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 5 Focus Day 2 Identity

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:13-16‬ ‭MSG‬‬

God, You, created us with such great joy and delight. You loaned us to our family for a season until we would be with You in paradise. What a concept. To fully identify with this verse and believe it is a huge milestone in our faith-walk level of maturity. Not to just see these verses as poetic masterpieces but to see ourselves as the Uncreated One’s living, breathing, reflection of His favorite design.

Maybe your parents encouraged you in believing that you are loved, purposed and valued. Maybe your parents made you feel like a mistake, a burden or unwanted. Either way, you and I were on loan to them.

You are not a mistake. You were made for a specific purpose by God before he began to shape your baby toe. The rest of the world may not understand your place in this world but it’s not their job to figure that out, it’s yours. Once you do, your whole view will go from darkness to light.

Lord, help us look to eternal You for our identity rather than this temporary world. This is not our final destination, You are. Help us identify, with Your guidance, who we are to you and why that matters. May we never accept the lie of being a mistake or unwanted, by people that were supposed to love us. May we be grateful for those that pointed us to You. Amen.

“See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive Week 5 Focus Day 1 My God

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1-4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Who is God to me? Have you ever really pondered the relationship you have with God or the depth of it? If someone were to ask you who God is and why do you believe in Him, do you have an answer? I pray you do, and if you don’t, I pray that you study His character, His integrity and His heart, until you sense His heart beat as you lean against His chest. I pray you feel the very breath in your lungs from Him as you sense His cheek against your cheek. I pray that He becomes the safe place that you run to instead of thinking He’s an angry God that you have to run from, every time you mess up.

My God, our God is the uncreated one who created every living thing with a few simple sentences. But for us, His beloved, He formed us with His very hands and breathed life into our lungs. We are His image bearers with His very fingerprints engraved in our skin as He shaped us ever so delicately before placing us in our mother’s womb. How precious the thought and care He took to design each of us. No one, no not one, will love me, like my God, my Creator and my Savior. My God created the light to consume the darkness before He would allow me to be here. My God has been providing an environment for me to thrive in long before I got here.

Lord, I pray that we do not miss the details in which you brought us to life to have a relationship with You. That every detail of the preparations You made to provide us everything we need for an abundant life here, while on this temporary journey. How much more do we have to look forward to, when we get to heaven? Heaven, where sin and death are defeated for all of eternity. Help us, Lord, keep our eyes on You and what you have created so that we have that hope, that light inside of us to share with others. 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 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.

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 5 Embrace the present

“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship GOD.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Every day we wake up here on this earth we we wake up with a choice. Will we embrace the day with God as the leader or the co-pilot?

We cannot embrace this day, fully seize the day if we do not understand the mission. Like I have stated before, we are on loan to the world until our creator calls us home to heaven. Each day we are given here on earth has purpose. A very specific, intentionally-designed purpose, a journey designed just for you. You will impact other people and their journey. Embracing your daily moment means putting God in the driver’s seat of the day while learning and living out your purpose. If you have not learned what your purpose is then that is step one. Find out what makes you feel alive and accomplished. Find out what keeps you going when everything in you wants to quit.

The best way to find out what your purpose is, is to get out of the driver’s seat first thing, the minute you open your eyes, before you pull the covers back or your feet hit the ground, simply offer God the driver’s seat and get out of His way. Humbly seek His will for the day. You will be surprised at how quickly God leads you in the best of the best scenic routes in life. Will there be bumpy roads along the way? Yes. Will there be some fatalities? Yes. But wrapping your arms around God while He is driving is much safer than taking your hands off the wheel to reach for God in the middle of life’s crisis’s.

You are more equipped to face this day than you give yourself credit for. God is right there, ready to take the keys so you can enjoy the view, learn the best route and reach your final destination. God is such a gentleman and believes in the freedom to choose Him out of sheer trust and love, that He’s not going to snatch those keys out of your hand.

