Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 5 Focus Day 5 Promises

“And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity]. What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:30-31‬ ‭AMP‬‬

God has an incredible track record of keeping His promises. Since, He is eternal, has no beginning (like birth or being created) or no end (like death), God is still holding at 100% of the promises He made, He has kept and fulfilled 100% of those promises. I realize that we are waiting on a few more, but given His track record of thousands of years since creation, I am trusting, believing and with great excitement, as well as reverence, preparing and waiting with confidence, that the rest of His promises will come through, too.

But the promise that changed my eternity is what Jesus did for me on the cross. He paid my debt for my sin, while I was a sinner, He conquered sin and death, just like He said He would, and while He is in heaven preparing a place for me, He’s telling our Father all about me but covering my sin with His righteousness so that our Father only sees, the me, that He created, not the me, that I made a mess of. They are discussing how madly in love they are with me and how they can not wait to share the home they made, just for me. My God is the perfect picture of promises made and promises kept.

My friend, the same is true for you, if you would just believe that God is who He says He is, that you are who He says you are and that it matters enough to you, to get in His word and define that, for you. Get in His presence and talk to Him. What a privilege it is to have access to God anywhere and anytime. You have VIP passes, with no restrictions to God’s ear, His heart, His chest to lean against, His lap to crawl up on and His embrace.

The only thing standing between you and God is your hard head and hardened heart. The world did that to you, not God. God is waiting on You, you are not waiting on God. God never left you. That’s a fact and a promise.

Lord, help us get a true vision of the promise keeper that You truly are and help us see ourselves as You see us. In this world, there is much confusion and false narratives about You but the Bible stands as a written witness to what a loving God You are. That You never change. You are ever constant in this world that is like shifting sand beneath our feet. I pray that we place our trust in the promise of who You are. That we stop looking to the world for heavenly answers. Amen.

“Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Just as it is written and forever remains written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE REGARDED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us
[so much that He died for us].”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:34-37‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 5 Focus Day 4 Truth vs Lie

“Who are you?” they asked. Jesus replied, “ I’m exactly who I have claimed to be from the beginning. I have many things to say in judgment concerning you. The one who sent me is true, and what I have heard from him I tell the world. ” They didn’t know he was speaking about his Father. So Jesus said to them, “ When the Human One is lifted up, then you will know that I Am. Then you will know that I do nothing on my own, but I say just what the Father has taught me. He who sent me is with me. He doesn’t leave me by myself, because I always do what makes him happy. ””
‭‭John‬ ‭8:25-29‬ ‭CEB‬‬

We live in a time where information is at our fingertips at a click of a mouse or mouse pad. But that does not mean that the information that we have access to is true. So how do we know what or who to believe with so much information to sort through? Simply put, our Bible and the Holy Spirit that lives inside of every believer will guide us, if we read the Bible and give into the Holy Spirit.

Let me explain. There are many more owned Bibles than read Bibles. There are many more lip service believers than sold out believers, that depend on the Holy Spirit to decipher a truth from a lie. I know this to be true by mere observation of the world I live in today. The Bible is clear on what God created, who God created and why. Yet the world is confused about their identity. The world does not look to God for truth, it looks to what is trending on social media and popular for the moment.

We can’t really have an intelligent conversation about it if you have not read the Bible and what it says about it. When an unbeliever says the Bible is not true. I ask what part, point out to me what you’ve read that isn’t true. I do not recall, one answer, in my 33 years of being a Christian that the person in dialogue was able to point out a thing. So these conversations ended typically with, how about I give you a place to start reading in the Bible then we’ll talk. I also do not recall anyone that took me up on my offer that did not eventually become a believer. The others left indignantly as if I offended them somehow. Though, unfortunate, I always prayed that someone could reach them better than me. I am not everyone’s cup of tea but I am okay with that because I know who God is to me, Who I am to Him and why that matters. I’ll be me and let Jesus worry about saving the people.

Lord, I pray for any of us that me be in the middle of sorting out truth from lies. Whether it be biblical truths or just sorting out the crossroads we face in every day life as humans. That we would pray for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to Your truth, wisdom and power as we dig into the Bible for answers. Help us find a mentor to guide us when we do not know where to start. Thank You Lord for who You Are and helping me become all that You created me to be. Amen.

