Mornings With Jesus

A Dinosaur Christmas Play Music (2023)music by: Beth Fox🎄DINOSAUR CHRISTMAS (Solos & Choir)🎄🎄O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL (C minor)           (Kennedy solo)O come, O come,EImmanuel,And ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appearsRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to Thee, O Israel🎄HARK THE HERALD (Eb)             (Choir)Hark! the herald angels singGlory to the newborn KingPeace on earth and mercy mildGod and sinners reconciledJoyful, all ye nations, riseJoin the triumph of the skiesWith th'angelic hosts proclaim,Christ is born in BethlehemHark! The herald angels singGlory to the newborn King🎄THE FIRST NOEL (Ab)           (Bailey - solo)The First Noel the Angels did sayWas to certain poor shepherds in fields as they layIn fields where they lay keeping their sheepOn a cold winter's night that was so deep              (Choir)Noel Noel Noel NoelBorn is the King of Israel!Noel Noel Noel NoelBorn is the King of Israel!🎄O COME LET US ADORE HIM (F)            (Kash - solo)O come let us adore HimO come let us adore HimO come let us adore HimChrist, the Lord              (Choir)For He alone is worthy For He alone is worthyFor He alone is WorthyChrist the LordWe’ll give Him all the gloryWe’ll give Him all the gloryWe’ll give Him all the glory🎄SILENT NIGHT  (Ab)           (Bria -solo)Silent night! Holy night!All is calm, all is bright’round yon virgin mother and child!Holy infant, so tender and mildSleep in heavenly peaceSleep in heavenly peace            (Choir)Silent night! Holy night!Son of God, love’s pure lightRadiant beams from Thy holy faceWith the dawn of redeeming graceJesus, Lord, at Thy birth!Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!             (Bria only)Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!🎄AMAZING GRACE (Eb)             (Choir)Amazing Grace, how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like meI once was lost but now I am foundWas blind but now I seeAmazing Grace, how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like meI once was lost but now I am foundWas blind but now I see🎄(DANCING — Bria)🎄JOY TO THE WORLD (C)             (Choir)Joy to the world, the Lord is comeLet Earth receive her KingLet every heart prepare Him roomAnd Heaven and nature singAnd Heaven and nature singAnd Heaven, and Heaven, and nature singHe rules the world with truth and graceAnd makes the nations proveThe glories of His righteousnessAnd wonders of His loveAnd wonders of His loveAnd wonders, wonders, of His love           (Audience sing too)Joy to the world, the Lord is comeLet Earth receive her KingLet every heart prepare Him roomAnd Heaven and nature singAnd Heaven and nature singAnd Heaven, and Heaven, and nature singAnd Heaven, and Heaven, and nature singSupport the show

“And be not conformed to this world: but be yetransformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may provewhat is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”~Romans 12:2 (KJV)“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, butmighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)Casting down imaginations, and every high thing thatexalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringinginto captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”~II Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)“Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the thingsabove [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth[which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world],and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.”~Colossians 3:2-3 (AMP)As born-again believers, we have been redeemed from the cursethat still resides on this world.That’s awesome news! However, the enemy wants to keep usbound to our past mistakes, our past sins, and our past selves. Theway to overcome this is by renewing our minds to the Word ofGod!I am a new creation! “Old things have passed away, beholdall things have become new!” ~II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)“There is therefore now no condemnation to them whichare in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but afterthe spirit!” ~Romans 8:1 (KJV)When we speak the Word of God, it releases the power of Godin our lives! It reminds the enemy that we are no longer his. Itreminds us that we have been made new. It reminds the world thatwe are different!Simply speaking the Word, however, is not enough, we mustallow it to wash over us to the point that we don’t simply speak itfrom rote memorization, but from a place of faith, of trust, ofknowing that we know that it works and that it is our sword!Listen, the Bible is alive! It works. It is spirit and it is truth. It hasthe power to change us from the inside out, to bring us into adeeper, more intimate walk with the Lord. It has the power to moldus into a force to be reckoned with!When we are full of the Word of God, we have the power to castdown wicked imaginations and everything that would dare exaltitself against the knowledge of God!We live in a world that is anti-Christ, anti-Bible, and anti-Jesus,but can I tell you some more great news?! That doesn’t have tofaze us when our hope is not in what we can see but what we can’tsee! The Bible allows us to see the unseen, to have an eternalperspective, to see as God sees, to love as God loves, and to hate asGod hates!With the Bible as our sole guide, we can know Him more, andwe can become more like Him!Be encouraged today, no matter what you are facing right now.The Bible has the answers! Jesus is the answer!The Bible says, “For in Him we live and move and exist[that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some ofyour own poets have said, „For we also are His children.‟”~Acts 17:28 (AMP)In Him we are more than conquerors! In Him we are victorious!In Him we have peace and joy!He is for you!Support the show

