Abiding In Christ
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:1-7, NIV
Jesus wants us to know that He is the Vine and the Root. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we leave the life of sin and are engrafted into life with Christ. Just like a branch of a tree can be removed from one tree and engrafted into another tree, so too are we engrafted into a new tree. Our old roots (sins) are no longer part of who we are because we take on all of who Jesus is. The way we stay engrafted into the righteous life with Christ is through abiding with Him - through worship, learning, and serving our Lord and Savior.
In Sacramento, we can have heavy storms. One year the storm winds were so high that a big branch fell from a tree near our home. I wanted to know how such a large branch could fall off a tree like that. A few days later I took a walk past the tree and I could see a fungus that was in the middle where the branch had fallen off.
I asked God what would cause a fungus in our relationship with Him. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Every time you say what I am not, you are creating a fungus of disbelief and eventually the branch falls off.” Let me explain: when we speak words over our life that are not in agreement with the Word, Jesus cannot nourish us because those words are not of Him. A tree is nourished from its roots. Our roots are in Jesus Christ and if we are not speaking what He says in His Word, He cannot nourish us. We create a fungus, eventually the branch dies. This is an incredible reminder of why it is so important to pay attention to what we speak. Scripture says life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). This takes us back to the most important part of our relationship with Christ…abiding in Him!
“If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:6).
Father, we thank you that we have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with you and the freedom to worship you, learn from you, and to serve you. As we spend time abiding in you, we are nourished and bear much fruit for your glory. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Moving in the Unexpected
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing”. Genesis 12:1-2, ESV
In the passage above, God is speaking to Abram (Abraham), telling him to leave everything that he has known and move to a place where God will bless him. Abram had lived many years in Haran. When his father left Ur, he was headed to the land of Canaan, but on his way saw Haran and chose to stay there. Abram’s father and relatives were still living there, but God was telling him to leave and go to the land of Canaan.
God had amazing plans and blessings for Abram, but there was a stipulation for him to receive what God had put in his heart: he had to leave everything he had ever known and trust God. It reminds me of when we send our children off to college. They have to leave everything they have ever known behind to receive the blessing that is waiting for them on their journey to adulthood. We are still taking care of them, and they can talk to us when needed, but they are in a world they know nothing about. They have to learn how to move on their own in life. God never left Abram, but it was time for him to walk in the promises of God - working to build a relationship with God on his own.
When God drops a vision in our heart of what He wants us to do, it is only for us. He wants to build a relationship with us individually, and His plan will bless us and bring glory to His kingdom. Many times, we are so excited and want to share what God has placed in our heart with others. But that is not always the best thing to do. Other individuals cannot comprehend what God is saying to us and might hindered us from moving in what God has called us to. God told Abram to move away from those around him and although he took his nephew Lot with him, God eventually separated them too. When this happened, God began to guide Abram into what He had promised him. Abram’s purpose was for him and him alone. It is vitally important that we make sure we are not allowing others to distract us from what God is calling us to do.
I have a dear friend who I admire because of her commitment to what God has called her to do. On Saturday’s she helps feed the unhoused with the community ministry at our church. One of the ladies from the Women’s ministry came up to her once and asked her if she would attend the Women’s conference on Saturday. She told the lady that she could not make it because the timing of the conference was in direct conflict with the unhoused ministry where she serves. The lady then turned to her and said, “I give you permission to leave that ministry for one Saturday and come join the women.” My friend just smiled graciously and did not answer. Even though both things were good, my friend knew what God had put in her heart to do. She stayed the course in what our Father had spoken to her.
Father,
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Thank you for your presence and Holy Spirit that keeps us on track. We pray to immediately move when you say so and to walk habitually in alignment with you. We give you glory and praise in Jesus’s name, amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Selfless
I am not a big movie or television fan because I prefer reading as a past time. Reading, listening to music and writing are some of my favorite ways to relax. My husband on the other hand enjoys a great movie or television show. I remember some years ago, we were visiting family when my husband suggested watching a movie. I have to admit at first I was not thrilled about spending two hours in front of a television screen, but it was time with family; which I love.
