Judgment; June 15, 2023

Posted on June 16, 2023 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 22:16 “When you have been defiled in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.'”

Two things impress me about this verse. The first is the widely divergent ways it can be translated. The NIV gives “When you have been defiled” in the main text, but in a footnote they indicate the way the Japanese translates it: “When I have given you the land of your inheritance.” Like many ancient languages, (including Biblical Greek) Hebrew had neither punctuation nor divisions between words in written text. Thus, dividing the written syllables differently could give extremely different meanings. Actually, Japanese is the same way, if you write it in just syllables. Thus, yakuzaishi, pharmacist, becomes yakuza ishi, a gangster doctor, just by the addition of a space. That’s why Japanese depends on Chinese characters, that have distinct meaning in and of themselves, to keep it all straight. Otherwise it degrades into unintelligible nonsense. Puns are inescapable! The other thing that struck me was that the day of reconning, whatever form it took, would bring knowledge that God is the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. The list of sins in the first part of the chapter is quite specific, and it is interesting how many of them are sexual. That really brings to mind the situation in America today. It is interesting but not surprising that those most involved in such sins are very likely to try to deny that God is indeed the Lord, because they want to deny their accountability to Him. As Paul famously made very clear, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7) As the Bible makes clear throughout, every individual will have to stand before God at the end of their time on earth, whether they had acknowledged Him previously or not, and they will receive their “inheritance” in full, whether they want it or not. The biggest miracle of the Gospel is that for those who have committed themselves to Jesus Christ in faith, God has already decided a “not guilty” verdict, and that’s what makes it the best news in the world.

Of course, I face that end-of-life moment just like everyone else. I am extremely grateful that I have known the Gospel from childhood and have submitted myself to its conditions. That’s far from saying I have lived a sinless life; I am as dependent on the grace of God as anyone else. However, I know that grace is there, and I have received it in countless ways, though not yet in the final, full measure. I have committed my life to letting others know that grace is available, and it is a huge joy when someone repents and believes. I am to pray for them and keep speaking the truth in love to them, leaving the decision of commitment between them and God, because I can save no one in my own strength or wisdom.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the news the other day that someone I ministered to several years ago wants to be baptized by me. That came as a shock, but a very happy one. I pray that You would take every word You speak through me and bring it to fruition in Your time, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Salvation; June 14, 2023

Posted on June 15, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 39:18 “‘I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.'”

Ebed-Melech the Cushite, to whom this was addressed, was a person with no genetic connection to Abraham, far from his ancestral home, who had quite possibly been a slave before he had risen in the ranks because of his ability. However, he knew truth when he heard it, character when he saw it, and he had rescued Jeremiah from a potentially deadly situation. (Jeremiah 38:7-13) The Lord knew his heart and why he had been kind to Jeremiah, and this verse expresses the response to that. Lots of people are never recorded by name in the Bible, and few of those recorded have entirely favorable things said about them, but Ebed-Melech made the cut. That he would not be slaughtered might seem like a small consolation, but many were not so fortunate, as verse six makes clear. In the final analysis we don’t know people’s hearts the way God does, so His judgments are always just and righteous. The New Testament is very, very clear that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by “merit points” earned by “checking boxes.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We are to proclaim the message of God’s love and salvation and invite people to “Repent and believe the good news,” (Mark 1:15) but God is the One who saves people, and indeed, knows who is saved and who is not. We often don’t know who cries out to the Lord before it’s too late. What we can do is give them the information to be able to do so if that is their heart, as was evidently the case with Ebed-Melech.

I have committed my life to sharing the Gospel with the Japanese, but I cannot say definitively who has been saved through that. Recently my wife has been compiling a list, with pictures, of all the people who have been associated with this church over the past 42 years. Some of those were Christians before we met them, some were baptized here, and some were never baptized, despite fairly close association. I keep coming back to something Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” (John 13:20) I do not know all that means, how far it extends. Ebed-Melech was saved in a temporal sense because he trusted the Lord enough to rescue His prophet. That makes me think I’ll see him in heaven. Many people have been kind to us, and some specifically because we represented Christ. And Jesus said they will not “lose their reward.” (Mark 9:41) what that means, I have to leave in His hands.

Father, the whole question of salvation is in many ways “above my pay grade,” as the saying goes. Help me in no way dilute the message, wandering into universalism, but keep me also from putting people into boxes. May I be a faithful steward of Your Word, allowing You to do through me whatever You please, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rebellion Against God; June 13, 2023

Posted on June 14, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:32 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.'”