God is Good!“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is theman that trusteth in him.” ~Psalms 34:8 (KJV)Getting to know the Lord is one of the most awesome things!The ―Good News‖ is this: We can get as close to God as wewant!He designed it that way. He is not some uncaring, unfeeling,tyrant in the air.“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable tosympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations,but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels tobe human] in every respect as we are, yet withou t [committingany] sin. Therefore, let us [with privilege] approach the throneof grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] withconfidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy[for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time ofneed [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”~Hebrews 4:15-16 (AMP)Learning to trust God will elevate our walk with Him in amagnificent way. Knowing that He cares for us, that He wants thebest for us, that He desires to see us grow, prosper, and thrive, thiswill cause us to want to serve Him, to want to tell others about Him!Suddenly, life becomes a ―get to‖ and not a ―have to.‖Listen, the Bible is our number one way to get to know Himmore. The more we not only read it, but adhere to it, obey it,cherish it, desire it, the more we will see Jesus portrayed throughoutit and we will find that God has been there all along calling peopleto Himself!Calling us to Himself!He is a good God!I cannot stress this enough, because until we realize He is for usand not against us, we are going to have a difficult time fully trustingHim, fully surrendering to Him.Today, I want to encourage you to think about all the things Hehas done for you, in you, and through you! Write them down.On our journey to know Him more, it’s imperative that we learnto trust Him, trust His Word, and realize He is good—all the time.Support the show

Pure Heart, Pure Mind“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. ”~Matthew 5:8 (KJV)Ever heard someone say something like this ―You know, Godworks in mysterious ways!‖While this may sound good, it isn’t entirely true. Why? We servea God who wants us to be as close to Him as we can be! We serve aGod who longs to give us the inside scoop! Why? Because He lovesus!All throughout the Old Testament, Christ can be seen. Allthroughout the Old Testament, the Bible points to the comingChrist, how He would suffer, die, and redeem us back to God.Then, when Jesus showed up, He pointed to the same thing; howHe would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead, and how Hewould ascend to Heaven, send the Holy Spirit, and so forth.All throughout the scriptures, we find God wanting to letmankind in on His plan, but we also find that oftentimes peoplecan’t see it, can’t perceive it. Why? Because they are blind to it,focusing on other things instead.Today I want to encourage you! I want you and me to see justhow good God is and how much He so desires to let us in on Hisinner workings!Check out these awesome passages:“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,neither have entered into the heart of man, the things thatGod hath prepared for them that love him. But God hathrevealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searchethall things, yea the deep things of God. For what manknoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which isin him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but theSpirit of God.Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but thespirit which is of God; that we might know the things thatare freely given to us of God.For who knoweth the mind of the Lord, that he mayinstruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. ”~I Corinthians 2:9-12 & 16 (KJV)I would encourage you to read the entirety of this passage a fewtimes over!Listen, God isn’t the ―old man upstairs,‖ or some uncaring entityout of touch with His creation! He is a good God, and He wants tofellowship with us, letting us in on His plans on the earth! In fact,many of His overall big-picture plans, He has already revealed to usin the scriptures.As for everyday life, He longs for us to walk with Him and talkwith Him! He wants us on the inside!How do we do this?Simply put, by having a pure heart.“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Bytaking heed thereto according to thy word. With my wholeheart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thycommandments.” ~Psalm 119:9-10 (KJV)When we seek the Lord with all our hearts, we will find Him.When we intentionally put Him first in our day, in our week, in ourhome, in our business, in our everyday life, He will show up in amighty way, giving us insight that we never thought possible!He will enable us to see and do things that we never thoughtpossible. We will be privy to His plans, His ways, and we will domighty things for Him and through Him!Support the show