The movie we watched was called Selfless and you can find it on the Netflix network. I found the show to be quite interesting and enjoyable. However, I had no idea that God was using that movie as a teaching moment for me. The title gives the whole movie away as it is a show about a very wealthy man who is extremely sick and about to die, but he is not ready to die. Through a friend he finds out that he can put his spirit into another body. So this wealthy man ends up transferring himself into what he thinks is a newly engineered body. What he comes to realize later is that the company lied and they put him into someone else body. He is required to constantly take drugs to remain himself and to prevent the owner of the body’s spirit from taking control.
In the coming days, the Holy Spirit began to show me that the movie was a metaphor of who we are. Before we enter earth we were created as a spirit. God put us in this body to serve Him on this earth. However, when we entered this world we were born into a fleshly body full of sin. This fleshly body tells us that to be ourselves, we must feed off the worlds table and give our flesh everything it desires. When we give into our flesh we are taking a drug that hinders our true identity from surfacing.
When we learn to stop eating at the world’s table and start allowing our spirit to be fed from the word of God we can become who we truly are; children of the most High God. The Holy Spirit is our most trusted advisor and He is always right there to help us. The question is, “Are we willing to remove ourselves from the world’s table?”
Scripture references:
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27, NIV
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BXrXyy59nY
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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HARVESTING
Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. John 4:3-5, ESV
This post was done back in 2019 but I felt the Holy Spirit directing me to send this to you again. We may not realize that God has us in a season of harvesting because it does not look like what we think a harvest should be. But in Acts 8 a great persecution had broken out against the church in Jerusalem, and all the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. In their fleeing persecution, God was sending them to harvest a crop.
This message picks up on Philip during this season of great persecution. I pray that it blesses you.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Expectantly
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1, KJV
I had read this scripture above many times. Upon reading it again by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I heard the Holy Spirit ask me, “What does ‘patiently’ mean?” I said “Not being in a rush, being patient and understanding.” He then told me to look up the word, not only in the dictionary but also in Strong’s Concordance.
Patiently: in a way that shows tolerance of delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. (Dictionary)
Patiently: gavh (kaw’vaw) means to bind together—wait, look, wait for, to look for, gathered. This word stresses the straining of the mind in a certain direction with an expectant attitude…a forward look with assurance. (Strong’s Concordance)
When I looked up the word “patiently” in the concordance I looked for the definition that was specific to the scripture. I was surprised to find that “patiently” meant focusing or looking with an attitude of expectancy. In this specific scripture the psalmist is saying that he waited with an expectation that God would hear his request and answer him.
The Holy Spirit brought to my mind the way I wait with expectation when I go to a restaurant. I put in my order and I wait with expectation that they are going to bring me the food I ordered. I don’t just wait. I wait with my mind in a certain direction for what I am expecting. I heard God say, “Do you wait for me that way? When you ask me for something are you expecting me to answer? Are you straining your mind to see the answer come?” I was embarrassed to answer that I am not always looking with expectancy. The Holy Spirit then brought back to my attention that the psalmist received his answer because he was expecting to receive from God!
When we pray we must remember to have an attitude of expectancy. Just like we expect to wake up every morning and we plan for the day ahead; how much more should we look to God with expectation that He will answer our prayers.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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His Grace is Sufficient!
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Judges 16:28, ESV
Over the past few days I had been extremely tired when waking up in the morning. I didn’t feel like praying or doing anything at all. Yet, each morning I still headed down to my prayer room, hearing the voice of a dear friend saying “All He needs you to do is show up”. I usually start off with praise and worship music and the anointing love of God comes over me in an amazing way!
After I had finished praise and worship, I was heading back to bed when I heard something fall in my prayer room. I turned around and went back to see what had fallen. I’m not sure what happened once I returned to the room, but by the time I had left, four devotionals had been written! In that moment God taught me that even in our weakest moments, He gives us all we need to complete the assignment He has for us!
Our job is to give ourselves over to God in whatever state we are in and He will take care of the rest. God is just looking for someone through whom He can show Himself to the world. He does not need our educational degree or even a completely refreshed body; just a willing heart. I only went in the room for prayer, having decided that afterward I was going back to bed. But as I released my exhausted body over to God, He took over and poured out of me the messages He wanted to give to others. When we let go and just give ourselves to God, He always gives back to us in abundance!