Speaking against what God is saying has consequences, not only for the individual but for their descendants. I was seeing a headline just yesterday about churches that are having “pride” events this month. I didn’t read the article, but just the headline made me quite sad. It’s one thing when secular organizations spout the devil’s lies, but it’s quite another when supposedly Christian organizations do so. America, and specifically the Church in America, is going to have scars for a long time. The devil in his craftiness is making us think that standing up for Biblical standards is being “hateful,” when it is no more hateful than telling someone not to take heroin because it will do them in. The groundwork for all of this was laid by convincing the average person that there was no absolute truth, that everything was subjective. Try telling a nuclear physicist that! Regardless, we are at the place of speaking of “your truth” and “my truth,” instead of God’s truth. Whether we realize it or not, that is preaching rebellion against God, and just as Shemaiah was punished, so will we be, if we parrot the devil’s lies.

I am grateful to have been raised before the current level of nonsense, but even my own children have been influenced by it. I didn’t imagine that such a rejection of absolute standards would become so widespread, so I didn’t prepare my children sufficiently to stand against it. However, I have seen other cases where people went very far afield and still returned to the Lord, much as the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, and my own children have not lost their faith. I am not to despair, but keep speaking God’s truth in love to all who will receive it. After all, when that truth penetrates, it sets people free. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for Your grace. We all need it! I pray that I would be an effective communicator of Your truth, Your holiness, Your love and Your grace, so that many may receive it, repent, and believe for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prosperity; June 12, 2023

Posted on June 13, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:7 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Most people think they want peace and prosperity, but a lot of them don’t act like it. Some people seem to always want to be some­where other than where they are. This verse is a word from the Lord through Jeremiah, but it also seems like common sense – which is all too uncommon! There are cities all over the world that are hell-holes or worse, but the residents don’t take the initiative to clean things up – including their elected leadership. Chicago is a case in point. They recently got rid of a failed, leftist mayor, only to elect someone whose policies are even more destructive. However, the principle in this verse applies to virtually every situation in which we find ourselves. You could replace “city” with “company” or “church” or even “family” and this verse would be equally applicable. God can guide and change even bad leaders, if we pray for them. We aren’t to be “complaint generators,” but rather change agents, and the first step to doing that right is always prayer. Our own plans almost always come with unintended consequences, so we need to pray and listen to what the Lord says to do. As verse 11 of this chapter famously says, God’s plans for us are good, so we need to seek Him for what they are and then apply ourselves to whatever part we have in their fulfillment.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I’ve been the pastor of this church for 39 years, but I’ve also done secular “tentmaking” for income. I feel like I could have done better about praying for those organizations that employed me, but I don’t think I’ve worked for their downfall. I’m happy to say that I have prayed for this city, and that it has indeed prospered in the years I have lived here. I pray also for the nation of Japan, and rejoice when it does well in various areas. During this period we have had lots of people who have left the church because of school and job changes, but we have also had some who have nursed irritations and then simply left, rather than following this verse. I’m to forgive them fully and pray for them, because the Body of Christ is far greater and more important than this one local church.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the prosperity that I feel You have granted. May I work and pray for more, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

False Prophets; June 11, 2023

Posted on June 12, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.”

We don’t think much about false prophets, but they certainly exist among us. We also don’t think much about how things were in the time of Jeremiah, with multiple prophets competing for attention. We ourselves would probably be somewhat dismissive of someone who was wearing a yoke on his neck, as Jeremiah obviously was. (verse 10) Even so, we need discernment as to who is speaking for the Lord and who is not, just as much as the people back then did. This has been a continuing issue for all of history, as Paul wrote, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3) People want to hear what they want to hear, and dismiss all other voices. A major problem today is that channels of communication are being controlled so that many people never have an opportunity to hear the truth, and so are controlled by lies. However, God is still working, and lies are being uncovered at a great rate. Some might protest that politics aren’t spiritual, but the issue over which Jeremiah and Hananiah clashed was certainly political. God cares about everything, and He desires truth to prevail everywhere.