“But what things were gain to me, these I have countedloss for Christ.” ~Philippians 3:7 (NKJV)We are living in some crazy times! Do you realize the ApostlePaul was living during some crazy times as well? Do you realize thatever since sin entered the world, crazy times have been prevalent?Sin always brings death. Death always means separation,separation from a loving Father. Therefore, wherever sin is allowedto run rampant, so too, darkness is going to run rampant.To try to counteract the effects of sin in any way other than withthe Word is futile. This is why it is so important that we asChristians delve into the Word in these last days like never before!We are living in a time of gross darkness and the only thing todispel it is the Word!“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto mypath.” ~Psalm 119:105 (KJV)The apostle Paul was an awesome man of God, but he knew thatwithout Christ, he was lost!“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: butthis one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Ipress toward the mark for the prize of the high calling ofGod in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)Listen, when life kicks our bucket, whatever’s on the inside, inabundance, is going to spill out!What do you want to spill out, you or the Word? I say we rise upa standard in these last days and allow the Word to come out!Why is this so important?“But if our gospel he hid, it is hid to them that are lost:In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds ofthem which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel ofChrist, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. ”~II Corinthians 4:3-4 (KJV)The enemy is working overtime to keep his followers blinded tothe Truth, to the Light!There is no reasoning with sin. There is no reasoning with death.There is no reasoning with darkness. There is One answer and Onealone: His name is Jesus!It is imperative that we not only allow Him to have the throne ofour hearts always, but that we fill up on Him every day! There is areal devil out there. He is a defeated foe. He is a conquered foe. Buthe will still, as I once heard a pastor say, ―Eat your lunch and popthe bag,‖ if we let him.Let’s not let him! Let’s be full of the Word! Not only forourselves, but for a world that is lost, hurting, and blind! They needJesus, not vain philosophy. They need Jesus, not vain initiatives.They need Jesus, not temporary fixes. They need Jesus, notone-liners, memes, or gifs.What do you say, fellow soul winner? Let this be our motto inthese last days, ―More Word, Less Me!‖Support the show

Have you ever had a toothache or some other great physicalpain?At the moment, it feels like the most excruciating thing ever,with no end in sight!But eventually the pain subsides, and the memory of that painfades into oblivion.The Bible says our life is but a vapor, here today and gonetomorrow.In short, life goes by so fast!Taking advantage of the time we have, redeeming that time,making the most of it, is so very important.Recently, I was at an event where I was surrounded by amazingfriends & awesome food. It was a birthday party for the ages! Aftergetting home from the party, I told my wife, ―This is the kind ofparty you wish you could just do all over again - the type of partythat doesn’t happen very often!‖There will come a time when all we will have left is what we havegiven away, what we have purposefully sowed into the peoplearound us.The older I get, the more I have come to realize how muchrelationships matter. People matter!God designed it that way! We weren’t created to be alone orisolated. We were designed to interact with one another, to connect,to reach out, to be givers, to be like God!It’s in this place of intimacy with the Lord where we can trulyflourish and shine bright!Listen, toothaches are horrible, but the pain will fade. Birthdayparties are great, but they, too, end.However, relationships can last a lifetime and the things we doand say within those relationships can have an eternal impact!Be thankful for the friends you have! The people in your life thatlove you and truly care for you!It can be so easy and tempting to focus only on what you don’thave and miss all the wonderful blessings you do!Be encouraged today. Birthday parties and toothaches producevery different results, but both are just temporary. But the things wedo with and for the Lord, for others, will last for eternity!Support the show

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of himthat sent me, and to finish his work. ” ~John 4:34 (KJV)It’s good to return to the basics, especially in our walk with theLord.Oftentimes as Christians, we tend to want ―deep‖ things,emotionally moving things. We want to ―feel‖ God moving allaround us.Listen, God never changes!That’s awesome news! We may not always feel Him or evensense His presence, but He never changes.How do we know that? The Bible tells me so!In John 4, we find the disciples coming back from a food run ina neighboring town, and they are surprised to find Jesus speakingwith a Samaritan woman. They are also surprised when they askJesus if He has eaten already, because He tells them His food is todo the will of the Father.Looking only through their natural eyes, they didn’t understandthe awesome thing that had just occurred between Jesus and thewoman, nor did they realize the revival that was about to hit herentire town.Listen, the Bible keeps us grounded. It keeps us smack dab in thewill of God for our lives! It keeps us living with an eternalperspective. It keeps us in a position to be able to minister to others,to share the gospel with them.The disciples missed an awesome opportunity to experience a mighty move of God simply because they didn’t understand that we are what we eat. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that man does not live onbread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth ofGod!Sure, the disciples got to experience the revival because of Jesusand what He did, but wouldn’t it be nice if we were the ones toinitiate the moves of God in people’s lives? Wouldn’t it be nice torealize that Jesus said “Greater things than these shall you do,because I go to the Father ”?As born-again believers, we have the authority and power on theinside to do mighty things in Jesus’ name!Support the show