“So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples. And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].””
‭‭John‬ ‭8:31-32‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 5 Focus Day 3 Covered

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves…
The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:7, 21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When we mess up, the first response is usually to hide just like Adam and Eve did in the garden. There’s something to be said about going to things first ever mentioned in the Bible. Every time I start at the first mention, of any topic I am studying, I learn not only how relevant the Bible is today but how cyclical humanity is.

In the beginning, when Adam and Eve sinned, disobeyed God and bought the lie, hook, line and sinker from the devil, the Bible says, “they hid… they sewed together fig leaves… and covered themselves.” We do the same thing or at the very least, want to do that when we mess up but maybe as a seasoned believer you’ve already learned it’s best to go straight to Father with your sin. After all, He is the only remedy to our sin. When we try to cover our sin, it looks just as awkward as sewn together fig leaves over our bodies and I bet if we were to be honest, our man-made coverings like guilt, condemnation, shame, denial, anger, fear, frustration, depression and more tangible coverings like addiction, promiscuity, over eating, workaholic…. (you get the idea) aren’t exactly a good fit, they completely makes us uncomfortable in our own skin. We find ourselves avoiding God all together and completely avoiding looking ourselves in the eye in the proverbial mirror. Can I just let you know that you or I are not hiding it from God any better than Adam and Eve did in their day?

Fast forward to after God has a conversation with Adam and Eve, explaining their consequences and banishment to the lovely place we call “the world as we know it” today. But before God banishes them, He covers them with His covering, made by Him, just for them. It does not specify in the text but there is a covering that I envision and that is the Armor of God.
I highly recommend reading the whole armor of God in the Amplified Version of the Bible. Here is a snippet: “Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Imagine if Adam and Eve had stood their ground and obeyed like this verse declares.

Read Ephesians 6:10-20 Amplified version.

God knew that Adam and Eve needed His supernatural covering and that nothing man-made was going to survive the battle for redemption ahead of them and us. God had a plan right from the beginning of the first mention of disobedience. He took the mess they tried covering themselves up with and covered them with a custom covering, for now. Until these earthly bodies fade away and we receive our perfect body that will last for all of eternity in heaven.

I believe God sent them out of the garden with His spiritual covering equivalent to the armor of God spoken of here in Ephesians 6, until He returned as Son of man and Son of God at the garden of Gethsemane. That blood of Salvation from Calvary covers our sin today until Jesus returns to take us home. We are covered by Him today as we battle through this fallen world together. You are covered by what you pray in agreement to like the blood of Jesus and the armor of God. You are covered by the Holy Spirit who is the guide God has given us until He returns.

My family’s Paraphrased Version of the Armor. We pray this every morning.
Lord, I pray that the helmet of salvation would cover my mind and filter out anything that is not of you from my eyes, my ears and my mouth, thank you for the breastplate of righteousness that covers my heart and everything that keeps me alive and productive, I choose to buckle the belt of truth around my waist that holds me and my armor together, I step into your shoes of peace, I choose to walk in peace with You, God, others and myself, I lock my shield of faith in place with yours and other believers, Lord, to extinguish every fiery dart from the enemy, not by faith in myself or others but my faith in you, Lord, I hold up my sword of the spirit which is the word of God, dividing good from evil, truth from lies and bone from marrow to defeat the enemy and fight for truth. I am covered by you, Lord. Amen.

“You forgave your people’s guilt; you covered all their sin. Selah”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭85:2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32:5-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 4 Nothing Wasted Day 7 Clocked into Purpose

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ CSB

It all looks good in verses, sermons and devotionals, but how do we clock into purpose? We can not apply what we do not know and or if we do not understand the why behind the do, or the how behind the apply.

Be careful, as we grow in Christ, to not be condescending towards someone who is not where you are yet. Be in tuned and always remember the wretch you were before you point out others wretched behavior.

I’m going to break it down; the how to clock into purpose steps. This is simple but it is a process. Everyone’s process is different. The first goal is to commit to never stop taking these steps through the process. The second goal is to allow yourself to be shaped and molded by the process rather than try to reshape the process to make it more comfortable. It’s okay if it’s uncomfortable. This is where the learning takes place.

Clocking into purpose will be familiar because it aligns with how God designed you. Your sinful nature, also known as the flesh, will fight you every step of the way to fulfilling your purpose, so be ready for the fight. Just remind yourself to be on the right side of the fight for your purpose.

Here are the steps:

Know who God is to you.
Know who you are to God.
Know why that matters.

These 3 simple steps will take the entire span of your life, while you’re on loan here, to master, but it will give you the confidence for and about eternity.

