“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.11.6.ESV
“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.5.5.ESV
“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.17.14.ESV
THERE IS NO ONE, NO THING LIKE OUR GOD
There will be a day when mercy and judgement kiss. On that glorious day we will know peace at a level that we’ve not ever experienced.
God is the lion of Judah who has and will conquer our enemy for all of eternity;
He is equally the lamb who was slain that redeemed me from the hands of death, the evil one, the sin that taunts me even on today, and my God, that Lion of Judah, that pure spotless Lamb, will rule and reign forever more.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” Joel 2:12-13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jol.2.12-13.ESV
Day 5 – Repentance & Cleansing
Scripture: Joel 2:12–13
Why: Fasting is often paired with repentance—not to earn forgiveness, but to realign with grace.
Day 4 – Spiritual Hunger“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.6.ESV
Scripture: Matthew 5:6
Why: Physical hunger trains the soul to recognize its deeper need for righteousness.
Prompt: What does my soul hunger for more than food?
“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel 9:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.9.3.ESV
Why: Scripture ties fasting to humility; it lowers the soul so God may be exalted.
Prompt: Where do I need to humble myself before the Lord?
“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?” Zechariah 7:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/zec.7.5.ESV
Why: Biblical fasting redirects motivation—from self-discipline to God-dependence.
Prompt: Am I fasting to change God’s hand or to change my heart?
12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. (Daniel 10:12 ESV)
Over the next 21 days we will seek together, a deeper understanding of Daniel 10:12.
Day 1 – Consecration Begins
Scripture: Daniel 1:8
“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” Daniel 1:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.1.8.ESV
Why: Fasting begins with a decision of the heart. Daniel’s fast was not about diet alone, but devotion—choosing holiness over comfort.
Prompt: What convictions is God asking me to set in my heart before this fast begins?
“Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.” John 16:19-20 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.16.19-20.MSG
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
“Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, ‘Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, “In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me”? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.’” John 16:19-20 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.16.19-20.MSG)
Jesus tried to prepare His disciples through parables, teachings, shared meals, and ministry to the sick, but even the twelve closest to Him missed His message. He declared His purpose and fulfilled it. The night before Easter may have been silent on earth, but Heaven rejoiced as Jesus took His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, His earthly mission complete.
The Crucifixion: A Dark Day
“By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, ‘Father, I place my life in your hands!’ Then he breathed his last.” Luke 23:44-46 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.44-46.MSG)
Jesus breathed His last on earth and took His next breath in Heaven. What we see in the natural world doesn’t reflect the supernatural work done on our behalf. While the world mourned, Jesus conquered the devil, reclaimed what was stolen, recovered the keys of death (Revelation 1:18), paid our ransom with His blood, and canceled our debt with His life. The Bible isn’t just a story of Jesus’s life—it reveals why we were created, why the world is broken, and how God made a way for us to return to Him. It’s the greatest love story ever told, showing His abundant love for us before we even knew Him.
The Weight of Sin
“All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.” Luke 23:48-49 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.48-49.MSG)
The crowd that crucified Jesus soon realized they may have killed an innocent man. As Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” We must be mindful of the crowds we follow. If their values don’t align with the Bible, they’ll lead us down a destructive path. If I had to choose, I’d have been among those clutching onto Jesus’s last words, watching His prophecy unfold through tear-filled eyes.
Preparing for the Resurrection
“The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.” Luke 23:55-56 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.55-56.MSG)
Forty days ago, I began preparing for this pivotal moment in history—Resurrection Day. You can deny it, but that doesn’t erase its significance. Historical evidence, both in the Bible and from sources like Josephus and Tacitus, confirms Jesus’s existence. Over 2,000 years of generations have passed down the impact of His life. I choose to stand with the Jesus-following crowd.
The Empty Tomb: He Is Risen!
The story doesn’t end in the graveyard.
