A Scribe on the Wall

Several years ago now, I believe that God gave me a message, He would be telling me things and it was up to me to tell others. To me, it's much like the Watchman on the Wall as described in the Old Testament. The Watchman was told that it was on him to warn others about any approaching dangers. God's apparently gifted me with being able to type and write. So I put the old definition of a writer along with the concept of a watchman together. Jesus is coming soon...are you ready?

Monday, February 9, 2026

Rejoicing in Song or Crying Out?

by David Brenneman

When the stars burn down and the earth wears out

And we stand before the throne

With the witnesses who have gone before

We will rise and all applaud

Singing blessing and honor, glory and power

Forever to our God

Singing blessing and honor, glory and power

Forever to our God

When the hands of time wind fully down

And the earth is rolled up like a scroll

The trumpets will call and the world will fall

To its knees as we all go home

Star of the morning, Light of salvation

Majesty

God of all mysteries, Lord of the universe

Righteous King

There will come a day standing face to face

In a moment, we will be like Him

He will wipe our eyes dry, take us up to His side

And forever we will be His.

- When the Stars Burn Down

--Philips, Craig and Dean

Worthy is the lamb who was slain

Holy, holy is He

Sing a new song to Him who sits on

Heaven's mercy seat

Worthy is the lamb who was slain

Holy, holy is He

Sing a new song to Him who sits on

Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Adore You

Golden rainbows of living color

Flashes of lightning, roars of thunder

Breathing here on earth strength and glory and power be

To You, the only wise King, yeah

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

I will adore You

Filled with wonder, oh, struck wonder

At the mention of Your name

Jesus, Your name is power, breath and living water

Such a marvelous mystery, yeah

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come, yeah

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Filled with wonder, oh, struck wonder

At the mention of Your name

-Philips, Craig and Dean

--Revelation Song

These songs were in my mind this morning...partly due to my morning readings are in Revelation as I'm wrapping up a year of reading through the Bible.

Are you ready to step into eternity to worship Jesus forever? These songs are a taste of what's to come in the Heaven that's been prepared for those who believe on the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Those who have never placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation will never see it.

This, by far, is the most important thing that anyone has to know for certain in their lives. Nobody can count on a 'later' in life to 'get right with God'. I personally know of true stories of people standing up to get something then falling dead on the floor who thought they had a today in front of them to live.

You and I are not promised a today. For those who are saved in Christ we are promised that He will be with us in the today we've been given and that He has our tomorrow's in His hand just the same.

Sorrow, pain, lonliness, griefs and troubles come to the saved and the unsaved alike but only those who truly have Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord - who have made Him the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives - have hope in each day to live it to the full.

Nobody was meant to handle the weight of even their own corner of the world on their own.

Jesus IS going to return. It's taught throughout the New Testamet that the early churches were taugth to be expectant. To not be lazy about life as to whether or not give their all to Jesus all the time.

Nobody knows when either their hour is upon them or if they have days, months or years ahead yet.

Lives are altered in a split second these days. Would you be ready to step into eternity and find yourself in the presence of God the Son or would you wake up in painful torment in Hell? The Word of God says that those are the only two choices. Being 'good' enough will never get a single person into Heaven.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. " Galatians 2:20.

This what Believer's can say of themselves. If you've never placed your faith and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins...if He is not the Forgiver of your sins and the Leader of your life...then no you have never been crucified with Christ. He does not live within you.

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

Salvation is for everyone but it's on everyone to ask Him for it.

There's literally trillions of 'good' people in painful torment in Hell who thought they would be in Heaven who only now see why they aren't...that they never came to Jesus to be saved.

You, my Dear Reader, you must choose this day to receive His free gift of Salvation or face the same.

You have come this far in reading this and now know the truth and as harsh as this sounds...are now without excuse before Jesus.

You can text the word "Jesus" to 330-264-9459 and someone there WILL help you know for sure how to be saved.

You too then, my Dear Reader, WILL be able to sing such songs to He who will become YOUR Living Lord and Savior...Jesus Christ.