“If I say, “I will not remember Him or speak His nameanymore,” Then my heart becomes a burning fire Shut up in mybones. And I am weary of enduring and holding it in; I cannotendure it [nor contain it any longer].” ~Jeremiah 20:9 (AMP)We live in uncertain times.We live in a time when evil is increasingly being called good, andgood is being called evil.We live in a time when it is imperative that we cling to the Wordlike never before!We live in a time when the temptation to walk away, to give upon God, on life, on people, on ourselves, on hope, is extremely ram-pant.We live in a body and possess a soul that is continually warringagainst our spirit and the Word of God and, like Paul; we mustchoose to die daily.I want to encourage you, fellow saints, to stand strong! Don’tgive up! Don’t give in! You are not alone!We all struggle with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, shame, pride,jealousy, hurt, loss...We struggle with sin.Be encouraged today! The Word is alive, and it works! Let it burnin you today and be encouraged.Today is simply an encouragement - Don’t give up! Keepfighting the good fight of faith! No matter what things look like in the natural, God is on your side. If you are a born-again, Jesusfollower, the very gates of Hell cannot stand against you!Keep letting your light shine!Let this be your heart’s cry today: ―Father, let your holy Wordburn in me today! Teach me to love the things you love and hate thethings you hate.‖Support the show

“Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. ”~I Corinthians 11:1 (AMP)Something we enjoy doing as a family is playing video games,specifically, platforming games, which involve much jumping, quickthinking, and memorization.Some of the levels get quite difficult because they require you tomemorize where certain things are.One wrong move and it is game over.One of the best ways to get past these levels is by watching eachother play, paying close attention to where to jump, when to jump, andwhen and where not to.I love Jesus!In our walk with Him, He places people in our lives that we canfollow. If we are careful to pay attention to what they do, how theyhandle certain situations, the habits they hold, and so forth, it willgreatly help us, providing special insight into certain situations, andallowing us to gain victory in areas simply because we know what todo and what not to do.These people serve as God-given shortcuts!The Bible serves as a major God-given shortcut. It is chock fullof people that have done both good and evil things from which wecan garner much wisdom, knowing what to do, and what not to do.Listen, it’s important to realize, however, that God-givenshortcuts never involve compromise.If the people in our lives are not emulating Jesus, we don’t needto and shouldn’t follow them.However, be thankful for the ones who are!Be encouraged today! Take an assessment of the people in yourlife right now. Who are the ones who are perhaps further ahead inan area that you are struggling in? What can you learn from them?Don’t worry; a close walk with Jesus will keep us away fromcompromise.We are not on this journey alone. We are the Body of Christ.Who can you learn from today?Support the show