Only in recent years have I become more interested in politics, and at the same time I know that our dependence must be on the Lord, and not on any human instrument. My awareness of the lies that are pushed on the general population has greatly heightened in the recent health scare. Those lies are still being uncovered, and various “experts” are still claiming they are true. The thing is, today we don’t need to depend on specific “prophets,” because God has made His Spirit available to all who will receive Him in repentance and faith. Every believer needs to submit the things they are told to the Lord and ask Him to show them which are true and which are not. Above all, we are not to be controlled by fear of anything other than the Lord Himself. The devil and those submitted to him love fear and use it as a weapon to attack and control others. As James said, I’ve got to submit to God alone, not to fear, and resist the devil, and teach others to do likewise. (James 4:7)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your plans for this morning’s service. I pray that each of us who share will speak Your truth indeed, defeating the lies of the enemy and building up our hearers, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Depending on God; June 10, 2023

Posted on June 11, 2023 by jgarrott

Jer 17:5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

The section from here through verse 14 doesn’t seem to fit what we expect when we think of Jeremiah. It’s kind of like it got misplaced from Psalms! However, it’s another indication that God says the same things to different people at different times. The fact that this seems so similar to Psalm 1 is no accident, because it is true, and God’s truth doesn’t change, whatever people say about it. This verse echoes many that talk about trusting in princes and the like, but it hit me slightly differently. We aren’t in trouble only when we trust in other people, we are in trouble when we trust our own flesh, our “natural abilities” as it were. The reason is that trusting in anything other than God deflects our attention away from the God who created us and gave us whatever abilities we might have. It is when we are most aware that we can’t go it alone that we are most likely to be close to our Creator. That’s precisely why God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) It is not uncommon for people with severe medical circumstances to be deeply in love with Jesus and spiritually intimate with Him to a remarkable degree. That is certainly true of Aldo McPherson, who helped write a book I just finished. He was severely injured in a traffic accident, but his experience of heaven while he was clinically dead did not end there, to the point that he meets with Jesus frequently, in dreams and in times of private worship. He has no reason whatsoever to trust in his flesh, and his trust in the Lord is truly awe-inspiring. When, or even whether, he will join his mother in speaking to large groups is up to the Lord, but his faith has been an example and inspiration to her, and to many others. This verse speaks of a curse, but being deprived of such fellowship with the Lord when it is actually available is a curse in itself.

I know I have been deeply challenged and motivated by reading that book, but the test comes in how much I let that change the way I think, speak, and live. I have a horrible track record of trusting in my flesh, particularly because there were so many things I could do, but advancing age is thankfully putting a damper on that. I need to be grateful when God enables me to do anything, and not complain when I find I can’t do something. I’m not to discount the abilities God has given me, but I must maintain sharp focus on the reality that it all comes from Him and is not generated by me. I am finishing up my school teaching this year, but there are many other things the Lord has for me to do. I need to create a mid-term test to be given next week and I need to start working on choosing the pictures to use in my August photo exhibit. I also need wisdom and skill in cropping and post-processing pictures as called for. I have some new tools for that that I need to learn well how to use. I know that God has already provided everything necessary for whatever He wants me to do, but I’ve got to be humble enough before Him to recognize His provision and apply it as He intends, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for how You continue to grow me. Thank You for Your patience with me. I would have given up on me a long time ago! May I indeed depend totally on You and not on myself or anything else, so that Your strength may indeed be manifested in my weakness, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Accountability; June 9, 2023

Posted on June 10, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 12:17 “But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.

Verse five of this chapter is justly famous as the Lord’s caution to Jeremiah about his being upset about what was happening or not happening to the unfaithful people around him, and I almost wrote on it. However, this verse struck me just now as being applicable to all the non-Jewish nations of the world today. The deciding point is whether any nation will listen to what God has said to mankind and choose to be obedient to Him. Jeremiah was upset about individuals around him who seemed to be prospering in their hypocrisy, and God is pointing out that not just individuals but whole nations are accountable for how they respond to Him. Like Jeremiah, we can be tempted to think that evil people and evil nations have it easier than we do, but God is pointing out that it’s all a matter of perspective. As Jesus pointed out, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) It’s not that things in this life are insignificant, but they certainly pale in comparison to eternity, on any scale. We are to seek for God’s rule and reign to be established in the here and now, (Matthew 6:33) but we must remember that our lifespan is essentially a blink on the scale of eternity. As I quote frequently, Paul had it right: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Envy has never been very big for me, and I’m grateful. I am indeed disturbed when people seem to get away with horrible stuff, and I desire that justice be done, but I think I am always aware that no one ultimately gets away with anything, because God is aware of it all, and He is perfectly holy and just. I remember the story of the horrible murderer who ran away after the crime into the Arizona desert. When his body was found days later, having died of thirst and exposure, the sheriff wrote on the legal record, “Remanded to a higher court.” I know, with great peace and joy, that those who have trusted in Christ as their righteousness have their slates wiped clean by His blood, but that is never to be an excuse for me to copy the unrighteous people around me. I desire above all to be found faithful, for the glory of my Lord.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for getting us back home safely last night, and for all You have said and done in these days. Help me be a good steward of all that You have allowed me to experience, so that I will keep growing as Your servant and Your child, for the blessing of those around me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What We Believe; June 8, 2023