Time is not on anyone's side concerning this. While Scripture sayd that He's not willing for any to die but for all to come to the truth of salvation in Him...there IS a day set by His Father for His return.

It's GOING to happen as assuredly as the sun came up this morning.

God always keeps His promises and He certainly promised to return.

Will you be waiting for Him or will you be left behind crying out for Him to come back?

"Come up here!" is going to be said soon to all who are saved in Christ.

Will you hear that or hear the cries of the billions left behind?

Most know "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

Don't neglect to read the very next thing said by Jesus.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him."

The first time He came was not to judge. The next time He comes He WILL be here to judge.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Help My Unbelief

by David Brenneman

When We Don't Understand

"This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:27.

We may live in experience a fallen that world, so there are circumstances we may experience that will be God's are perfect will for us. Indeed, there are tragedies we will witness that are beyond human explanation and that shake us to the core. However, the Lord may allow us to face them through His permissive will for some significant purpose. In His omniscience, the Father knows what is ultimately best, including the long-term consequences of calamities that seem completely devoid of any good. We should not doubt God or abandon our beliefs when we lack understanding. Instead, we should latch on to what we know is true and not let go-and that is the goodness of God.

We must trust Jesus. That can be difficult, but understand that your life matters to God to a degree beyond which you can fathom. He cares for you, and He wants to teach you through what He is doing. So when you face inexplicable circumstances, remind yourself that God always has your best interest in mind. No matter what befalls you, your all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful heavenly Father has you in the cradle of His hand.

Jesus, I want to believe You. Help my unbelief, teach me and heal my heart. Amen.

-Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley

"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:22-24.

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears." 2 Samuel 22:7.

"Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary." Psalms 28:2.

My Dear Reader, if we're honest as we ought to be with one another, we have prayed that prayer in one way or another.

We might even be aware of this passage too: "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27.

What we go through in life might seem like we're all alone, but the reality is we never could be alone when it's the u deserved grace and mercy of God that even provides our heartbeat and each breath we take in.

I have had many opportunities to experience being alone or at least my perception of what alone feels like. The truth is extremely similar to a story I once heard.

---------

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's right of passage? It goes like this...

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a man.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

--------

We are quick to mistake silence for abandonment. Quick to think we're the only ones going through our hardship and pain. Quick to rush to judgment about what our situation is and what it appears to be headed for.

The truth is God only knows.

We go through what we do in order to be refined in the fires of tribulations to become more like Jesus Christ. That's what the work of God in Christ Jesus is always only going to be doing in our lives. That's what being "His workmanship" is all about. We won't always be blessed with understanding the why's behind the pain or sorrows but we will be able to know that He is there through the day and night by our side through it all.

I have been in serious school since last January in how I have been directed to learn from the Spirit of God. 6 devotional books and 4 Study Bibles. Every single evening even if it means losing sleep to complete it. My lessons went into the physical world in June of last year when, through no fault of my own, I was fired from my employer. All I had done was befriend a brother in Christ, no more, no less. God has made my innocence in the matter very clear to me. So my attention was then on what is in this season of life that I am to learn? It might indeed have everything to do with helping my unbelief.

We can withdraw from God, maybe even blame God, for what He allowed to happen to us at the hands of men and women. That, my Dear Reader is always the wrong perspective.

Job was educated on his wrong perspectives on what he was going through. He never connected the dots until after his exchange with the Lord Jesus Christ in the latter parts of the book of Job. The reality was his affliction was sanctioned by the Lord but carried out by Satan. But with limits in place that Satan had to abide by.

We can go through many things that are possibly Satan's fondest desires for us but are in the same manner as Job. Limits set by Jesus that cannot be overruled. We are to look to Christ for our life breath and all things...even within what we go through that we don't understand.

One sure lesson in the last 8 months is that it's ok if I can't figure out why. Another is to listen and do whatever He puts before me to be doing even if it isn't making sense at the moment. An applicable Life Principle is to obey God and leave the consequences to Him.

We are brought to things, go through things, in order to trust Him more. The appropriate response also should be to love Him more. To praise Him in the storm just as well as when there is none.

