a reverent fear for Him. The Lord required them to fear Him by obeying the Laws He had given Moses. This is the Word of God that transforms our minds and changes our hearts. He knew our old mindset had to change to reach our Promised Land. Next, He requires us to walk in all His ways through His word. I once learned in Sunday School that the Bible meant: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. If one considers, everything necessary for reaching our spiritual Promised Land (Heaven) is found in the Bible. Therefore, we are called to love Him above our own life. This means we now walk to do His will and not our own. But this part won’t happen if we don’t do the first two. The wilderness is where change happens, it’s a pattern for transformation, and during our trials in the wilderness, He reveals Himself to us, and we develop a deeper trust in Him. Now, we are ready to serve Him by serving in our church and serving others. Matthew 20:28 tells us the “Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus is God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and He did not come thinking about Himself. Think about it. They are in the wilderness, some are on donkeys, even horses with carriages, while others are walking famished from the heat. We serve others by helping them in their journey. Maybe we give them encouraging words like, “Come on you can do it, we’re almost there.” God has called us to this spiritual journey and wants us to know the only way we are going to make it to our Promised Land is if we follow these specific instructions. But, that’s not all! Deuteronomy 11:19 tells us “We shall teach them to our children,” These instructions are passed down through generations, and are never-ending. This is our purpose and our call. Remember: He took us out of bondage and made us free. Yes, the journey may be tiring, but if we want to make it, we have to follow His leading. There is no one else in this world who can show us the way, but the Way Himself. Together, we can make it. Photo Source by: biblepics.co #holyspirit #Journey #Commandments #ICER #theLord #blog #Preparation #Jesus

Most, if not all of us, have seen the Rocky movies. In the first film(s), we are introduced to his trainer, Mickey. He was a former Bantamweights fighter who managed the gym Rocky would sometimes go to train at. Mickey saw something in Rocky that he knew training, conditioning, and discipline would make him the best fighter ever, but Rocky felt like he did not need anyone’s help, a modern-day know-it-all, and most of the time it was because of his stubbornness and pride. Today, I’d like to discuss how the Holy Spirit is life’s daily trainer. Upon accepting Christ into our hearts, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us and grants us access to the Father. The Holy Spirit perceives us differently from how others or even we see ourselves, envisioning our potential and what God can accomplish through us if we yield to His guidance and training. The Holy Spirit is like our personal trainer, teaching us the best techniques and defenses to overcome life’s challenges, battles, and struggles. In Ephesians 6:11-13, the Bible advises us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” What exactly is this armor for battling our spiritual foes? Let’s delve into that. Ephesians 6:14 – Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth. Truth here speaks of the Truth of God’s word. As long as we are girded in the Truth we will always walk firm, secure and confident. Ephesians 6:14b – having put on the breastplate of righteousness. The Breastplate of Righteousness guards our hearts because from it flows the issues of life (Prov 4:23) Our hearts are like storehouses and what is in them will eventually come out in how we talk or in our actions. Ephesians 6:15 – and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Jesus is our Prince of Peace who is the Word made flesh. As we condition our minds and hearts through God’s Word, we will also receive His peace and it will permeate into the lives of all those we are around during the day. Our husbands, children, co-workers, and even our bosses. Ephesians 6:16 – above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. When we accepted Christ into our lives we were all given a portion of faith. We must exercise it the same way Rocky did when he prepared for a fight. Each battle we go through in the Lord is to condition us for the next battle, giving us speed, defense, punching force, self-discipline, footwork, intelligence, grit, and accuracy. (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) Ephesians 6:17 – And take the helmet of salvation. This means changing our mindset with the word of God, reminding ourselves that we are God’s children in an army, that has a Captain leading us to complete Victory! Ephesians 6:17b – and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Word of God is final! But there are two ways we can use it. In Matthew 4:3-4, Jesus was led by The Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, when He physically was hungry because he had fasted forty days and forty nights, then Satan came to tempt him telling Him “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to turn to bread.” And Jesus responded, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” Satan came against Jesus trying to use His word against Him to deceive Him, but Jesus used it with Faith causing the devil to flee. Ephesians 6:18 – praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Prayer is our communication with our Trainer. He tells us what strategy to use against our contender and we follow His lead until we have complete Victory. Many want to win the battle without any preparation, but in all things, we must have self-discipline and train correctly. Rocky felt he did not need Mickey to win this fight and thought he could win with his ways and tactics. However, when he finally surrendered, he realized he did not know anything about boxing at all. The only way we are guaranteed victory against our spiritual enemy is to surrender and allow ourselves to be trained and disciplined by God’s Holy Spirit. #Spiritualfight #weapons #battle #notcarnal #Army #prepare #endurance #stamina #boxing #boxinggloves #train #Armor #greaterisHe #exercise