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search forMe with all your heart.” ~Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)Several years ago, my dad, brothers, and I were playing hide andseek out on my grandma’s farm. It was getting dark and the placesto hide were vast and many.After the count, we all scattered and went our separate ways. Iproceeded to scurry underneath the electric fence and circle backaround to where we started. I went inside the house, scooped myselfa heaping bowl of ice cream, sat down, and watched television!Technically, we never said the house was off-limits, but Icertainly didn’t give anyone a fair chance to find me!Aren’t you glad God doesn’t do that to us?Granted, we do have to search for Him, and we do have to scourthe Bible at times for real treasures, but He isn’t sitting back eatingice cream and laughing at us!When it comes to seeking in our spiritual lives, this is what I liketo call the ―oomph factor.‖It’s one thing to attend church once a week, listen to the pastorrattle off his three points and a scripture, and then go home -forgetting most of everything he talked about.It’s something entirely different to get up in the morning andhave the kind of gusto mentioned in the Psalms, “As the deerpants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for you, OGod.” ~Psalm 42:1 (NKJV)Or what about utilizing something I heard a pastor say, ―Bible before breakfast,‖ or emulating the heart and passion of Job, “Ihave not departed from the commandment of His lips; I havetreasured the words of His mouth More than my necessaryfood.” ~Job 23:12 (NKJV)Listen, the devil hides things from us - he is sneaky, conniving,manipulative, and mean, but the Lord hides things for us! He wantsus to prosper in every area of life, but sometimes we have to showsome oomph if we want to see things come to pass in our lives.In other words, He’s not going to do everything for us!For example (and I have had to learn this the hard way and amstill learning it), God uses people to get things done. But if weisolate ourselves continually from the very people God is trying touse to bless us, how are we going to receive that blessing?As another example, God likes to set up divine encounters wherewe can be the answered prayer to someone else’s heart cry, but if weare always worrying about ourselves, scurrying through crowds withour heads down, self-consumed, how are we to be the answeredprayer? In essence, the Bible says, “Give and it shall be given...” ~Luke 6:38 The Lord is trying to provide opportunitiesfor us to give, but when we are too ―busy,‖ we miss those chances...Be encouraged today. God is not a one-stop shop! He has nosign in His store that screams, ―You break it, you buy it!‖No, He is full of compassion and He is okay with us failing,falling, and faltering. The key is to never give up, get back up, andseek Him with all your heart!One last thing for today, here’s a quick test to see where youroomph factor lies:The Bible says, “A good man out of the good treasure of hisheart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the eviltreasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of theabundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”~Luke 6:45 (NKJV)Support the show

https://www.amazon.com/Mornings-Jesus-Journey-Jesus-S-K/dp/B0BZFDJBW7/ref=sr_1_5?crid=C79NZK12Q5XD&keywords=joshua+scott+zeitz&qid=1680483767&sprefix=joshua+s%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-5‘Tuck Me In!’(A dedication from the author to his mother, his Madre,Jo Annette Lopez)Several years ago, when I was a child, my mom used to comeinto our room just before bed to tuck us, boys, in. There werethree of us.We were adopted.First, my older brother, then my younger brother and me twoyears later.Upon adopting us, it took some time for me to warm up to mymom.I carried way too much baggage from past trauma into this newfamily.But our parents loved us anyhow!My mom would tell us all about Jesus, about the Bible, aboutvarious issues and topics she felt were important.She did this faithfully each night.At the time, I didn’t appreciate it the way I should have.Although I did get used to her doing it!One night in particular, she came into the room like normal,but I had already fallen asleep.I awoke an hour or so later in a frantic state of confusion!I hopped off the top bunk and ran into her room.―You forgot to tuck me! Why didn’t you tuck me in?‖6I was crying by now and quite hurt thinking that she had forgottenher nightly routine.She hadn’t, however, and she escorted me back to my room andgraciously spent some time with me.You see, up to this point, it was difficult between my mom andme.I had so much pent-up anger and emotions toward women frommy past and much of this caused my trust in her to come quiteslowly.Our biological mom left us and never came back. We were placedin the state’s foster care system.One of the older girls, in the foster care system herself, sexuallyabused me.Needless to say, I had a lot of apprehension about women andgirls and therefore it took quite some time for me to warm up to mynew mom.I called her by her first name for a while before finally calling hermom.Years later, during a heavily rebellious stage I walked through, Ireverted back to calling her by her name only and even added someother far more derogatory statements!I was a mess of a person and, sadly, I took out much of my angeron her!She was so gracious, however, and persistent!She never backed down and no matter how many times I wouldpush against her, she would continually love on me, telling me aboutJesus, about the Bible, and about issues and topics she felt wereimportant.She was a true woman of God!7I miss the times she used to come in and tuck us, boys, in.Recently, this past Thanksgiving, she went home to be with theLord...I had the honor of standing by her bedside with many other familymembers as she took her final breaths.She opened her eyes wide in her last moments as if she sawsomething spectacular!I believe she did.I believe she saw Jesus!I like to think that I was able to tuck her in one final time beforeshe drifted off to her eternal rest.What an awesome woman of God she was! I am very thankful shewas so faithful, persistent, loving, and gracious towards me for allthose years.More than 20 years ago, I was radically transformed in a jail cell,and soon afterward our relationship was restored!In recent years, I have taken to calling her Madre.The last time we spoke in person, she met my family and me topick up some copies of the first devotional I wrote.She just wanted to show her love and support and give somecopies out to some people she knew.She was always doing that, encouraging me!The last text message I received from her was her telling me howproud she wasSupport the show

