Isaiah 38 - 4.4.23

SCIPTURE:  Isaiah 38:1-6  "In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death.  The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."  Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, "Remember, Lord, how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in Your eyes."  And Hezekiah wept bitterly."

"THEN the word of the Lord came to Isaiah:  "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears: I will add fifteen years to your life...".

OBSERVATION:  God heard Hezekiah's prayer, and He answered it by allowing him to escape death and live another fifteen years! He who was on the brink of death, got grace from God, and his prayer was miraculously answered!  

APPLICATION:  This portion of Scripture inspired me to once again realize the incredible power of prayer!  WHEN we depend on God and WAIT on Him to answer our prayers, we are able to rest assured that He will do what He knows best, and at the proper time He will move on our behalf.  So, what was the key to Hezekiah getting his prayer answered?  1)  He loved and obeyed God, and he had a powerful prayer life.  2)  He trusted the Lord.  3)  He depended on GOD'S results.  

The moment Isaiah brought Hezekiah the bad news about his impending death, Hezekiah didn't wait to go to God.  He IMMEDIATELY turned to God in prayer!  

I love what Pastor Levi taught last Sunday; After we pray, God either causes the situation to change, OR the situation remains the same while God changes us!  Well in Hezekiah's case, God miraculously changed the situation!

PRAYER:  Oh Lord, There are so many testimonies throughout history of how You have answered countless prayers.  When the bad news comes my way, I pray that my first response will be to run to You first.  I desire to be like Hezekiah - Yeah, he had his faults and human weaknesses, but he was a man who loved You and trusted You.  He held fast to You, and didn't stop following You, and his complete dependence on You was rewarded by a miraculous answer to his prayer!

- Robin Orefice

Psalm 32 - 4.3.23

Scripture

Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”

Observation

In this psalm David writes about the joy that comes when being forgiven of your sins. It is like a HUGE weight being lifted off of your shoulders. But this joy only comes when we confess our sins to God, and repent from them. If we are able to do that, it leads to restoration and growth. But when there is no admission of sin, our relationship with God remains strained, and we feel that heavy burden laying on our shoulders because of God’s hand of discipline laying on us-(Psalm 32:1-4).

So why try to hide, bury our guilt, and be weighed down from it? Why not live a life filled with joy, and that is guilt free? Why not choose to run to God daily and confess our sins? I’m sure we too will experience that freedom and joy David experienced when we learn to run to God to confess and repent from our sins. 😊

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” -1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭

Application

Freely confess our sins to God and He will freely forgive us of our sins.

Make sure whenever we pray each day, to confess our sins to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sins we may have. Ask God for forgiveness from our sins. Then repent from our sins. Finally, experience the joys and freedoms from being completely forgiven. Don’t let the enemy try to fool you and shame you into trying to hide and run away from God. Rather, have faith knowing God yearns for that restored relationship with us. He is waiting for us with open arms. ❤️

Prayer

Father God I come to You today to thank You for your forgiveness. Thank You for Your grace and mercy that You surround me with each day. Thank You for for sending Jesus to die on that cross for my sins so that I may have a restored relationship with You. I ask and pray that You forgive me of my sins. Forgive me of the things I may do, say, and even think that offend You. Reveal to me any unconfessed sins that may be hidden from me so I may ask You for forgiveness and repent from those sins as well. May I walk in faith and confidence knowing that I can always run to You whenever I fall short of Your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

2 Corinthians 8 - 3.31.23

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

…you through His poverty might become rich.

With resurrection Sunday right around the corner, my Lord, it is hard for me not to get a tad emotional thinking about what your sacrifice meant for us. With all that goes on in a church’s lifetime - and in a person’s for that matter - it is so humbling when you let the life, love, and ministry of Jesus Christ take a firm hold on the perspective of your own heart.

The church in Corinth had experienced some sort of growing pain (or a lack of growth which leads to pain!). The apostle Paul recognized that. The church had been headed in the direction of growth in Christ, but something happened. The project, the attitude, the heart of the church had shifted enough that the apostle Paul felt that encouragement along with action was necessary. Titus, with their brothers in Christ, were on their way.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

I love the way the apostle Paul was able to point out the fatal flaw regarding this particular collection project in the church of Corinth. They didn’t understand true wealth or true poverty! He challenged them to see how “wealthy” Jesus was and he traded that for poverty so that we through Him might become rich!!

Lord, I will let go of my belief that money is what makes me rich! Today I will go above and beyond and give more than what is required of me.

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Lord, may my wealth not be found in the world, but solely in You. Thank you for giving me this opportunity at the vastness of resources that is You. Thank you for your love for us. Thank you for your love for me. Thank you for agape. May all the glory and honor go to you Lord.

In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.

-kenneth lee