Next week we will discuss 7 areas to focus on to help us define who God is to us, find our identity in who He says we are to Him and learn why that matters in the process.

Lord, we are a mess without You. Thank You for the process. Thank You for taking my messy self and making something beautiful out of my mess. Help me focus on getting to know You and me better so that I understand the quality of life that my relationship with You brings to me and those around me. Amen.

“All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 4 Nothing Wasted Day 6 Dare to dream

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:25‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Nothing crushes our dreams like traumatic experiences and basic adult responsibilities. As a child we dream big about what we will do when we grow up. Some kids have the joy and privilege of a home that encourages their dreams, some have parents who to try to control their dreams, some have parents that want you to pursue THEIR dreams instead of your own and some parents crush their kid’s dreams with abuse, negligence and abandonment. Regardless of what kind of childhood you had, you can still dare to dream.

We’ve covered so much in the past 4 weeks about distractions, giving our battle to God, grieving and facing what we have lost and now placing what belongs in the past, in the past, while learning from it, embracing our present, by living with the reality of our now, to looking forward to a hopeful future. None of this is possible without leaning consistently on God’s strength. If we lean on our own strength we will burn out.

I challenge you to dare to dream like you did as a child. Dare to live a life of passion and purpose. I dare you to ask God to break your heart for what breaks His. I dare you to start something you put off that you can’t stop thinking about. I dare you to dream.

Lord, the hints of what makes us who we are, because of who You are, started in our childhood. I understand that not everyone grew up in an environment that nurtured and developed their uniqueness. I pray that we remember our dreams of our youth, that the opportunity to develop that purpose and passion would be ignited inside of us once again so we could be walking out the journey made just for us. Help us, Lord, dare to dream, with that child like faith. Amen.

“It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12-16‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 4: Nothing Wasted Day 2: Live in the present

“Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:27‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Living in the present is much more achievable if we can leave the past behind us and plan for the future without worrying about the future.

Whether you have a train wreck behind you or sweet little bunny path full of sweetness for a past, your past is done. All you can do is embrace what is in front of you because as we learned from our grief week, it is all temporary. If we dwell on and beat ourselves up about the past or stress about the future, we rob ourselves of what is in front of us.

We can learn a lot from the past by simply pulling out that “ugly journal” we discussed in prior weeks and write down every time we freaked out about something that ended up turning out better than we ever imagined. When you start to stress, read and remind yourself that everything is going to be okay. I also like to add that it may not be the okay I planned for but it will be okay.

When you find yourself uttering the words, “could’ve”, “should’ve” or “would’ve”, stop, say out loud “Not productive, not going to help me.” Rather than verbally bash yourself and put yourself in a position to not be able to change what’s done, give yourself advice on how you will do it differently. That’s all you can do is learn from it and do it differently next time. Then trust God in the process.

By removing the weight of your yesterdays and the heaviness of the uncertainties of tomorrow, from your today, you can live in the present. If you’re a professional worrier, make it a point to become a warrior of prayer. Turn every worry into a conversation with God. Tell Him exactly what you are concerned about and then stick to what is directly in front of you, right now.

Toby Mac once said something so profound that really helped me get the concept of living in the present moment:
“We worry about tomorrow like it’s promised”

Lord, we are a work in progress but we are also your vessel of spreading the good news. Help us be more aware of what we bring into our present moments that do not belong there. Help us focus on the gift of this day and show up for every divine appointment. Amen.

“Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭CEB‬‬

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Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 4 Nothing Wasted Day 1 Learn from the past

“The Lord is the one who made a road through the sea for you to cross. You went on a dry path in the middle of the deep water. He led the enemy’s great army, with their chariots and their horses, to chase you. They all fell down and the water drowned them. Their lives finished, like the flame of a lamp that stops burning.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:16-17‬ ‭EASY‬‬

If there is but one thing that I can testify to is this: God does not waste one thing. God has the absolute most stunning track record. No matter what I have experienced, the comeback has always been better than the setback.

We can learn from the things in our past. Especially, if we consider our survival rate at this point is 100%. To clarify, if you are breathing, you have survived 100% of what is behind you. This week our goal is to go from surviving to thriving.

If I am to be honest, I forget that in the process of the issue, challenge, loss or whatever is causing me concern in the moment. I still worry myself over things that have not happened. I feel the weight of the decisions being made. In the face a moment, not knowing, what was about to crush me, in ways I had never imagined. Yet, every time I get out of the way and God has HIS way, He makes a way, out of no way.