Lord, we can be such control freaks that rather than embrace our days we put a white-knuckle-grip on them. Help us choose You and rest in handing over our keys and let You take us where we need to go. Whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically, we choose You to lead the way. This world is full of distractions, detours and even disasters but when I choose to embrace You, I choose to embrace my days with eternity in mind. Amen.

‬‬ “My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-18‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Nobody Makes It Out Alive. Week 4 Nothing wasted Day 4 Accept the past

“If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:8-10‬ ‭CEB‬‬

If we are to accept our past, we must admit to what has happened and face it. I have also learned that holding onto any unforgiveness towards myself, God, or other people will cause my mind to give that person or situation free rent space in my head.

If we are focused on the things from the past, that we cannot change, it robs us of giving attention to our present moments that actually have the most potential for better choices. In this present moment, we have the opportunity to apply what we have learned from the past rather than repeat the mistakes we have made. However, if we beat ourselves up over what we have done in the past, it will take up mental space to accomplish what we can do with our present moment.

We cannot talk about accepting the past without discussing the injustice, abuse and unfair treatment from others. Especially, those that were supposed to love us or vowed to be there for us forever. Betrayal like that hurts, causes wounds in the heart that are hard to process. Those wounds become battle scars for the next battle. I hope this gives you a little groundwork for healing when I share this about forgiveness.

Let me tell you what forgiveness does not mean:

It does not mean that what happened is okay with you or that you condone the behavior.
It does not mean that you have to keep a relationship with this person.
It does not mean that they are set free.
What it does mean:
You do trust God to bring justice to the situation and allow the battle to belong to the Lord.
You get to set the boundaries. You are in total control of how, if at all, this person is back in your life.
You get that free rent space back in your head so you can live your best life, right now. You are free.

Lord, there are no secrets between us, yet we keep things from you as if there were. Help us include you in our offenses from the sin in our own lives as well as the unfairness, injustice and hurts brought in our lives from others. Help us forgive quickly, accept our past for what it is and live in the present with wiser perspective. Amen.

“Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:31-32‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬‬

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

#jointhejourney #writer #journey #author #khoward #k4gsus #beautifullybroken #nobodymakesitoutalive #devotional #seizetheday #week4 #nothingwasted #live #present

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

Lenting along

Does anyone else feel like they’re just lenting along with the believer crowd, during this time of year? Though I’ve participated for many years, I didn’t want to mimic the catholic version but rather to truly consider the next 40 days in Jesus’s shoes. I did a little research, realized that the penance motivation of the believer is nothing compared to the penance of the one who never sinned, Jesus.

Christ fasted and prayed as he approached the cross on our behalf, because of our sin. And even if I chose to walk out these 40 days the exact same way that He did, I would never make the cut to hang on that cross and redeem all of mankind. Absolutely, profound.

We believers can lent around with somber faces over giving up modern day conveniences all we want but at the end of the day, I’m not going to call that a sacrifice compared to Jesus’s endurance of the cross.

I refuse to reduce the days of lenting around with fellow believers as my sacrifice to God’s redemptive plan for me. I won’t even call it gratitude for what He’s done for me. What I will do is allow the disruption to my normal routine and my full belly to remember what He did and still gave me the option to choose.

If you want to lent around with me, this is what I’m doing for the next 40 days. I’m disrupting my daily routine of coffee, read/write/study and ending my night with reading and ice cream with this:

1. Fast all coffee, ice cream and first two meals replaced with protein drink, but keep dinner with family. No devices at the table no matter what is going on with work.

2. Start the day with a shower and dressed for the day. (This is kind of big one though it may not seem like it, since I work from home)

3. Read the word and journal whatever comes to mind. Keeping a prayer journal for the things I’m fasting and praying for. I want to experience a move of God in my life and the people I’m praying for.

It’s simple but a completely different routine for me. I want to wake up each day with the mentality of, “I’m ready to do Your will today, Lord. Whether it’s here in my home, or prepared to walk out the door with no notice. I want to remember that the tomb is empty, you have risen, you are alive, you are preparing a place for me, you are coming back for me.”

I would love to hear how you are spending the next 40 days?

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