Before Sampson died, he asked God to give him strength one last time so he could perform the will of God. God blessed Sampson and it was one of the greatest battles he had ever won! (Judges 16).
Father,
Thank you that no matter how tattered we are, if we release ourselves to you, we are strengthened, and you can still use us for your glory. We give you praise that in your presence we are never useless to you! Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Trust His Direction
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV
I have often been told to be careful of what you pray for because God will answer, but it may not be in the way you think. This morning I prayed and asked God to take control of my day and let it be according to His will. Well, I had my plans, and when we make our plans, we can quickly forget what we asked God to do.
I had the idea that I was going to fulfill a couple of appointments I had made and afterwards I was going to go for a run. I was so excited to get outside in the fresh air and just have a nice even pace run! Everything was going as planned and I was on my way back home to change for my run when I somehow passed my exit off the freeway.
I was a bit annoyed that I had made that mistake, but I thought, “Oh well. God must want me to see something different on this exit.” I did see a couple of things that God drew my attention to pray for as I passed by that I would have missed if I had gotten off on the other exit.
I was about two miles from my house when it started to rain. I thought, “Well it’s just a light drizzle. It will still be fine to run.” By the time I got home the rain was really coming down and I could feel this anxiousness rising inside of me. I knew that it would be a miserable run if I ran six miles outside, so I decided on going to the gym instead. I don’t like running in the gym because it is so boring and there’s no fresh air. I went to the gym reluctantly and started my run. By the time I was on my second mile on the treadmill, I noticed that it had stopped raining outside. I was so tempted to head out and finish the run, but God reminded me that I had asked Him to direct my path today.
We may never know why God ordains our day differently than what we plan. Sometimes it may seem there is no reason at all, but we must trust that God knows best and He is always working things out for our good; even when we can’t see the outcome! Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Trust God’s Timing
What I have said, that I will bring about. Isaiah 46:11
God has a plan for your life that requires certain things to happen at a particular time. And since He sees the big picture and you’re working with limited information, you must trust Him—even when you don’t see how it will all come together. God can take the ending of a relationship or loss of a job and make it work for your good. The trouble is, while He’s doing all this, you can feel lost, uncomfortable and downright miserable.
782 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah said that he would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2). But Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth. So how did God solve the problem? The Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken: “All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son” (Luke 2:3-7 NLT). Are you worried about the future? “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing” (Psalm 37:34 TLB).
Relax: the God who arranged for His Son to be born into the right family, at the right time, in the right place, is looking out for you today.
Source: The Word For You Today
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Fighting Faith
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12, ESV
In the verse above the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, giving him instructions on how to serve as a man of God. In his writings he says to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith.” To “fight” means that there will be some kind of conflict we must engage in and we will need to stand our ground.
Paul teaches us that as a member of the family of faith, we are going to have to fight. But before Paul tells Timothy to fight this fight, he tells him what to do in order to be equipped for the battle ahead. He says “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11, NIV). When a soldier goes to battle he only takes the necessary equipment. Too much stuff will hinder his ability on the battlefield. We have to follow the same instructions Paul gave Timothy. On many occasions we saw Jesus beat the enemy with the Word of God. He showed us how to fight to win. He spent much time away to Himself in prayer with His Father. He regularly told the enemy that He only did what the Father had instructed Him to do.
Most of the time, the battlefield of our fight is within our own minds. Satan is always planning to tear away at our faith. That is why we have to run and move away from anything evil. We have to pursue (go after) righteousness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. We must put off the bad and armor up with the good. This will give us what we need to attack Satan in the mind. As we follow the example of Jesus, study the word of God, pray and worship Him, we keep ourselves in His presence which gives us the arsenal we need to fight the battle.
Father,
Thank you that no matter what attack comes our way you have already provided what we need. We praise you that as we sit in your presence everything we receive is all that we need to be successful in the battle. We give you glory and praise in Jesus’ name, amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Fear Is a Liar
We all know that we should never trust Satan but for some reason when we fear, we trust his lies. Satan is very good at ministering to us his lies through FEAR - that is his number one tactic! At times we trust that feeling of fear more than we trust God. Why? Because we feel fear and that leads us to believe it is real.
I love how Joyce Meyer puts it. She says fear is false evidence appearing real. The dictionary describes fear as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. I love how the dictionary describes fear as an emotion (a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others) which is something that we can control. It never feels like we can control the fear when we are in the midst of it, but we do have authority over our emotions.
In my Bible study the other week our facilitator taught us about fear. She shared steps on how we can walk through and conquer it. At the end of the study she shared the song below. I love the message - FEAR is a liar. In our walk with Christ and fulfilling our purpose, the one thing we can be sure of is that fear will smack us in the face. But we must take hold of God's word and be encouraged. For the word says, “...say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’” (Isaiah 35:4, NIV).
Enjoy the song below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srs1YoTVzs&w=640&h=360]
JCCMinistriestv does not own the copyright for this music or video. No copyright infringement intended. For inspirational purposes only. To find out more information on Zach Williams please go to: http://zachwilliamsmusic.com/home/
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Abundantly Supplied
Then the word of the Lord came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:8-24, ESV
Our Bishop spoke from this scripture one Sunday and the message glued itself to me. In his teaching he shared how we can miss our miracles looking for God to bless in a different way. The woman never received a big bag of flour or a ton of extra oil; it just came every day when she went back to prepare food. This reminds me of one of the miracles that Jesus did when He fed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread. He never had an abundance that we could see physically but the provision just kept producing as they used what was in their hand.
We can be so focused on looking for God to provide the answer in another way that we miss the blessing we have in our hand. I remember asking God to prepare away for us to pay for our son’s college that was so expensive. But God did not hand down a lump sum to pay for this fee instead every month he gave us what we needed to fulfill the debt. I was looking for God to make this miraculous way for us to pay this bill in full. In truth God did, he made away for us to have the recourses to make the payments until the debt was fulfilled.
Our little is never too little for God! He is the Miracle Worker who has given us all we need to produce the abundance that we are looking for when we release everything to Him.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Grief
“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;” (Ecclesiastes 3:2, KJV).
Stillness, numbness, unbelief, sorrow, pain, confusion, hurt, worry, anger, and any other emotion came flooding in my spirit as grief settled in. My sister had lost her husband suddenly to a tragic motorcycle accident.
Scripture teaches us there will be a time to die and we all know that this is true. However, when death comes, grief follows and settles in. Even though I am a prayer warrior, when I was enveloped in the emotion of grief I could not even pray. I found myself sitting in complete quietness with nothing to say. I told my girlfriend I did not even know how to pray or what to say. She told me that even not knowing was trusting God.
What I did not realize at the time was that while I was experiencing this heavy grief Jesus was sitting right with me. He was doing what friends and family do: sit with us; hold us; and guide us through the process. Scripture teaches that “…he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6, KJV).
We all know that we will experience this season of sorry, but it is comforting to know that God walks us through it. I pray that in your time of sorrow, loss and disappointments that you will let God hold you and rest in His presence. I have added some comforting scriptures that have been a help to me and my family.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10, KJV).
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” (Psalm 46:1-2, KJV).
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Psalm 119:50, NIV).
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
Vengeance
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[a] to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19, ESV
It is impossible to listen to God’s word and not get inspired. I once heard a speaker say something that rang so true: God’s word is like taking medicine. You don’t know how it works but it works. When you listen, He ministers to your heart. I was listening to Psalm 27 where David says the Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
What an amazing assurance we have! God will protect us and our enemies will stumble and fall! We do not have to do anything to our enemies because we are covered by the blood of Jesus and follow His commands. We are shielded and protected. Now that does not mean we will not have problems. We know that David was attacked on every hand and had to run and hide from King Saul, but God kept Saul from killing David. The truth is God had King Saul killed. God put King Saul in David’s hands many times. David could have actually killed him but he refused to lay a hand on his enemy!
We can be so hurt, frustrated, angry and broken because of what someone has done to us that it blinds us toward seeking revenge. But God says vengeance is mine (Romans 12:19). How good it is to be reminded that God is our deliverer. At times it may seem like God is taking an awfully long time to bring vengeance, the Israelites waited 400 years but God delivered them with a mighty hand and the whole world learned who He was. Many times when God delivers us from our enemy it is not about us and our desires. We may just be the vessel God uses to draw millions to know His name. It is funny, we are always asking God to use us and when He brings the assignment we cry for deliverance. I know that it does not always feel gods but we have to trust God at His word. He has a plan that is not just working for us but to draw the lost souls to Him.
Father,
We all want to be used by you but at times the assignment is not always as we would like. We seek discernment and wisdom as you bring us through times of difficulty for your purpose. We love you God and we give you glory in Jesus name, Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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My recently published books are now available at:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Life%27s+Journey+volume+2+Jacqueline+Crooks&language=en_US&ref=nb_sb_noss
Persevere
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Genesis 8:22
I was reading my daily devotional when the word persevere was used to describe how we are to continue in our relationship with God. I love when the Holy Spirit prompts us. He said, “What does persevere mean?” Past experience has taught me that even if I think I know what the word means, when promoted by the Holy Spirit, I need to look up the word. I knew this would be a teaching moment. For the word says all Scripture is “...breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Persevere: continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
I looked up the word persevere and my thoughts reflected on the part of the definition that said, “with little or no prospect of success”. Immediately this scripture came to me: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” Genesis 8:22. When we continue to do what God has given us even when it appears there is no progress, progress will come. We know that we cannot see the seed in the ground growing to produce fruit, but it happens. When we sit with God and feel like nothing is happening, God is working. Just because we cannot see or feel Him does not mean nothing is happening. Continue to sit with Him!
We all know this to be true but our spirits can grow impatient in the waiting. Think about being in high school. When we entered that freshman year it seemed like 12th grade was so far away. As freshmen we thought we would never get there. But before we actually realized it, Senior year came - it was our harvest time - and went.
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” Mark 4:26-27.
We can’t usually see the harvest in the ground. Many times, we have no idea how things will work out. But if we just keep with God, He has already worked things out in our favor.
My husband and I were government employees which means we had a substantial salary. However, we would witness our relatives who made quite a bit more money than us take vacations all over the world. We always wanted to take our children on these lavish vacations but our circumstances and income prevented that from happening.
But as we continued in the work God had given us, He made a way! To our surprise God made a way for us to retire before those relatives who earned quite a bit more. He also has given us the opportunity to take those really nice vacations with our children. We have no idea how God did this but we stayed faithful to what He put in front of us to do.
It’s easy to stop, but if we do, the harvest will never come. If I stop watering my garden even though the harvest is right there in my hands I will never see it because I stopped. Don’t stop, persevere!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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My recently published books are now available at:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Life%27s+Journey+volume+2+Jacqueline+Crooks&language=en_US&ref=nb_sb_noss
Impossible With Man
I had prayed to God for a promotion on my job and had felt like the perfect opportunity came to me. Our department went through a reorganization and two units were combined into mine. The previous managers responsible for those workloads were both in higher levels of position than I was. Although the work was a lot, I felt like God was answering my prayer. Problem was, there was no movement on upgrading my position or any talk of offering me a promotion.
After a month of taking on this new workload I asked my boss about upgrading my position. He said that would not be possible at this time. Anger, hurt and all the other emotions filled my soul. So, I put together paperwork that justified my promotion. I submitted the paperwork to my boss and his boss, and of course the paperwork came back denied. I was so angry at them but I was also angry at God. I went to God complaining, “I asked you for a promotion and you gave me all the work without the salary increase or the title”.
As I am writing this devotional God is reminding me of the Israelites when Moses went to tell Pharaoh to free his people. Pharaoh said no to Moses and he gave the Israelites even harder work. They were tasked with making brick with no straw to use, and the people complained to Pharaoh and were angry at Moses.
It took about seven or eight months before God promoted me. He actually moved my whole section from our current division and put us under a totally different deputy. The first day under this new deputy he asked me what he could do for me. I told him about the promotion and the things that had taken place and he told me to consider it done. The following day I received a phone call from personnel telling me that my paperwork had been approved.
God’s timing is never the same as our timing, and His answers to our prayers are always more than we could think or imagine. I was starting to look for another job, but God kept telling me to sit tight and trust Him. I could have never imagined my division being moved and being placed under a new director.
Faith: believing God when everything around us says no and the situation looks nearly impossible.
Don’t give up, God has a strategy in taking care of his people that we could never imagine!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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My recently published book Life’s Journey is now available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VYJKJ9K/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_6Z95ANB487AMDF3VTDP9
It Is Done.
Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. Genesis 22:8,13
This morning God woke me up around 2:00 am. I laid in my bed for a while but then I had to get up. All these emotions of anger and frustration filled my soul from out of nowhere. I was just mad. I thought, “It is 2 o'clock in the morning. I was in perfect sleep and now I am mad”. This was nothing but the devil. I would love to tell you that I said, “Devil get thee behind me!” and went back to sleep, but that is not what happened.
I went into a battle in prayer. I thanked God and I praised God and I called on God. There was so much emotion tied to all that I was feeling that the only place for release was at the throne. I took out my laptop and I started writing my prayer to God. He reminded me of the message I had listened to earlier the previous day and I took those words that were in my soul to the throne.
All of a sudden out of nowhere, peace came. I felt his JEHOVAH SHALOM PEACE. I understood that peace at a different level now. I was reminded of Esther when she fasted and prayed and relief came through the king at night while he was having the chronicles read. God showed me how they were praying and how He answered at night. He then showed me Moses when the Israelites were praying for a deliverer, and their deliverer was saying no to God. But God had sent a peace to the people.
Many times when we pray, our situation looks the same. We can’t see any difference but there is a settled peace that overcomes everything inside of us to let us know it is done. Your sickness in your body, it is done. Your children needing healing, it is done. Whatever the situation is, whatever you are going through, receive that it is done.
Abraham trusted that God would provide for him even though God told him to offer his son Issac as a sacrifice. When his son Issac asked where the lamb was for the sacrifice, Abraham said God would provide. God has already provided everything for us even when we cannot see it. Every situation is just another level of walking in faith. God bless you!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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My recently published books are now available at:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Life%27s+Journey+volume+2+Jacqueline+Crooks&language=en_US&ref=nb_sb_noss
In Times of Trouble
God is our refuge and strength always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 NLT
I was just sitting listening to the Bible and those words above leaped into my spirit. I immediately stopped listening and started writing. We will always find ourselves in some kind of trouble. It can be as simple as the babysitter did not show up and you have to go to work or as devastating as a loved one in a car accident. No matter the situation we find ourselves in, scripture says God is always ready to help in our time of trouble. That is such good news because scripture also tells us that in this world we will have trouble… (John 16:33).
The thing is, for me at least, I don’t tend to call on God for the little troubles. I think I can handle them myself. When in essence He is just waiting for me to ask for help. Scripture does not say when we are in big trouble but at any time big or small God is there to help.
When we were in Italy the taxis went on strike. We had just gotten off the train to Rome and had no idea there was a strike. When we went to get a taxi to our Airbnb, there was none. My husband tried to get an Uber to pick us up but that was impossible. While he was frantically trying to figure something out I said a quiet prayer asking God for help. After a 45 minute wait for an Uber someone suggested taking the bus. We found where to catch the bus but had no idea what bus to take. Most people did not speak English and with our very limited amount of Italian we were having a difficult time. But God had this Danish couple come up and tell us what bus to take. We finally made it to our location.
Even though our trouble was small, God provided for every step to get us where we needed to be. We must never forget that God is our deliverer and He is waiting for us to ask for help!!! That is just a blessing!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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I Want To Be Heard
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. Jeremiah 29:12, ESV
My husband and I were out taking a walk and we got into an argument. I can’t really remember what the argument was about but at one point I heard him say, “lower your voice”. I said “No, I need you to hear what I am saying”. I remember feeling like I was not being heard so I had to say what I felt louder. Well, you all know how God moves on our heart… So later I went back to him and apologized for being loud but I told him I did not feel like he was allowing me to be heard.
Several days after that incident I was in my room praying and the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the song Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin. As I was praying I kept hearing the words, “You are a good good father, that is who you are, that is who you are and I am loved by you”. It just kept playing over and over in my head as I prayed. I started humming those lyrics and God would add another line or phrase of the song into my heart. As I listened to how God was ministering to me, my whole being was just overwhelmed!
I decided to turn on the song and there is a line that says, “God knows exactly what I am going to ask before I speak one word”. I immediately heard the Holy Spirit say, “You never need to yell to be heard. I hear you speaking all the time. I know what your heart feels and if you talk to me I know how to make them hear you. You don’t have the power to make anyone hear your heart, they just hear your words. But if you talk to me I can transform you and them so the situation brings peace and joy for everyone!”
You all know that I just about lost it! My heart overflowed with joy, comfort, peace and my soul was full of praise. Now this was not the first time I heard this and I knew what God was saying was true. But in the midst of those situations we can get so heated that we forget God is right there waiting to resolve our issue. I asked Father to help me to pause in the midst of my anger and emotions to hear Him. I asked that He would help all of us to run to him in our pain. Because truly at that moment there is pain and anger when we feel we are not heard.
God created us, He gave us our personalities and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He feels our hurt and pain so when we turn to Him, He brings resolution to every situation. It is just like the song says, “He is a good good father”.
https://youtu.be/CqybaIesbuA Chris Tomlin
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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God’s Desire verses My Desire
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6, KJV
I woke up early one morning with a heavy heart. I felt confusion on what I was supposed to do with my cookie business as well as my ministry assignment. I was currently on a 21 day fast seeking God to enlighten the eyes of my heart on all the things He had for me. I don’t know what I expected but when my heart became heavy, I was sad. I begin to pray out of my soul seeking God for answers. I heard in my spirit The Lord’s Song by Maranda Curtis so I played it in the background while I was praying.
I began to understand that the heavy heart was brought on by God because He wanted to talk to me about those assignments. He gave me clear steps as to what to do with the cookie business. When I asked Him about the ministry He said, “You can’t do what people want you to do and please me. Your focus has to be on pleasing me. If your desire is for the people that sounds good but it will only bring honor to you. You want honor to come to me but it will not work trying to please the people and calling it God. It is not me!” I immediately repented in my soul.
Throughout the previous months I had received several requests asking me when I was going to start posting devotionals again and when I was going to put out another book. I wanted to give the people what they were asking for. I had been receiving writings regularly from God so I thought I needed to get them done and ready for posting. God’s words revealed to me my heart posture. In trying to please people I was actually seeking glory for myself and not God! Ouch!
We have to be so careful that we are not calling what we are doing God, when in actuality we are glorifying ourselves.
Father, thank you for bringing out the hidden unknown things of our heart. David said it well: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24) This we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Adjusting with God’s Instructions
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV
I love hearing God talk to me but I don’t always like what He has to say. Scripture says that God’s word is for teaching, reproof, correction and learning righteousness. It’s the reproof and correction I am not usually fond of. But just like any good parent, we must be corrected and told when we have done something wrong. I have found that immediately repenting for the action is always the best way to move. Trying to justify my behavior only leads me into further misalignment with God.
This particular incident was not so much about what I had done wrong, but about a relationship God wanted to change in me. Sometimes God chooses to move people out of our life for a season or at times permanently. Looking back, God showed me it was those individuals I was close to and admired that He gently moved away. He told me that those friends were there for the season in which I needed them. It is so hard to let go of those we have come so close to. To understand this, He gave me this example: When a baby is young you give them a bottle to feed them. They always look for that bottle because it gives them comfort. As they get older the bottle has to be removed. At times the baby will cry for the bottle, but eventually they will move past that stage in life and never look for the bottle again.
Some friendships may have lasted longer than their season. Friendships out of season are no longer serving us. We have to be okay with moving on. God brings some that will last a lifetime but we have to be okay with the ones He sends away. They may have served you in one season but when it is time, they have to move on to serve others.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCallingtv:
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My recently published books are now available at:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Life%27s+Journey+volume+2+Jacqueline+Crooks&language=en_US&ref=nb_sb_noss