King David was a man subject to passions and desires as you and I are, but the bible tells us he was a man after God’s heart. On one occasion David sings a song of praise to the Lord in gratitude for His deliverance and care for him. Expressing to his readers how God had made him to prosper in all things. Even in war, God gave him insight. Today we will dive into why it is important to align our hearts with our words through God’s Word. David says, 2 Samuel 22:33,34, “God is my strength and power, and he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.” Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hinds, as the female of the red deer. One of the attributes that make the Red Deer majestic is their slender bodies with long legs. They have a well-proportioned physique, allowing them to move with agility. In addition, due to their agility and swiftness, they can evade their enemies while maintaining their balance. It is the only group of deer that God made sure-footed to live the lives he planned for them. They may rightly fear their many predators, but they never fear for their feet. Their unchallenged agility can speed them away from the cheetah or the wolf and deliver them to high and safe places the climbing leopard cannot reach. The Christ-follower has his/her own kind of sure-footedness. When our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, we can stand in places where those who try to walk barefoot (without the Gospel) through life cannot. When the Holy Spirit sounds the alarm, we can run like the wind to flee lust, outrunning any temptation that would dare pursue us. When we have climbed above the danger and outrun the enemy, “We can stand in high places, where truth stretches to the far horizons.” The Lord wants us to live a victorious life just like King David did during life’s challenges. Only the Word of God can balance us to escape the snares of our enemy. Finding harmony between the heart and words is a key to spiritual balance. Matthew 12:34b tells us “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” God made the deer agile, making them unique amongst other animals who live in the same territory. God has given us talents, weapons, and most of all His Word that makes us unique amongst all Creation. Sources Cited Steve Phifer – Worship Integrity Artistry Ministry Merriam-Webster dictionary BibleGateway #scripture #Deer #majestic #words #heart #mouth #firm #agile #bible

We all know someone who has gotten married and eventually found out their marriage is on the brink of falling apart. Sometimes a relationship starts to falter when one partner falls out of love and no longer gives the other the time and attention they did in the beginning. Some could ask how it is possible if they loved each other so much. Many who are unmarried fail to grasp the effort required to maintain a strong and healthy relationship. God was so committed to His creation that He sent His Only Son Jesus to die for humanity knowing that one day many would reject Him and fall out of love with Him. He knew that they would no longer want to be intimate with Him in prayer and struggle to read His love letters to them through His Word. He also knew many would cheat on Him with things that would pull their attention away from Him. He is like the Loving Spouse who wants to make things work, begging us not to leave Him, even speaking to us through sermons. Song of Solomon 2:2 reads “Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” In Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary he explains the meaning of this scripture. Jesus tells His bride the church, (Mt 10:16; Joh 15:19; 1Jo 5:19). Here, the lily represents something pure, delicate, and beautiful, while the thorns symbolize the harshness and difficulties of life. Thorns, equivalent to the wicked (2Sa 23:6; Ps 57:4). Daughters—of men, not of God; not “the virgins.” “If you are the lily of Jesus Christ, take heed lest, by impatience, rash judgments, and pride, you become a thorn”. Thorns cause pain and leave scars sometimes causing deep gashes taking a long time to heal. In our relationship with God, our initial passion may fade over time, but God continues to pursue us with unwavering love. He reminds us that He is there with open arms, waiting for us to return to Him. However, there comes a point where He may allow us to leave and search for what we desire. Being left with no peace, comfort, or love, we realize that we have made a horrible choice. He is everything we need, and the grass is not greener on the other side. Sources cited Bible Hub #JesusBride #theBride #songofSolomon #marriage #commitment #relationships #theChurch