‘With Me’by Joshua Scott ZeitzYou’re with me in the fireYou’re with me in the stormYou’re with me in the valleyI couldn’t ask for moreI lift my hands in worshipI raise my hands in praiseStanding on Your promiseHealed in Jesus’ name!You’re with me when I’m sleepingYou’re with me every dayYou’re with me when it’s sunnyYou’re with me when it’s greyI bow my heart to You LordI trust in all Your waysAcknowledging Your goodness So thankful for Your grace You’re with me when I’m servingYou’re with me when I’m notYou’re with me when I’m seeking You’re with me when I stopA God of second chancesA God who never sleepsA God who never changesA God who doesn’t ceaseYou’re with me when I’m youngYou’re with me when I’m oldYou’re with me when I’m full of strengthYou’re with me when I’m coldYou’re with me when it’s darkA fortress and my beaconThrough every step of life Through every stage and seasonYou’re with me…“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬Support the show

You Have Strength in JesusBy  Josiah Zeitz“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV ‬Do you ever see someone really strong do something that you feel like you could never do?it feels like that in our Christian lives sometimes, we see a strong Christian doing these amazing things while we’re over here messing up all the time.Do you ever feel weak in your walk with Jesus? if so, be encouraged! you can change that! How do we do this? By growing with God, seeking Him and His word daily. Now you may be saying to yourself “But I already do this and I still feel weak” be encouraged again!it says in Joel 3:10 “Let the weak say they are strong” and in Phillipians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” God will give you strength in tough times! But He won’t give it to someone who does not want it. As Christians we have to let God help us we can’t try to do everything on our ownI have done this many times, something bad happens, and I try to fix it all by myself and of course, I fail because I’m weak by myself.But when I let God help me by asking Him to show me what to do and to work through me things go a lot better.Be encouraged today you’re not alone! all of us struggle BUT God is here to give us strength we just have to let him help us! Do you want strength? Do you want to be freed from whatever you’re going through? Then start today by asking Jesus to help you and to guide you. He will “Trust in the Lord with all you heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!” (Proverbs 3:5,6)Support the show

You are not lost!By Josiah ZeitzDo you ever feel as if you’ve been left alone to face the cruel world all by yourself? I surely have! but it’s just not true, it says in Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”This is a beautiful scripture because so many of us feel like we’re alone and feel lost I felt this way for 2 years of my life just going through the motions of church and checking off my lists of what “holy” things I had to do that day so I could get my parents happy but inside I felt so lost because I had turned away from the only person who would find me and help methat person is Jesus! Do you feel lost today? do you feel like you’re lonely? well be encouraged today your not! God is there knocking at your door just wanting you to let Him in He won’t take control of your life and make you follow Him you have to be the one to let Him in will you do it? trust me it’s worth it! He will find you wherever you are and he will show you the way he will be your light your refuge your fortress! Don’t think that this god was just reserved for the Psalmist the same God This Psalmist talked about is the same God we serve today He has never and will never change He is the ultimate help in times of need He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is there no matter what No matter how many times you feel lost he is there to guide you no matter how many times you feel lonely he is there to be your friend in a time of need now this does not mean we should use him as a backup plan when our lives falls apart we need to keep a current relationship with Him which means to seek him and his word daily to worship him to simply just talk to Him! It’s that simple it may not be easy and it will take time but the outcome will change your life drastically just like it changed mine!Support the show

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord andnot to men,” ~Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)Jesus was the greatest example of being a servant. It says in John13:5 (NKJV); “After that, He poured water into a basin andbegan to wash the disciples‟ feet, and to wipe them with thetowel...”Wow! Jesus washed His disciple’s dirty feet! THAT is being atrue servant.God Himself came to serve not to be served, and it says in John13:15 (NKJV); “For I have given you an example, that youshould do as I have done to you.”Jesus always put others before Himself. He never sought the spotlight.He gave us an awesome example to follow, and the good news is He gives us the power to be like Him!In Christ,Isaiah Joshua ZeitzSupport the show