“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.” Luke 24:1-3 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.24.1-3.MSG)
Jesus was not there—the tomb was empty! He had told them they would grieve, but joy would follow. He did exactly as He promised. Believers should have been in awe, not surprised, as they witnessed the fulfillment of His words. God has a plan for us today: if we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, death loses its sting, and we are not separated forever but only for a little while. God is so good.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
“They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: ‘Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.’ So he went in with them… He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him… While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’… He showed them his hands and feet… He took [fish] and ate it right before their eyes.” Luke 24:28-31, 33-43 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.24.28-43.MSG)
Friends, Jesus is who He says He is. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and when He does, say YES! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. God isn’t mad at you—He’s madly in love with you, having gone to extraordinary lengths to prove it through the cross and resurrection.
What does Easter mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/php.4.6-7.MSG
It seems as though telling myself not to fret or worry, seems a bit unrealistic. However, if God says to not do it, then what do I do instead, and how do I put this into practical application?
Theses are the steps, I believe, convert our/my worries into prayers and into conversations with God instead.
Believe God is listening: In order to believe God is listening we must believe that He exists to lead and guide us. “Look at this: look Who got picked by God! He listens the split second I call to him.” Psalms 4:3 MSG “I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.” Psalms 77:1 MSG
Believe God is for us: God loves us. He truly wants what’s best for us. “Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities. Psalms 118:5-7MSG
BelieveGod sees us: God already knows what we struggle with, what we celebrate and sees us. He is watching, waiting to be invited into, not only our struggles, but our celebrations too. “God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!” Psalms 139:1-6 MSG
Believe God is who He says He is: This is probably the most important step. The previous three steps are much more challenging to apply if we don’t simply take God at His word, in His Word. “If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.” 1 John 5:9-10 MSG “The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.” 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 MSG “What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it’s as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that’s what you ordered—you set the earth going. If your revelation hadn’t delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I’ll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words. Save me! I’m all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom. The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I’m only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands!” Psalms 119:89-96 MSG
Believe for Salvation: It is crucial that we believe that Christ died for our eternal salvation. That He came so that we can be with Him for all of eternity. “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.” John 3:16-18 MSG
Believe you have Access to the presence of God: The Holy Spirit is the person of God that leads us while we wait for Christ to return. This encounter with God, counters every lie and misleading of this lost world. “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 3:19-21 MSG
Believe prayer is talking directly to God. Prayer is our direct line to God in heaven. Our CEO, HR and advocate all wrapped into one. There is no being put on hold or AI generated phone service, He speaks in every language (because He designed us and every language that represents us), He sees you, He hears you and is eager to guide you on the perfect plan and purpose for your life. Below are some verses on prayer: “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” James 5:16-18 MSG “God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.” Proverbs 15:8 MSG “God keeps his distance from the wicked; he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.” Proverbs 15:29 MSG “God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.” Psalms 141:1-2 MSG “I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms— I’m celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers.” Psalms 13:5-6 MSG
I am truly leaving today’s blog with such encouragement of these collection of verses. I pray that we each have a God-encounter, that we take prayer more serious but also more reachable and accessible than we did before. That today is a day that we celebrate the access we have to God, to His Plan and Purpose for our individual lives and for the corporate good of the Church. That prayer is a first thought to our day not a last resort to life’s problems. Amen!
““Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won’t be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!”” Isaiah 12:2 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/isa.12.2.MSG
We’re reading this book for one of my classes & this is what I want more than anything: I hope I read, meditate on, ponder, “Selah”, the Bible with the same confidence in my identity in Christ, as Jesus did when He read the prophecies that were being fulfilled, in His lifetime, by His very existence. #Identity #Truth #God #Selah #Bible
“It is only when you understand the transcendence of God that you see how amazing his immanence is, and what a huge privilege it is to be able to enjoy intimate friendship with God.”
The Bible with Nick and Pippa Gumble, Classic version 2025, day 33
We get to have an intimate relationship and friendship with God.
Transcendence means: God exists apart from, and is not subject to the limitations of, the material universe. He is above and beyond, surpassing and excelling, greatly superior to us.
Immanence means: it is possible to experience his immediate friendship.
What that spoke to me was, God doesn’t need me, He wants to be in my life, just because of the me He created, to be a deep, intimate friend to Him. He owes me nothing. He gave me life.