Posted on June 10, 2023 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 7:8 “But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.”

Some people seem to have faith in faith, but actually it makes a huge difference what we believe. The Japanese have a proverb, “Even a sardine’s head can be an object of worship,” but a sardine’s head never saved anybody! As Paul said, we like to please our “itching ears,” but only God’s truth will set us free. The people of Judah in Jeremiah’s time were trusting in the temple as a “lucky talisman” to save them, but here that attitude is being directly disproved. They needed to be true to the God to whom the temple was dedicated, rather than trusting that the temple itself would save them. Today we have countless churches that follow their traditions and can’t understand why God doesn’t bless them, instead of seeking the God who is behind those traditions. It’s not necessarily that the traditions are bad, any more than the temple in Jerusalem was bad, but that people lose sight of the underlying reality and focus on essentially trivial things. God is calling the Bride of Christ back to her first love, just as He did the church in Ephesus in Revelation. (Revelation 2:4) Couples on the verge of divorce need to remember what attracted them to each other in the first place, and focus on what is important instead of on all the irritations that have crept in. God has not forgotten why He sent His Son to save us; we need to remember why we accepted His invitation, said yes to His proposal, as it were.

The book I just finished (Heaven and Hell, by Retha and Aldo McPherson) is very strong on this point, and the conference I’m attending is bringing it out as well. I have been “in the church,” so to speak, from my conception, and was baptized at age seven, so I’ve got plenty of tradition and habit piled up. I too need to examine what I’m trusting, to be sure my focus is on the Lord and not the traditions of men. At the same time, I’m not to be judgmental about traditions, throwing the baby out with the bath water, as the saying goes. There was a while when I wasn’t big on singing hymns, simply because they were “so old.” Some of them frankly aren’t worth much, but some are rich indeed, pointing us to things that are of vital importance that we must not forget. I’ve got to examine everything through the Lord’s eyes, as He gives me the ability, but still not trust that I personally have it all right. I have lived too long to still think I have a perfect handle on anything! As I point people to the God I know, standing on His Word, I need to be sure my focus is on Him and nothing less, remembering that He loves them as much as He does me, and He reveals Himself to each of us in slightly different ways. At this conference we have a large contingent from a church in Singapore to whom God has given a burden for Japan. Their perspective is naturally slightly different from mine, but we serve the same Lord, and they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am to serve our Lord in serving them, just as they are serving the Lord through serving the Japanese, so that the Body of Christ may be built up as He intends, not limited to any merely human conceptions.

Father, thank You for all You have done here in the past two days, and all You are going to do in this morning’s session. Thank You that my interpreting yesterday seems to have been a blessing, as imperfect as it was. I ask for hearing, understanding and anointing as I interpret again this morning, particularly since the person to whom I’m assigned speaks fast! May Your truth be communicated accurately in both languages, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Message; June 7, 2023

Posted on June 9, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 53;1 “Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

This is one of the most important chapters in the whole Bible, laying out God’s incredible plan of salvation hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. Verse 6 was one of the first verses I ever memorized, and rightly so. Verse 5 was rightly quoted by Peter as the basis for the healing we pray for today. (1 Peter 2:24) I have heard many testimonies of Jews realizing that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah from reading this chapter, because it so undeniably lays out His life and what He went through to gain our salvation. That’s why it’s significant that the chapter starts with this question. It’s interesting that English translations generally say “our message” here, but the Japanese says “what we have heard.” It is indeed the message that Christians proclaim, but it doesn’t originate with us. No human being could have dreamed up what God planned from Creation to make a way for us to be His children indeed. It is the highest honor to proclaim this message, but we must not think we originated it, or change it in any way. Any such changes quickly make it “another gospel,” to use Paul’s terminology. (Galatians 1:7) It has always been interesting to me that it speaks of Jesus having no physical descendants (verse 8) and then turns around and says He will “see His offspring” two verses later. On the physical level that’s impossible, but every genuine believer has experienced it spiritually. That’s just a further reminder that the spiritual world, though invisible to our physical eyes, is very real indeed. All in all, this chapter is a prime example of why Scripture is to be digested, meditated on, and applied, rather than just read for the words on the page.