What I considered a set back, at the time, I look back and see God setting me up for the next comeback. I can label certain seasons a victory now but when I was in the middle of it, it sure did not seem like a victory. What I have learned while being more mindful of God’s track record, than mine, is that He does not waste a hurt, a struggle or my emotional pain. Everything in my timeline is shaping me for my next.

We, as Christians, get blindsided when we think that once we believe in Jesus, that we somehow get a problem free life and a get out of hell card. We will face problems. (James 1:2-6) We might as well accept that. Let God in on it, if we want the best outcome from it.

We serve a God of passion and purpose. Once we align ourselves with that truth, we get an internal peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:6) We experience the gift of peace, from God, in the storm, if our focus is on Him. But if we focused on avoiding or eliminating the storm our peace slips away. (Isaiah 26:3)

Lord, help us lean not on our own understanding when life throws us problems. Help us lean into Your presence and promises so that Your peace and strength can carry us through those storms in life. Help us turn it all over to you for our own good. Amen.

“The Lord did all that for you, but now he says, ‘Forget those things that happened a long time ago. Do not think about past events. Look! Now I will do something that is new! It is already beginning to happen. Surely, you can recognize it. Yes, I will make a road through the desert. I will make streams in the wilderness.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬ ‭EASY‬‬

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Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 3 Day 7 Grief: New normal

“King David longed to go to Absalom, for David had finished grieving over Amnon’s death.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭13:39‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When we lose someone we love or a season comes to an end that brought us much comfort and joy, we grieve. How we grieve matters. Avoiding grief will catch up with us eventually. If you are reading this and have not read Days 1-6 of week 3, I highly recommend doing so now. Do not avoid the process of grieving.

Before you go thinking that I do not understand loss, let me share a few of my most painful losses. At 4 years old, I watched our home burn to the ground with all of our belongings in it. Shortly after, my parents divorced. At 9 years old my father was murdered. At 10 years old my mother married my first of many abusers. I have lost people I loved to suicide, I thought that I could have saved. I have had 2 miscarriages. I lost my grandparents, my mom and my father figure within 5 years of of each other. I lost my best friend of 40 years unexpectedly to a heart condition (she was 50). I have lost relationships I thought would never end. Friendships with people and families had come to an abrupt end with no conversation as to why. I have known great success and great loss to the point that I feared being homeless.

In all of that pain that I experienced, of losing so much, I realized how temporary anything but God is. I have accepted that death is inevitable for anything or anyone that carries breath in their lungs. Death will take me by surprise but it does not have to take me down to the point of losing my life before my time is up. There is no way to escape death. We will experience it ourselves one day and will likely experience losing someone we know and or love to it. The most hopeful thing I’ve ever been offered is an eternity beyond this life; an eternity with the one who created me and loaned me to earth for a time; an eternity with no more tears, no more sadness, no more sickness, no more broken relationships and no more death. We are all on loan here from the moment of conception to death. Maybe that’s why the two greatest commandments are:

to love God with all of your heart, all of your mind and all of your soul. 2. To love your neighbor as yourself. With those two commandments the goal is to know our Maker’s voice when He calls us home. We want to treat everyone kindly while they’re on loan to us because we never know when their time is up.

In my opinion, birth is a sign of God’s gift of life while death is reminder of the timeline most of pay no attention to. As a believer in God, I can accept the timeline He gives me because I know it doesn’t end here. Therefore I must tell others that are still here about eternity and share this hope with them.

Lord, death is the most painful part of life, this side of eternity. Help us honor the living and the time our loved ones were on loan to us. Help us process grief in a way that brings honor to the ones we say goodbye to, for now. Amen.

“Then David got up and he washed himself. He put on clean clothes and special oil that had a good smell. He went into the Lord ‘s house to worship him. Then he returned to his own house and he asked for food. They gave it to him and he ate it.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭12:20‬ ‭EASY‬‬

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Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 3 Day 6 Grief: Acceptance

“There is a right time for everything that we do under the sun. There is a time to be born. And there is a time to die. There is a time to plant seeds. Then the seeds will grow and they will become plants. And there is a time to pick the plants.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1-2‬ ‭EASY‬‬
“There is a time to weep. And there is a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. And there is a time to dance.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭EASY‬‬

When the fog begins to lift, reality sets in, and we’re squinting to find the light in the darkness, this is the beginning of acceptance. It is not stable at first but each day we take a step in the direction of our reality is a step closer to living with this loss. It does not mean that we won’t experience the other steps in the grieving process ever again. It just means they will reintroduce themselves with different levels of intensity at different lengths of time every time We are reminded that our loved one is not here.

