Plumb line
by Jeffrey Smith March 15th, 2016
Amos 7:8-9: And the Lord asked me, What do you see, Amos? A plumb line, I replied. Then the Lord said, Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.
Galatians 1: 6-7: I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting...
Healing in the shadow
by Jeffrey Smith March 14th, 2016
Acts 5:15-16: As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Psalm 91:1: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in...
Seek Him
by Jeffrey Smith March 10th, 2016
Amos 5:4-5: This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.
Seek the Lord in all things. You would think that would be all that it took for Amos to say to us through the Holy Spirit. Why did the Spirit speak to Amos about...
Gateway of life
by Jeffrey Smith March 8th, 2016
1 Chronicles 22:2-4: So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. he provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and...
Praise and Thanks
by Jeffrey Smith March 3rd, 2016
1 Chronicles 25: 3- As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.
Prophesying is about speaking into life that which the Lord speaks to you directly. It is about the future, and to affect the lives of others. There are many...
Water source
by Jeffrey Smith March 2nd, 2016
Isaiah 30:25:On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
The day of the great slaughter is the day Jesus was crucified. He brought down the towers that held the law of the pharisees. The law was meant to condemn, and the blood of Jesus flows to forgive. Through Jesus, we have the source of life,...
Accounting
by Jeffrey Smith February 29th, 2016
1 Chronicles 21: 1-3: Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are. But Joab replied, May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why...
Hope
by Jeffrey Smith February 26th, 2016
Romans 8:24: For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
Romans 4:18: Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Hoping in what is yet to come is what we must do continually. When we hope for something that we already...
The Surgeon
by Jeffrey Smith February 25th, 2016
Colossians 1:16: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
There are no conferences, no award ceremonies, no star studded events for the scalpel. A scalpel is one of the most important instruments a surgeon has to perform his work. When someone...
Go! Trust Him
by Jeffrey Smith February 24th, 2016
Exodus 4:12: Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.
I tell people this all the time, but it is the truth. I have blessed more people on accident then on purpose. I could go out one day with the idea that I am going to pray healing prayers over everyone I see. I can get so pumped up and put bibles in my backpack, and some provisions for the homeless, as well as a mouthful of...
Which is Easier to Believe?
by Jeffrey Smith February 23rd, 2016
Romans 5:15-16: But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses, and brought...
The Other Side
by Jeffrey Smith February 22nd, 2016
Jonah 4:4: But the Lord replied, Have you any right to be angry?
Luke 15:31-32: My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
Ever feel like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son? or Jonah after the Father has compassion on the...
His Ways
by Jeffrey Smith February 18th, 2016
Isaiah 55:8-11 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the...
Inside out
by Jeffrey Smith February 17th, 2016
Psalm 103:12: As far as east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
One of the favorite activities in our household is to put a puzzle together. We spread out all the pieces on the dining room table and we scan the many shapes and colors to determine which pieces fit together. The key in putting together a puzzle with a lot of pieces is to look for the edge...
Fill up
by Jeffrey Smith February 16th, 2016
Ezekiel 3:1-3: And He said to me, son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat. Then He said to me, Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it. So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Jeremiah 15:16: When your words came, I ate them; they were...
Don't Panic
by Jeffrey Smith February 15th, 2016
Isaiah 28:16- This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
Ephesians 2: 19-20: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizenswith God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundationof...
Love
by Jeffrey Smith February 12th, 2016
1st Corinthians 13:2: If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
We all have amazing talents and gifts, things that we are better at than others. We can find that something may start out like a passion that fuels us into action based on those talents. What this scripture is...
Cup of Salvation
by Jeffrey Smith February 11th, 2016
Jeremiah 49:12- This is what the Lord says; If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it.
Luke 22:42- Saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.
Matthew: 26:27- Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of...
Choose Jesus
by Jeffrey Smith February 10th, 2016
Matthew 10:34-39: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son...
For the team
by Jeffrey Smith February 8th, 2016
Matthew 12:48-49: He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
I coach my children's basketball team. Over the last 3 years the Lord has blessed me with all wins, every game except one when we didn't have enough players. My focus is always on the team, and the unity of the team.
This year...
Death to life
by Jeffrey Smith February 5th, 2016
1st Corinthians 15:54-55:But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
When we experience a loss of a loved one, we can often go through trying times, questioning a lot of things in our own lives....
Letting go of control
by Jeffrey Smith February 4th, 2016
Revelation 12:11-They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
When I was a child, I went with friends and parents to an outdoor fun land. The place was touted as a total adventure. The whole underlying theme of the place was built on trust, yet there it was masked as fun and adventure for all of us to...
Go to the source
by Jeffrey Smith February 2nd, 2016
Ezekiel 47:9- Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.
Jeremiah 2:13- My people have committed two sins; They have forsaken me, the spring of Living Water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
If...
Irrevocable
by Jeffrey Smith February 1st, 2016
Romans 11:27-32: And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gift's and his call are irrevocable.
In estate planning, the irrevocable trust is one of the most effective ways to pass along wealth, property, rights and whatever...
He hears us
by Jeffrey Smith January 29th, 2016
1 John 5:15- And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we has what we ask of him. John 11:40-42- So they took away the stone, then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.
We are all in Jesus as we believe and have received...
Feed the Spirit
by Jeffrey Smith January 28th, 2016
John 6:63: The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing, the words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life.Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans and that words cannot express.
Running and cycling is tremendously demanding on the body. I had worked a...
Trust
by Jeffrey Smith January 23rd, 2016
Jeremiah 40:18-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.Matthew 11:28-come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest
If you have ever been betrayed in the world, trust is a tough concept. Those betrayals really hurt and they can leave scars for years. We have all heard that we must trust God, but for...
The Main ingredient
by Jeffrey Smith January 21st, 2016
Galatians 5:4- You who have been trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Most people are looking for a way to eat rich food, but not gain weight. I myself have looked at the eyebrow lifting claims of sugar free brownies, and fat free foods in an attempt keep the athletic body I imagine I have in my own mind. I read the labels intently looking...
Come to Jesus
by Jeffrey Smith January 19th, 2016
John 6:37 "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."
To be rejected by man is temporary. To be accepted by Jesus is permanent. When you feel rejected, know that something much higher, much bigger, with much more pull in this world is with you. Remember that nobody in heaven is rejecting you. His promise is to not to drive us away, ever. We have...
Press into your call
by Jeffrey Smith January 18th, 2016
Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I met two amazing people over the week, one on purpose and...