The real question is: “What will I do with the gift of life, He gave me?” Knowing that He did not HAVE to create me or you, but He did. Knowing this, leads to the realization that you and I must have a purpose. The meaning of that gift of life given to you and me, is to find out why & then use every ounce of breath we have in our lungs doing exactly that.
Psalms 25:14-15 the Message
Lord, You are my creator as well as my best friend. Help me remember that if and when I lose sight of that. Amen.
Give it all…“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.3.20.ESV
Sundays are my favorite day of the week. I get to go worship the one true God that has led me through my darkest hour yet also has shared in my joy in my most celebrated moments. He is truly my most prized possession.
I don’t deserve it, I couldn’t earn any of it, yet here I am emptying all my junk on Him while He pours out mercy, love and grace to me. Sundays, I get to celebrate this God who is not mad at me, but madly in love with me, with other believers.
It’s mind blowing that He, the uncreated one who created everything…
“Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.” Psalms 22:3-5 BSB https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.22.3-5.BSB
Today, is a great day to go be with people that believe what God says, about everything. We need His guidance, His wisdom, His direction. Today, I challenge you to go to church.
What have we come to as a nation when we call good evil and evil good?
After the attempted assassination of our former president, Donald J Trump, I saw posts making light of it. Some even said it was staged after one innocent bystander was killed by a stray bullet and two others are in critical condition.
We can do better than this. I believe that when a nation honors God, Biblical principles and has a conscience for truth, we do better.
Let’s take our eyes off political opponents, media hype, misleading headlines and simply look up. God does not need to be found, He needs to be invited into our mess so He can clean it up.
Would you consider inviting God into your mess today?
As an American writer and Christian, I must pause, every year to reflect on my religious freedoms. Many people that I’ve met throughout the years have shared their fight to acquire these freedoms that I have never been without.
With that introduction as a backdrop, I am here to express my sincere gratitude for my country, my faith, my church and my family. The United States is not perfect. We still experience growing pains from remaining to be the melting pot of the world. I want to thank everyone prior to me that fought for the freedoms my family and I enjoy to this day.
I highly recommend listening to Max McClean’s reading of the Declaration of the United States of America.
“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 3:19-21 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.3.19-21.MSG
Nothing but the rest of God’s promises wake us up to how truly evil darkness is. Like the sun that rises every morning pushes back the darkness, so does God’s light; as we allow it to enter in our hearts and push out the sin, often done in the dark.
Once we understand that darkness only exists in the absence of light, it is then, and only then, that we understand that we have the power and authority to let the light in.
My prayer for us today is that we choose to let the light of God’s love, truth and promises open up the floodgates of light, to expose, push back and push out every dark space in our lives so that we can illuminate in God’s light. So that we can be a light that leads others to God’s light. In Jesus name, AMEN!
What steps can you take today to welcome God’s light into your life?
As I read my daily devotional, I take notice of this habit that took me years to form. Reading God’s word inspires me to write from the heart and live out the life that God promises me.
I’m starting to get an understanding that obedience is far more valuable to God and my’s relationship, than sacrifice. Ultimately my obedience is a sacrifice. When I obey, I sacrifice the desires of my sinful nature, the ability, to sabotage the promises God has for me. Obedience over sacrifice. It’s a way of living. It’s a decision to follow Christ, to follow His character, until I reflect who He is in me.
Living to please God instead of people is a result of my daily indulgence in His living word. This lifestyle was bread out of committing to my daily time with God, as well as studying, memorizing and meditating on the Bible.
What has been your source of nurturing your relationship with God?
Thinking about this verse this morning as I grieve the loss of my cousin, Jesse. His sweet kind soul, did not deserve to be entangled in our dysfunctional mess of a family.
As we become determined not to repeat the cycles of our dysfunctional family, never underestimate the damage that is done but furthermore never underestimate God and His redemptive love as He teaches us how to break these cycles.
The emotional and mental carnage should be the motivation of our dedication to change gears so that our children will rise above the ashes of that dysfunction.
