October 19, 2024

As I was trying to pick out a Psalm this morning to cover as an offering of worship during this Feast of Tabernacles to help us draw closer to God our Father, I remembered my friend who sings and praises the Lord with her voice every day. God gave her the ability to play the piano and sing as a gift, and she uses it to sing with all her heart. When she sings and plays, you can feel her love and thankfulness for all that God has done for her by saving her from the hands of the enemy. God gave her this special gift, and she uses it. When she sings, it’s as if you can see right into her heart as she lifts up her voice to honor the Lord. Not only is she worshipping Him with all her heart, but as she does, the sound spreads, and those who hear her are blessed as she ministers to the Lord. I imagine the Lord smiling as He is honored by her song. 

You don’t have to have a special gift to honor God through your singing. Sing to Him with all your heart, lift Him in praise. It is the least we can do for all He has done for us. Worship Him today and give Him praise because His love endures forever.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalms 100:1-2

October 18, 2024

Yesterday, I found myself starting to spiral and feeling a little depressed. It has been creeping up on me over the past week, and I didn’t notice. With all the sad stories and tragedies from the devastating hurricanes, fires, and flooding, it’s easy to fall into dismay. I have nothing to be sad about in my life; God has blessed me beyond measure, but seeing others suffering or missing loved ones makes me hurt for them. However, to see others pitching in and helping their fellow man gives me hope that the American people aren’t as bad as the news portrays us to be. This is also a time of year when evil abounds; those who are caught up in the practices of the occult dance around in plain sight, taunting us and scaring the children. I used to love the month of October and all the fall activities, but I’m starting to despise it because it has become the month of the devil. If you are a bit out of sorts as I have been, the word of God is your source. This morning, I could hear the Holy Spirit pointing me to the words of Isaiah 41:10:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

We have so much to be thankful for; think of those things when you start feeling down. God’s word will lift you out of the barren wasteland of depression and raise you in the glory of His hands. 

October 17, 2024

We know that our calendar is inaccurate, and the counting of the days has been sullied and rigged by those who seek to confuse us, making me wonder if the feasts are also out of line. The Jewish nation keeps a different calendar, but I’m unsure if it is accurate. We can still honor God by acknowledging His appointed feasts even though we don’t live under the old covenant. Since the Feast of Tabernacles began last night and continues until nightfall on October 23, 2024, we can still acknowledge God and give Him glory by drawing closer to Him through worship. We don’t have to go to the trouble of building a temporary shelter because our bodies are temporary shelters for the Holy Spirit of God, and we already dwell in them. 

Isn’t it odd that many are living in temporary shelters because of the hurricanes? Was that purposely done to set an example? Only God knows the answer. What I do know is that I live in my booth/tabernacle, and the Holy Spirit lives in me, and if you’re reading this as a Christian, you also live in a booth/tabernacle and have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Make a point to draw close to the Lord today to honor Him.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

October 16, 2024

If ever there was a time we needed the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it is now. After experiencing two major hurricanes and seeing the devastation they caused, we could all use some peace. However, there are still many people missing in North Carolina, Tennessee, and elsewhere, but others are without the comfort of a home to go back to. Such circumstances should humble us about our situation and make us grateful to God we escaped with our lives. Imagine having a family member missing and fearing that they may not be alive. Their families will never be the same. Rather than being angry, put your situation in perspective and be grateful to God for your life and the lives of your family. 

We will not find peace in this world; the sin that it is mixed with doesn’t bring restfulness like the peace that Jesus gives us. Rather than feeling sorry for yourself, escape the world through prayer and worship and enter into His peace. Do not conform to the world’s standards and allow upheaval to overtake you; renew your mind, concentrate on Jesus, and accept the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

The Feast of Booths, also known as Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, starts tonight and is celebrated by creating a temporary shelter and concentrating on our relationship with God and drawing close to Him. It is celebrated yearly to remind Israel of God giving them freedom from Egypt.  

October 15, 2024

It is obvious to most that the demons are running scared and grabbing anyone they can get their hands on before they are sent into the pit of fire. Not only are they stirred during this last ditch effort, but we are coming up on their favorite holiday, All Hallows Eve, Halloween. I’ve noticed that they tend to be more active and reveal themselves during this time of year more than any other time. The best thing you can do about it is to stay in prayer, polish your armor, and be ready at any moment to fight against these powers and principalities of the dark world. They may not put a dagger through your heart, but they will toy with your emotions and cause friction. They will laugh all the way back to hell if they can get you to react. Don’t let them win! Stay calm, pray, and think things through before you open your mouth; let the Holy Spirit guide you. Praising and worshipping God is the key to your success. His power is made perfect in our weakness.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

October 14, 2024

Do you ever look at old buildings like you might see in Ybor City, Tampa, or other old cities and wonder what happened to the craftsmanship that helped create such intricate details? Did we lose that technology like we lost the technology to land on the moon? I’ve thought about it in the past, but some people have brought it up lately, and it has piqued my interest again. There are mysteries about the past that I feel we aren’t getting the full details of, or maybe our history has been sanitized or corrupted. Then you read the infallible word of God, the Bible,  and find many mysteries that are hard to explain, like we might be missing something.

For this reason, it is vital to harness the power of the Holy Spirit when digging into things that don’t make sense. Seek God when you are curious and ask Him questions; He is such a wonderful Father and will guide you in the right direction to help you find the answers if you are meant to know such things. As we venture into what seems like a blurry past, we can be sure of one thing: the Lord our God loves us, and His Word is trustworthy and true.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

October 13, 2024

The Kingdom of God is spiritual.

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. Luke 17:20-22

We have undeniable proof of this when we saw a monstrous storm coming, and we collectively prayed to calm that storm and then watched it break up before it hit Florida. We still had devastation, but not total annihilation of life. We know that it could have been worse, but we harnessed the power within us that God gave us, to decrease the storm's power. This collective power only happened because of our faith in Jesus. In scripture, Jesus told us repeatedly that the kingdom of heaven is within us. Why don't we believe him? If you lack faith, pray, and ask God to increase it. We can live the life that is becoming of a person saved by grace if only we believe with our whole hearts that the kingdom of God is within us, just as Jesus told us. We need to do the same type of praying, collectively as the Church, to overcome the enemy's plan to take us out and try this again, but on a grander scale so unbelievers can see it with their eyes and believe.