‘God’s Love’ By Moriah Rachel ZeitzWe serve an amazing God! The Bible says, “His mercies are new every morning!” (See Lamentations 3:22,23)But even greater than that (and that’s pretty great) is his love for us. It says in John 3:16, “For God so the loved world that he gave His only begotten Son.” God loved you so much that he came to earth to live and die as a lowly human, so we wouldn’t have to be separated from him anymore. How amazing is that! It says in Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.”Even in the midst of his suffering, Jesus had such great love for you, for we were the joy set before him! To him, all his pain and agony, not only in his death, but his life on earth as well, Was worth it, just to be able to have a relationship with you.(Wow that blows my mind!)    God’s greatest desire is to have your love! (To have a relationship with you!)Think about that, God, I mean God himself, the One who created all of life in six days, who showed His marvelous wonders in Egypt and parted the Red Sea, the same God that came to earth as a human and was born of a virgin, who made the deaf to hear, lame to walk, blind to see, and dumb to speak! The same God who did so many wonders that it says in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”That same God’s greatest desire is to simply have your love. ‭Isn’t that awesome!! I mean who does that!? Nobody but our God.For God does not simply love, He is love.  His love for you is so great that we aren’t even able (with our tiny human minds) to comprehend the amount of love he has for us!   God loves you so much, and He can’t wait for you to wake up in the morning and talk to Him. He can’t wait for you to obey Him, so He can bless you beyond measure. If He loves you that much, then we should love Him back with all that we have.Even though our love is but dust in comparison to His, in His eyes, it means all of the world! Be encouraged today!We don’t need to live this life alone. We have a God who desperately wants our attention and love.The Bible says in Joshua that God is a jealous God. He wants to be the center of your attention, and He wants to be in constant fellowship with His children! So, let’s start today, taking time out of our lives to spend a little more time with Jesus.Support the show

‘The Foolishness of the Gospel’by Joshua Scott ZeitzWhether you are an avid superhero movie watcher or not, perhaps you have seen one or else heard of a superhero. When thinking of a superhero, what comes to mind?Super strength? Super speed? Super intellect? Super flying ability? The list of super is vast and wide, but there is a common theme at play, the superhero in question is able to do one or a number of things exceptionally well, super even!With this in mind, I want us to take a trip over to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 and 19, and see the stark difference between the super we mentioned above and the super of the Bible. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”Listen, Jesus was and certainly is better than any superhero. However, He didn’t come to display His prowess or any amazing feat or ability really, although He could have. The Bible says in John 1 that all things were made by Him and for Him…In other words, He is God and He created everything! Think about that for a moment.In the book of Genesis, God looked out at the vast emptiness about Him, spoke, and said let there be light, and there was!He formed you and me from the dust of the ground!The complexities of the human body, the brain, the eye, the organs, He created all these things!He is more than super, He is majestic. However, He came not to be served, but rather to serve.He came not to show off, but rather to show honor to His Heavenly Father!The disciples were looking for a superhero, and what they got was a servant.More than that, what they got was an example of how God wants each one of us to live, like Jesus, daily dying, willing to lay down our lives for others.This is our reasonable service!Then with this, He gave us a gift, the gospel message!It’s beyond super as well, but not in terms that we may think are super at first glance.There is no signing people up to take on evil with swords and shields.There is no avenger squad or justice league.There is no vanquishing evil in the dead of night or flying about with laser vision.It’s just a message. A simple but powerful message of hope and healing and a cross.Jesus died on that cross. He bled and suffered.Three days later, He was raised from the dead. And the Bible says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.The qualifications aren’t possessing any sort of superhuman ability, no great acts of valor are needed. God’s call remains to the whosoever!He calls us, saves us, and equips us.He does all the work, while we simply receive and spread His message!What an awesome message it is, but the Bible is clear, it’s the foolishness of the cross that possesses the power to save.And to Him be all the glory, power, and praise!Support the show