As I said, I was exposed to this chapter very early in my life, but it is still working its way into me and growing. I need to believe it in practical terms more and more, and I desire to be useful to God in sharing the message so that others may believe it as well. It is a message of such incredible love, grace, mercy, and glory that I will never be able to express it totally, but it is a joy to keep trying! I am currently at a leadership conference where the theme is Mission Advance, and I am surrounded by people who have the same goals I do. What a blessing! This morning and tomorrow morning I will have the privilege of providing simultaneous English interpretation for some brothers and sisters who are here from Singapore. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, and my brain isn’t as young as it once was. I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord so that His Word will not be distorted as it passes through me. Sequential interpreting is no big deal for me, but having to speak and listen at the same time is certainly taxing, particularly since word/sentence order in English and Japanese are often reversed. However, I know from experience that God can do it through me, because He can speak to me even as He is speaking to the person on the podium. I am not to be anxious, but rejoice to be useful to God for building up the Body of Christ.

Father, thank You for getting us here safely yesterday, and for the blessings You have already poured out. Thank You for the testimony from the pastor who was elected to the Diet just last year about how he is frequently asked outright to explain the Christian position, and the Gospel itself, to the national leaders with whom he works. I pray for a revival in the Japanese government! Thank You for the reminder that nothing is impossible for You, and that Your ways are indeed higher than anything we could dream up – just as this chapter in Isaiah demonstrates. May I indeed get my eyes off of myself and my limitations and trust You totally to do more than I could ask or think, (Ephesians 3:20) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disciples; June 6, 2023

Posted on June 9, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
and wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

This is reasonably taken as a Messianic passage, but it is one I feel can and should apply to every believer. We talk a lot about discipleship, and rightly so, since the term comes up a lot in the New Testament, and that is the term the Japanese uses repeatedly here. (“the tongue of a disciple” and “listen like a disciple”) However, I think we forget that the basic meaning is simply that of listening obediently, with a heart to learn. The problem is that we tend to be rebellious. We talk about the “terrible twos” in children, and then about “rebellious teenagers,” but many of us never really grow out of that. My mother had a rather colorful phrase that I think captures it well: “Independent as a hog on ice.” Hooved animals in particular can find walking on ice problematic. Just yesterday I watched a video of a man rescuing four wild deer that had gotten out toward the middle of a frozen lake and completely lost their footing, unable to stand up again. He just threw a rope around each one in turn and dragged it over to the shore where it could get some traction. Pigs are noted for their intelligence, but also for their willfulness, and that describes humans pretty well. (Sometimes a little shy on the intelligence.) Discipleship requires a choice, an act, really repeated, consistent acts, of our will. We can’t get by with saying a few words, however good and appropriate those words might be, and then failing to renew our commitment on a daily basis. It’s not that we “lose our salvation,” but we do lose a lot of the blessings God has prepared for us. The life of a disciple isn’t very attractive to our flesh, but it is loaded with incredible blessings the world knows nothing about.

I have known the term and the concept for as long as I can remember, but genuine discipleship is something I’m still growing into. I am very grateful that on some levels this verse describes me, because I can’t really begin my day without taking time to listen to God and respond to Him. He has given me a gift for words, which was recognized from when I was much younger, but the question remains whether I consistently use my words to “sustain the weary,” as the NIV puts it. Too often, even now, my words wound rather than heal, but my prayer is that will continue to change. I delight to share what the Lord speaks to me, but I must never do so in pride, talking down to people. I’ve got to be an obedient disciple myself! I know from countless experiences that I am imperfect and prone to stumble, and I’ve got to keep a firm grip on Daddy’s hand to keep from falling flat on my face. If I will do that, He will use me to teach others to take His hand as well, so that together we may be His disciples to do His will for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the conference we’ll be attending from today. I pray that every attendee would have a tender heart to hear what You are saying to them individually, so that the Body of Christ may be cleansed and built up, knowing who we are in Christ and living that out consistently, for the salvation of this nation and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment