Judah's Roar

Colossians 3:18-25 and 4:1 outline roles and responsibilities of covenantal relationships as well as hardships we experience - sometimes we may not feel like upholding our end of the covenant because we feel like the other person isn't honoring theirs. But in all covenants, we do as if doing unto the Lord. When it gets hard, we remember that He called us and it is to Him we look. In return, we gai...

Today on the Hebrew calendar marks the Day of Pentecost. On this day in Moses' day, Israel received the Torah, part of the Word of God. In Acts 2 on this sameqaday, the Church received the Promise, the Power, the Parakletos, the Comforter, the Teacher, the essence of God Himself - the Holy Spirit. We are His Temple and His Spirit dwells within us!

A son decided to go off on his own, away from his father's provision. It may be a parable but Jesus based it on a true story - you and me. But there comes a time that we return to the Father. He has a way of interrupting how unworthy we are, how bad we've been, and He welcomes us with open arms, restores our souls, and heals our relationship. If that's you, in a foreign place where the love of God...

Have you ever asked yourself this question? What does it mean to be saved? It doesnt matter how small we feel our sin is compared to others, none of us can measure up to God's holy standards. Thank God that it is by grace we are saved through faith. Perhaps God has been dealing with you about salvation, coming to Him. He is not angry with you, He is waiting to forgive you, receive you as a beloved...

The Book of Revelation describes the powerful voice of Jesus as the sound of many waters. God has planted seeds through words, dreams, godly desires, and scripture. These seeds may have went through a dry season, but when the voice of many waters speaks activation to the seed of greatness inside of you, if you have prepared the soils of you heart, that seed will take root, mature, and grow fruit.

In Numbers 20:1-13, God told Moses to speak to the rock in the wilderness so water would come forth and give the rebellious nation of Israel, who were only after fruit and results, water to drink . Moses struck the rock twice, water still flowed but Moses missed out on the Promised Land. Many are so driven by getting to prophetic fulfillment and ministry fruitfulness, they will neglect the season...

Silent Saturday. Beneath the surface of the grave, Jesus the Bible says, has descended to the lower parts of the earth to preach to those that were former disobedient. In that, He led captivity captive and took back the keys of death and hell. Even in death, Jesus is victorious and will lead out of the prison and into the resurrection with Himself. The story isn't over!

Good Friday. Full of sham trials, blasphemies, choices, and a long bloody trail from gabbatha to Golgotha. The Lamb of God is sentenced to death by Rome at the cheers of Pharaseic onlookers. His disciples are scattered, one betrayed Him, one denied even knowing Him, Jesus is dying on the cross for the sins of the world. We too have choices. Jesus chose to drank from the cup the Father gave Him, Ju...

Jesus greatly desired to have the Passover seder with His disciples. He released so much wisdom and so much knowledge about the Kingdom. In the Passover seder, He reveals that all of these things were concerning Him, He is the Passover lamb. He instituted the Lord's Supper from the unleavened bread of the Passover, illustrating His body would be broken for us, passing the third cup of the seder, t...

Judas entered into a covenant relationship with the Pharisees to betray Jesus. People who become disillusioned with God will trade one covenant for another. He left the covenant of Christ and entered a covenant with Satan. Thirty pieces of half-shekel silver back then went for about $12.5 a coin. The Son of man was betrayed for $375 in today's currency. Virgins who had no oil in their lamp is comp...

Jesus cursed the fig tree that had no fruit on it. We know there are spiritual fruits. In Matthew's account, He says not only can we do this, but we can speak to this mountain to be removed and cast into the sea if we have faith and believe when we pray. I think it's interesting He started talking about faith right after finding no fruit. The word faith in Hebrew and Greek actually mean "faithfuln...

After His arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus cleanses the Temple. It is called a House of Prayer, but religion and pursuit of money, financial gain, and greed turned it into a den of thieves. The zeal for the House has eaten Jesus up and we find Him overturning tables and driving out those who sold sacrifices. Sacrifices paid for are cheap. God wants the sincerest of our sacrificial praise. A person's li...