Lesson 8 – Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heavenEverything we have learned up to this point has brought us to this place. But also, we must keep in mind that everything we have been learning is completely and totally contrary to the way this world and the enemy operate! Therefore, we should expect to be persecuted, and depending on our platform, the location of our platform, the extent of our platform, etc. this will oftentimes determine the level and extent of persecution we receive, but we needn’t shirk from this nor seek it out, but rather get busy doing the things the Lord has for us and trust that He is with us in the fire! We can rejoice when we are persecuted, without lashing out or seeking revenge because this just showcases further that the things we have been talking about, and living are real!This is why again it is imperative that we grow, grow, grow, with the Lord, before we begin any sort of public ministry, even Jesus did, growing in wisdom and stature before God and man before taking up His public venue. And all the while, He would get away alone with the Father to build relationships and gain strength and insight!Listen, when the storms of life come and the devil kicks our bucket, whatever is on the inside in abundance is going to spill out! Let’s let it be the Word, Let’s let it be Jesus!If we are properly prepared and ready, we don’t have to dread or fear persecution!God has already given us His provision!When God commands, He empowers!We don’t have to argue or defend or get puffed up on pride, we can be like Jesus and say emphatically, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”Why?Because we were there!We once were lost, but now we are found!We once were blind, but now we see!The world will push, pry, and pester looking to get any rise they can out of us!What do you say we show them Jesus?The truth is, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, (see 2 Timothy 3:12) but that’s ok! Why?Because Jesus did, so can we.Greater things shall you do, Jesus said, because I go to my Father. (See John 14:12)Be happy! Rejoice! Why?Because great is your reward in Heaven!Support the show

What does it mean to make peace? Jesus is described as our Prince of Peace. So surely this is the best place to start.Loving people, truly loving people and desiring to see them blessed, whole, and happy is a true sign of Christian maturity and one that takes a lifetime to begin to master, and only under close scrutiny and tutelage by the Master! Why?Because we are also people, given to bouts of greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, jealousy, and the like.Let’s be honest, yielding to others, being happy for others, being okay when others succeed, and advance is not something that comes easy to our flesh and this is going to take more than a modicum of humility.We are all prone instead to walk in pride.But God hates pride and so should we.The best way to quench the war within ourselves is to daily surrender to the Prince of Peace and thereby we will ready ourselves to freely give Him away!In other words, by adhering to the previous lessons, being willing to revisit them as many times as necessary and more besides, this is what it will take to prepare us to be a peacemaker. We cannot give what we don’t first have and the only way to give peace is to first win the war within ourselves through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7)Once we begin to see just how good God is, how much He truly loves us, and how much He values us, we then will begin to be able to truly love others and value them!The enemy wants nothing more than to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Jesus desires to bring life and it more abundantly, and so should we.Once we have won the war for peace within our own hearts, we will then be ready to share that peace with others and this is probably the single greatest thing that we can do, sharing the peace of God with others by presenting to them the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the very thing that we heard and obeyed and became a believer!Notice the time it has taken for us to get to this point? That’s ok. Why?Because it more important that we tell others about Jesus with our lives than our words.If we tell others about Jesus with our words only but lack the integrity or character to back what we are saying, we are not doing them or ourselves any favors. They might just see it all as a farce, and we may just be tempted to walk away from it all. Therefore, it is imperative that we grow daily in our relationship with Him first and foremost, living out what we are learning.Then we will be equipped to become peacemakers, introducing others to Jesus and thereby making the ultimate peace, placing the hand of another into the hand of our Lord! Support the show

Lesson 7 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of GodFinally, we begin to get busy doing the ministry work! Right?! Well, not exactly. You see, we already have been this whole time. Preparation time is never wasted time and doing things in God’s timing will take, well, time. Remember, a day to Him is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. And we are in this for the long haul, like an endurance athlete, the Bible encourages us to run our race with patience. (See Hebrews 12:1)When it comes to dealing with people, we should never be in a rush. Why? Because people are fickle and can be easily broken, hurt, swayed, and offended. How do we know this? Because we are people. Just look how long it has taken God to get us to this place! God loves people.He so loves people! And only He can change them. He possesses a remarkable, unfathomable amount of longsuffering and patience of which we are going to need heaps of when dealing with people.Therefore, it is imperative that we learn to view people in the same way God does, and so love them and value them. This is going to take a lot of preparation time and work behind the scenes, hence what we have been working on with Him up to this point and what He will continue to do in us for our entire lives.We never outgrow the process of refining and pruning. But now that we have finally arrived at this stage in our Christian journey, it is vitally important that we try and do as the Bible says and live peaceably with all people as much as possible and try not to offend in word or deed. This is what James describes as coming into perfection, so be encouraged we aren’t going to be able to accomplish this entirely and the only way to come close is by staying close to Jesus through it all!If anyone knows what is like to deal with people, it’s Him!After all, He created us. Plus, while in His earthly ministry, He had to deal with all sorts of people, including His own disciples.He knows what to do, so we should desire greatly to learn of Him!Support the show