What it does mean is that I loved this person while they were here and I will miss them deeply. My faith tells me, reminds me of the timeline they had, I have and others too. My faith also reminds me that I will see them again. I rest in this hope while I build up the strength to live life without them. I find ways to remember them well and share the impact that they had on my life. I choose to live and embrace the people I have around me and let them in on my pain. I choose to not isolate and choose to embrace the plan and purpose God has for me while I walk out my own timeline. None of us know when our time is up. Nobody makes it out alive, therefore, this loss should come as no surprise, it absolutely catches us off guard and it does come with pain and sorrow. While I work it all out through grieving what and who I have loved when it’s their time to go I will hope again and cherish the memories.

Lord, help me accept my loss in a way that shows my deep love for them while acknowledging the empty space they leave behind. Lord, fill that space with comfort, peace, love and joy. Help me carry on without them as I finish my own journey. Help me allow others permission to grieve how they need to. Help me walk in hope for the future here on earth and hope in eternity. Amen.

“Yes, you will have trouble like this for a short time. But after that, God will make everything right. He is completely kind and he will always help you. Because you belong to Christ, God has chosen you to live with him in heaven for ever. You will join him in that beautiful place. Then God will make you well again. He will make you strong in your spirits. You will be able to stand strongly. Yes, God rules with power for ever! Amen! This is true!”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:10-11‬ ‭EASY‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week3 #grief #acceptance #hope

Beautifully Broken by K.Howard

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 7 Battle to Acceptance

“So, nobody can say that God should still punish us. Nobody can say that, because Christ Jesus himself died on our behalf. And God raised him so that he became alive again after his death. Now Christ is sitting at God’s right side in heaven. He himself is praying to God on our behalf. Christ will always continue to love us. Nothing can stop that! We may have troubles. Things may make us sad or afraid. People may do bad things to us. We may have no food or no clothes. There may be great danger. People may even try to kill us. But none of these things can stop Christ from loving us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:34-35‬ ‭EASY‬‬

Have we truly accepted the gift of the cross? Do we comprehend that God is not mad at us but that He’s mad at the devil for deceiving us? Do we embrace the overwhelming, radical, reckless love of God?

Have you ever received a gift and refuse to open it? Ridiculous thought, right? But every day, that we choose that earthly kind of love concept, when we think about Jesus, that’s exactly what we do. There is nothing like fully accepting God’s love for us. It is a gift that has no end in sight. We cannot out sin God’s love for us if we believe.

Put your hand over your heart. Close your eyes. Focus on the rhythm of your heart. That’s the beat of God’s love pumping life through your body. It’s the gift of life, a life meant to be loved by their God. Will you choose Him today? He has already chosen you. That beating heart is proof that you have purpose.

Lord, we receive the gift of life today with a fresh perspective and sense of purpose. Remind us when we lose sight of that to just lay our hand over our hearts and thank you for our purpose, whether we know what that is yet or not. We believe that You are who You say You are, that we are Your beloved, that You are our forgiver of our sins. Have Your way in us, Lord. Amen.

“I am sure of this. Nothing can stop God from loving us. Death cannot do that. Life cannot do that. Angels cannot do that, nor can demons do that. Nothing that happens to us now, or that will happen in a future time can do that. No powerful spirits can do that. Nothing that is high above the world can do that, nor anything that is deep down below the ground. Nothing else in the whole universe can stop God from loving us. Because of our Lord Christ Jesus, we know how much God loves us. Because God loves us, none of these troubles can ever beat us. He makes us win against them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:37-39‬ ‭EASY‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #thecross #believe #acceptance #live #love

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 6 The battle is won

“At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.

They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:1-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Everything about our Christian faith hinges on the validity of this day. The day the stone was rolled away, the day the empty tomb was found, the moment that many who thought Jesus was dead saw with their own eyes that he was very much alive.

Lord, this is our crossroads to believe or not believe that you won the battle over sin and the grave for us. Let us never stop reading the accounts of your ministry, your suffering for our benefit, your death on the cross and your magnificent resurrection. Let us see the track record of prophetic fulfillment where ever you are mentioned in the Bible. Let us live like we believe it. Amen.

“He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.” Then he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:44-49‬ ‭MSG‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #thecross #believe #battle #victory #heisalive #heisrisen

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 5 Believe

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-21‬ ‭MSG‬‬

We cannot minimize God’s sacrifice of His only Son being beaten beyond recognition, carrying His cross, our cross to complete His mission (Salvation for all men, women and children) by picturing crosses with clean Jesus hanging somberly on a clean cross. If we don’t take the time to gaze into his bruised, battered and bleeding face of punishment He took for us? We miss it. We completely miss the gravity of sin and it’s consequences.

We need to experience conviction for minimizing the picture of what Jesus endured on our behalf. Yet balance that conviction with complete commitment to God and all that it entails. Not out of guilt and shame but out of overwhelming, mind blowing love from our Father in heaven. Not to just process His death, burial and resurrection but the beatings, pain and separation from His heavenly home. All for us, the sinners, fulfilled by the One without sin. It is truly the greatest love story ever told and implemented.

Lord, You are the very reason we have breath in our lungs. Hold us in Your nail scarred hands until we are convinced of the love You’ve poured on us. Amen.

“I pray that God will cause you to be strong in your spirits. God has great and valuable things in heaven to help you. I pray that God’s Spirit will help you with God’s own power. I pray that Christ will make his home in you, as you believe in him. Then you will know God’s love very well. You will be like trees that have roots which go down deep into God’s love. That will make you strong.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭EASY‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #thecross #believe

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 4 Letting go and letting God

“Jesus began to cry. The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?””
‭‭John‬ ‭11:35-37‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Have you ever been in a situation where you have a really good secret that will surprise and bless people but you can’t share it until it’s time for the party or the reveal? That was Jesus, in the account of Lazarus’s death and Jesus raising him from the dead.

If you read all of John chapter 11, there are plenty of hints being dropped by Jesus. However, nobody, not his disciples, not Mary and Martha, not one was picking up what Jesus was throwing down.

Many scholars have their theories on why Jesus wept over Lazarus‘s tomb. My theory is this: they didn’t get it. They didn’t pick up on why he delayed the trip so that His glory would be shown to all through raising Lazarus from the dead. So Jesus wept. He wept for their unbelief. He wept for their hearts convinced that He didn’t have a plan or a purpose in this, regardless of the outcome. He wept because they couldn’t let go of these earthly mindsets to grab ahold of eternal promises. He wept because this was the precursor to His own death and resurrection. He wept because He knew that after 3 years of ministry with them, they still had many doubts to work through. He wept for their eyes to be opened to His authority over death and the grave.

The stone in front of whatever is keeping you from truly letting go of what has passed and letting God give you His eternal future has to be moved or removed before God can resurrect the life you could be living with Him by your side. Some things have to be buried for good. Some things are seeds that don’t reveal themselves until later and some things have to be called out and revived in Jesus name.

Jesus told them to remove the stone from the tomb. He did not remove the stone for them. When we are willing to let go and roll the stone away, God is ready to move on your behalf.

Lord, help us let go of the things that stand in the way of your resurrection power and let You have Your way in our lives. Help us accept what is removed, help us nurture the seeds that are planted for later, help us seize the moment of revival in us for today. Amen

“Jesus said, “ Remove the stone. ” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” Jesus replied, “ Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory? ””
‭‭John‬ ‭11:39-40‬ ‭CEB‬‬

# jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #letgoletgod

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 3 Trust the Process

“My Christian friends, remember to be happy, even when many kinds of trouble happen to you. Troubles can help you. God wants to see if you really trust him. Your faith in God will become stronger as a result of these troubles. So you should continue to trust God all the way to the end. Then you will grow as a believer. You will become completely how you should be. You will not need anything more.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭EASY‬‬

Jesus knows about trials, trouble and tests that have unexpected arrivals and outcomes. The difference between us and Jesus in these moments is that Jesus is not surprised like we are. Jesus takes our free will, the freedom of our choices and keeps working them out for our good.

For example, as we read the accounts of the days leading up to resurrection Sunday there was a lot going on behind the scenes. Jesus had a divine appointment with an excruciating process and no behind the scenes plan was going to divert his plan and purpose.

On one hand, the religious leaders were plotting to ambush Jesus and keep Him from getting more followers. The Bible says that basically Jesus diverted their plans because their plan didn’t line up with God’s divine appointment book.

On the other hand, Judas, one of the disciples, was negotiating his 30 pieces of silver to turn over Jesus to governing leaders. Jesus did not thwart this plan because this plan would be the set up for the divine appointed time for the excruciating process. Where heaven and earth would collide, where Jesus faces off our consequences from sin and defeats the grave, defeats the devil and rescues His beloved (that’s you and me) from the laws of sin.

While the excruciating process of the cross was part of Jesus’s purpose, He joyfully, knowingly walked out the process because He knows the full plans He has for us. He knows that while we, His beloved, may feel so far away from Him, or think that our captivity in our, what seem to be, impossible circumstances will never end… Our beloved Jesus has a plan and He will see it to its completion and it’s always with our best interest in mind.

Jesus has an incredible track record of following through with everything He said He would do. And though some will choose their own path, He will not stop working things out for their good. He will never stop fighting for us. As long as we have breath on this earth, there’s still a chance that He could win our heart. We need to trust the process and stop following the crowd.

Lord, help us trust the process. Help us get into your word and reveal to us not only the plan and purpose for our lives but give us wisdom and understanding to trust the divine appointment you went through to save us. Amen.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #HolyWeek #trusttheprocess

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 2 Friend or Foe

“This isn’t the neighborhood bully mocking me—I could take that. This isn’t a foreign devil spitting invective—I could tune that out. It’s you! We grew up together! You! My best friend! Those long hours of leisure as we walked arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭55:12-14‬ ‭MSG‬‬

We have all been there, right? That sinking feeling of realizing you have been betrayed by a person or a group of people that you thought, and they said, would never hurt you. Though, the experience for each of us has different faces, names and details, we can all relate to that gut wrenching pain that comes from betrayal.

The psalm above is more relatable than I care to share the details here. But I feel it in the inner most parts of my soul each time I read it. The initial hurt, denial, anger, pain and finally acceptance that I need to move on without them. That if there were to be a reconciliation, God would have to initiate it because my wounds were cut too deep to even consider it. It does not mean I have not forgiven them. It just means that their behavior created a boundary because trust had been violated at every level.

These are tough situations that are challenging to recover from. But God can restore your broken heart over betrayal and not restore that relationship, as well as give you a heart for accepting the situation and still not let anger, hurt and resentment control you.

God is not surprised by one thing going on in the world, as a whole, or our world as an individual. He knows and he relates to us. He endured betrayal that he knew would happen. Read about the betrayal of the leaders of the synagogue, his disciples (the accounts of Peter and Judas), the government leaders. All forms of betrayal yet it was that betrayal that helped assist Jesus’s prophetic purpose. Every part of what happened pushed heaven and earth to collide so we could have eternity back in reach if we would just believe.

Jesus endured the consequences of our sin, we get to embrace the result of Jesus’s sacrifice, liberty from the consequences of sin and death. Though our human counterparts may imperfectly step through our lives there is but one that will never leave you or betray you and that is Jesus.

The passage below is so rich in wisdom of how to handle our foes, the people we trusted at one time and betrayed us another, the people that swore to never hurt us or leave us but they did. Jesus, in all of his infinite knowledge and wisdom responds perfectly. He took what foolishness they threw at him and forced them to concede to the debate that they initiated. He refused to get caught up in conversations that led away from his plan and purpose. He flipped the script. Jesus moved on without them, He answered only to His Father in heaven. He knew that God’s voice was the only voice that mattered as He prepared Himself to face the cross. In the face of death, he took back all authority over sin and death and rose from the dead. He revealed himself long enough to give us some last instructions, while He went to prepare our home with Him, announcing that He will return for us.

All the haters are gonna hate but God is the only one who can save us.

Lord I pray that we learn who God is to us, who we are to Him and why that matters. I promise you that though people may disappoint and betray you, God never will. Amen.

“One day he was teaching the people in the Temple, proclaiming the Message. The high priests, religion scholars, and leaders confronted him and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?”

Jesus answered, “First, let me ask you a question: About the baptism of John—who authorized it, heaven or humans?”

They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe him; if we say ‘humans,’ the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God’s prophet.” They agreed to concede that round to Jesus and said they didn’t know.

Jesus said, “Then neither will I answer your question.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭20:1-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #betrayal #friendorfoe

Week 2 Nobody Makes It Out Alive Day 1 The Battle Inside The Temple

“They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text: My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations; You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:15-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Words like the “temple”, the “body” of Christ and the church “body”, we are the “body” are all interchangeable with the story of Jesus driving out the “thieves” in the temple. Let me explain.

The accounts of Jesus driving out the money changers and marketers from the temple in the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were necessary to put the focus where it belonged. That focus belongs on the owner of the temple, God.

Apparently, these people and the appointed leaders over the temple had forgotten why the temple was built in the first place. Which was a dwelling place for God’s presence and prayer not a marketing opportunity for worldly profit.

As we walk through and study scripture, we soon learn that we are actually the temple of the living God because Christ’s spirit dwells in our hearts when we receive Him. Together we become the “body of Christ”. Driving out anything that compromises the focus of who we belong to is challenging but necessary to keep our focus on God’s plan and purpose for our lives, as well as the sweet fellowship available to us with Him 24/7.

The “thief” which is the devil comes to rob, kill and destroy us. He does not want us to succeed in God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Remember in week 1 when we talked about distractions? Those distractions can turn into real problems that stand between you and the doorway to God’s “temple”, His glory, His wisdom, His power, His presence and His purpose for your life. We must be proactive in order to drive out the thief of our purpose.

What “thieves” market themselves in the doorway of your “temple”? Who or what needs to be driven out so that you can get to doing and being all that God has purposed you to be?

“Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Lord, I pray that as we address the thieves and anything marketing itself above You in our lives that we identify it, drive it out and run to You.
And now I pray this over yourself:
As long as I have breath, I have purpose. Lord, help me learn what that is and help me drive out anything from the doorstep to the inside of my temple that keeps me from You and Your presence. Amen

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #HolyWeek

Nobody Makes It Out Alive: Intro Week 2 The Battle Belongs To the Lord

1“I thank you, Lord, and with all the passion of my heart I worship you in the presence of angels! Heaven’s mighty ones will hear my voice as I sing my loving praise to you. 2 I bow down before your divine presence and bring you my deepest worship as I experience your tender love and your living truth. For your Word and the fame of your name have been magnified above all else! 3 At the very moment I called out to you, you answered me! You strengthened me deep within my soul and breathed fresh courage into me. 4 One day all the kings of the earth will rise to give you thanks when they hear the living words that I have heard you speak.” Psalm 138:1-4 MSG

It is interesting to me that Jesus’s triumphant entry into what we now know as Holy Week was in actuality to battle for our lives. While the crowds shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”,with their palm branches waving in the air. But we would soon learn that this king was not to sit on an earthly throne but would soon be back on his heavenly throne to prepare a place for his lost beloved. But first, He had to win a battle on our behalf. A battle for the very eternal souls he created. The ones he created for eternal fellowship and relationship with him. Jesus knew what he needed to do. He knew why he came. He knew what the next 7 days were leading to. Three days in the grave is nothing to him to save his beloved. Though he had great joy to lay down his life for all of creation, he knew this earthly body would endure a level of pain that would be unimaginable to the average person. But for God, it was necessary. It was necessary for us to see we cannot endure the pains, trials, tragedies and traumas of this world without him. We needed to see that even the grave could not hold him down. That the uncreated one who created us was the only one qualified to win this battle.

When you read the psalm above from David, know that though he never walked with Jesus himself, he worshiped God like he already witnessed the day that Jesus, the Messiah, Yeshua would defeat his enemies. Oh, to have gratitude like that before it happens. Imagine the battles we would move out of the way of and watch our Jesus conquer them. Imagine trusting God like that before those prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled. I want that kind of gratitude, don’t you?

When things are not looking so good. When you don’t know what to do or pray or say. That is when we gaze into the eyes of Jesus entering his battle on our behalf to a crowd that appeared to love him at first, but by the end of the week would go from shouting, “Hosannah in the highest!” waving their palm branches, yet in just a blink of an eye, shaking their fists at him, screaming, “Crucify him!”.

We still do that to him today. When things are going well, we praise him, when things do not go our way, we curse and blame him for the devil’s work. Yet, Jesus battles on for us, despite us.

Lord I pray we trust him in the battle, that we praise him through the battle and that we trust him with more battles. More important than that is that we accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

“5 They too will sing of your wonderful ways, for your ineffable glory is great! 6 For though you are lofty and exalted, you stoop to embrace the lowly. Yet you keep your distance from those filled with pride. 7 By your mighty power I can walk through any devastation, and you will keep me alive, reviving me. Your power set me free from the hatred of my enemies. 8 You keep every promise you’ve ever made to me! Since your love for me is constant and endless, I ask you, Lord, to finish every good thing that you’ve begun in me!”— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭138:5-8‬ ‭TPT

‬‬#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week2 #Battle

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