The Merriam-Websters dictionary defines the word Christian as, “one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ”. The Bible states in James 2:19 that “demons believe also and tremble”. In Jesus’ time, there were religious leaders of Jerusalem called Pharisees who knew Scripture better than anyone in their times. These Pharisees, were hypocrites who hated the teachings of Christ because it went against their traditions, making them feel like they were losing power over the people. Jesus warned us against these types of spiritual leaders. The type of leaders who put heavy burdens on people who they themselves are not willing to carry. You could think, how is this possible if they knew the Word and led the people? Matthew 23:3-4 tells us; “Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they will not move them with one of their fingers.” Being religious and keeping the traditions of man will make you judgmental and pull you far from God and His mercy. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:7-8; “these people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Ask yourself how a religious person could worship God, but their hearts be far from Him? The Bible again tells us, that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). The Pharisees were angry if anyone didn’t keep their traditions expecting people to again do as they say. Making them judgmental to the point of almost deciding who was worthy of going to heaven and who was not, but we know this is for God to decide and not man. A born-again Christian is defined in the Merriam-Websters dictionary as one with a “renewed or confirmed commitment of faith.” In John 3:1-3 it tells us of a Pharisee named Nicodemus who was different from the rest of the spiritual leaders who knew Jesus was sent from God because of the many signs and wonders that followed Him. Jesus told Nicodemus in v.3- “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus didn’t understand, and humbly asked Jesus to tell him the truth; “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Nicodemus was a man who had a heart for God. He did not think about his social status or care about what people might think or say but asked on behalf of many who wonder the same thing today. Nicodemus had a renewed hope that put all his traditions to rest. This is how we can distinguish a religious person from a born-again believer. The Gospel is simple, but we make it difficult for people to enter by imposing numerous rules. Remember, Jesus didn’t come to establish a religion. He came to bring true life. All He wants is our heart (Proverbs 23:26). By giving Him our heart, we undergo an inward transformation and develop a new desire to know the Lord as the Scriptures teach. Sources Cited Merriam-Websters online dictionary. #truelife #christian #freedom #relationship #transformed #bornagain

As the days go by, we see more and more signs are coming to pass. Disasters, the hearts of humanity wax cold because of the things happening around us, and we allow fear to come into our lives.  Some of you may ask yourselves, “Is there a God that exists and cares?”. I am here to tell you there is a God in Heaven. He sees everything before we do. He loves us so much that He warned us in His word to look at the signs. Those who garden know when a fruit tree is getting ready to give its fruit, or when a flower is about to come out. He tells us in Mark 13:7 (msg) that these things would happen, but it was not yet the end. This tells us we still have time to prepare. To get our hearts right and look for God, the Giver of Eternal Life. Let’s believe God’s Living Word today, and live as if it’s our last day on earth, but not to satisfy our flesh. We have to prepare for eternity and where we want to spend it. Jesus continues to give us opportunities to make things right. So, forgive, love, and seek the Lord.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1356″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text] If you can see the greater Picture…and not just (why), what you’re going through at the moment. You will see God… And not the affliction or trials of the moment. Yes, it might be hard to see at first…Due to the excess pain, hardships, the turmoil’s and trials. But… when all that dark smoke dissipates…You’ll see Victory and the Reasons and the Why’s we go through all we do… Just to see Heaven… Just to see Jesus right there. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]