Jesus rode from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem to the cheering of crowds as they laid their garments and palm branches along His path with great cries of "Hosanna!" I love the message this sends to us. Garments represent status or even labels that the devil, others, or that we give ourselves. Lay the garment of man's opinion at His feet and let Him trample that into the dust as He leads you th...

In Luke 10:1-3, Jesus commissions 70 disciples to go before Him into cities He would soon visit. Before Heaven starts a move, a messenger will usually show up. We say we are waiting on God but really He is waiting on us. Will you be one of the few laborers that will agree to go into His harvest?

In Luke 5:17-26, a group of four people go over the religious leaders' heads and get a paralyzed man to Jesus. He saw their faith and forgave the man, and healed him. Jesus attracts both religious spirited zealots and broken people alike. Pharisees love the commandments and do it out of obligation to keep Jesus rather than loving Him and thereby keeping His commandments out of love for Him, not re...

The scripture comes from Psalms 18:16-19 and 18:28-33. When the enemy comes in like a flood, God rescues us because He delights in us. Sometimes He draws us out of many waters instanteously, but more often than not, He becomes our support, gives us strength to fight the enemy, illuminates the darkness and by His standard-raising Spirit, provides a way of escape into a broad place. He makes our fee...

In our own strength, our heart and flesh fails. When we abide in Him, however, we become strong at our weakest. The Kingdom of God turns carnal thinking on its head. It is where the last becomes first and first becomes last. The mightiest becomes the servant. The mourners are blessed. The persecuted ones receive the Kingdom. The meek inherit the earth. Two mites of a widow is worth more than what...

Beyond New Years resolutions and goals, what is the vision for 2025? What is God's vision for you, your family, your church? As we already of a mind to accept the freshness of a new time and season, it is also a good time to seek Him for what He wants us to accomplish this year and in every day of our lives. Proverbs 29:18 KJV Genesis 1:3-4 NKJV from here forward. Psalms 32:18-19 John 15:15

This a brief little reminder about the season we are entering in to. May each of your days be filled with longer lasting light!

God proved that He will always be with us by sending His Son and His Holy Spirit. To confirm this, He gave Isaiah a prophecy that a virgin would conceive and this son of hers would bear the title "Immanuel," or God with us. As we observe Christmas time, we focus on the advent of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. It was to reconcile creation back to the Father and to establish His Kingdom through...

After Malachi and the return of Israel from Babylon, Heaven fell silent. There was 400 years of seeming silence for the most part. A whispered forthtelling of a birth to an aging priest and a young maiden from Nazareth, but still, silence. Then a darkness-shattering wail of a newborn's cry in Bethlehem brought the season of Heaven's seeming silence to an end. The angels that heralded the Messiah's...

Most Christians don't give Hanukkah a second thought, and while there is no custom or obligation to celebrate it as a Christian, the events surrounding this holiday are prophetic whispers in between the testaments that points to the arrival of the Light of the World. John 10:22 bears witness that this was a celebration and one that involves the bridge between the two time periods of the Bible. Mos...

In part 4 with disappointment amidst faith, I want to look at the last question people typically ask - is God silent? Students of His Word will say of course not, that's what His Word is for. We find however, He doesn't just speak through His Word but through His people. As God is in us through the Holy Spirit, the comfort our fellow members of the Church is an extension of God's comfort from God...

Following questions asked in Philip Yancey's book on disappointment amidst faith, we look at the second question, is God hidden? Why does God feel distant during fiery trials or during heart-wrenching moments of grief? Let's discover what the Bible says about it together. Resources: Romans 8:31-37 Matthew 18:2-4 James 1:3 Romans 5:3-5 Genesis 32:24-28 all KJV Yancy, Philip. Disappointment With God...

In part two in talking about disappointment as related to faith, I discuss a question Philip Yancey asks, and perhaps many of us when things go wrong even if we are trying our best to live right...is God unfair? Seems straight forward, but for those suffering under crushing life circumstances, it can be a question that keeps someone up at night. Let's investigate the truth of this matter. Resource...