We can’t change the past but we can surely work on our present. Do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Maximize the God in you, so He can shine through you, which leads to impacting those around you.
We as a community, especially those engrossed in social media platforms, have gotten too comfortable fact checking, comparing, and just overall sticking our nose in, other people’s business.
The Bible speaks of a woman caught in the act of adultery. She was used by the Pharisees to put Jesus on the spot to act on the law at that time. But Jesus had a different plan to rehabilitate this offender. The law said she was to be stoned to death but mercy said, “He who has never sinned, cast the first stone,” John 8:6-8
We need to be careful to hold ourselves as accountable as we would others.
They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.
6 Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. John 8:6-8 (CSB Version)
Lord, we need to hold ourselves accountable more than we do others. Amen,
Just when the enemy thought he’d won, the stone began to roll, Jesus rose with a good morning stretch, folded His grave clothes, and placed them on the alter. (My paraphrase)
You may feel defeated but thank God feelings are not fact. They are simply an indicator to what’s going on inside your heart and soul. Like the indicator light on the dashboard of a vehicle. The fact is, we win with Jesus. Every time, every day, every circumstance. Not even death could hold Him down, darkness cannot comprehend His light. Defeat is impossible when all things are possible with Jesus.
Today is a great day to resurrect the living God in your heart.
Prayer
Lord, I believe that You were born of a virgin, sent by God the Father, to conquer sin and death for me. You were crucified, and on the third day, You rose from the dead. You ascended onto heaven and are preparing a place for all who believe! I believe! Help me with my doubt as I walk this out! In Jesus name, amen!
And take the salvation for your head-dress and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…
The head-dress or helmet of salvation is the next piece of armor, coupled with the sword/word that we put on for the day.
Where is your head today? Did you make a covenant with the truth that comes from salvation through Jesus Christ? Is your mind renewed by the reading of the the Word? Have you made a deal with your eyes, ears and mouth to line them up with godly principles? The helmet of salvation covers the mind, eyes, ears, nose and mouth of the believer.
The sword of the Spirit, that is the word of God, defends the Truth in and for you. You have to read it to believe it. You have to know it to walk in it. You have to be it to give it to someone else.
Lord, I place the helmet of salvation over my mind, my eyes, my ears and my mouth to make Your Truth, my truth. I pray that when I smell danger or temptation that I run from it, lord. I take the sword of the Spirit that is the living and active Word of God to defend the Truth in ever situation. Lord, reveal Your Truth in me through mercy and grace of Your love through Salvation for my. In Jesus name, amen.
Besides all (these, having taken the shield of faith) with which ye will be able to quench all the inflamed arrows of the wicked one.
How much faith does it take to quench all the inflamed darts of the wicked one? The disciples asked a similar question in Matthew 17:19, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?” Their “it” was disease and a mental disorder. What is your “it’? Jesus answered in verse 20 (my paraphrase); because of your unbelief or in other versions because of your little faith. According to verses 20 & 21 of the same chapter, we need 3 elements to move a mountain of trouble:
Faith of a mustard seed. FYI, you could fit a mustard seed on the end of a sharpened pencil.
Prayer is simply communication with God
Fasting is a sacrifice to the flesh but obedience to the spirit.
It seems to me that it takes a step towards to God to have God take a step towards the “its” in our life. When God moves towards “it”, it is moved. Here’s the thing though, don’t we sometimes want to control “it”. We want to decide where “it” goes, how it “goes”. I think that unbelief can also represent distrust. Trust that the mountain or flaming darts of the evil one get moved or quenched, we are to trust that God has our best interest at heart.
Prayer
Lord, I pray that each one of us hide behind Your faithfulness in every situation. I want to trust you. I want to trust You more with the plan and purpose for my life; therefore I take up my shield of faith, which is ultimately You, Lord. I allow You, Lord access to ever fiery dart from the enemy that will quench it. I will stand in prayer as I watch You fight for me and be my protection from the evil one. I will make the necessary sacrifices in fasting and in laying down what You ask of me.
From the Depths of Kell 