We need help with our unbelief because no matter who you are you have some that needs dealt with.

It's a simple enough prayer. Right there with Nehemiah's bullet prayers that have no time for words that are lengthy. We who are in Christ know what the Spirit will do when words fail us.

As our belief in Jesus Christ and His work in us proceeds we will grow in Christ. We will become more like Jesus. Isn't that what we really want more than anything?

Praying for ourselves to have our belief strengthened isn't a sin or even something that Jesus has a problem with. He visited with His Disciples for 40 days after His resurrection to grow them in Himself before leaving to take His place at the Father’s side in Heaven.

More than anything don't you want what God wants for you? It's going to mean going through some things to get there. As someone who had a conversation with a silversmith learned...silver stays in an appropriately heated fire only long enough for him to see his face in the silver then it's pure enough to be removed.

What we go through is there only long enough for Jesus to see something of Himself in us.

Lord I believe, help my unbelief!

Make me as you want me to be.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Always In Training in Righteousness

by David Brenneman

"and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts;" Revelation 2:23b.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10.

"and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:27.

"teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.

Our perceptions on our lives are tainted by our views concerning what is sin and what isn't. On what should be and shouldn't be in our lives. On what's right before God and what isn't.

Satan's a defeated foe according to the Scriptures but he's a lousy loser. Bent on kicking and clawing at whomever has become a child of God.

But our individual lives are always before our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

His promise to never leave us or forsake us is ever before us. We know by His own words that He's searching our hearts. You just read that yourself taken from the book of Revelation. Paul talks of this truth as well.

Growing in Christ, becoming more like Jesus in everyday life IS our life. Regardless of what our day entails that's what we are engaged in first and foremost. Jesus takes no breaks from our being His workmanship. He doesn't offer vacations from learning how to become more like Himself.

If you aren't intentional about learning more from your Teacher and Lord Jesus, then you're heading the wrong way.

We seem to live in a world where everything to stimulate the imagination is now at our fingertips. Everything to satiate the desires of our hearts, or so we think.

We are talked into this or that to make our lives easier or better. We are talked into what is ok and shouldn't be consistent as sin but in fact if we were in the Scriptures we would see that it is.

Jesus isn't going to stop our transformation into being like Him.

If you objectively looked at your life would you see someone obedient or someone who's been self-deceived? We can get so busy with life that we push Jesus out of the room we are in.

We will lie to ourselves as to what's going on but the truth is we are to seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness. Yet we can and do knuckle under to the pressures of life rather than do that.

Do you set aside time, intentionally, purposefully, to be with Jesus because you want to?

Do you have things that you 'love' that have taken up your time so that you don't spend time with Jesus?

These things might even have the appearance of being good but the truth is the truth...you are neglecting your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to pursue those things.

Jesus is never going to cease working in your life until that moment where you either breathe your last or the Rapture of the Church takes place.

Jesus is always going to know when and where you lied to yourself and He was excluded.

We cannot put people, places or things before our lives in Christ.

So what if you miss a live stream or video or movie or television show or sporting event or anything else.

If what you engage in is proving to cost you in growing in Christ then the price is too high.

Nothing should be worth more to you than doing, living, what is right in the eyes of God.

Whatever is important to God should be important to you.

So what if this means you miss out on things...isn't making your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ happy of greater importance?

As Peter was told...so are we...we are to follow Christ. We are to take up our own cross and follow Him.

Get truthful with you. Look at where you've lied to yourself about things and turn back towards the righteous life that God desires for you.

Our lives are not our own, we were bought with a price, the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

If your light ISN'T shining in such a way that people ARE NOT seeing your works and glorifying your Father in Heaven then stop n learn what it is, turn from it and get your life right before Jesus.

Jesus is GOING to keep on working on your life, it’s a matter of how hard you are going to resist Him while He does.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Friday, February 6, 2026

Getting Untangled by Jesus

by David Brenneman

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2.

Getting out Christmas lights and getting them ready to hang once again can be a challenge! Some would say it's on par with arguing with a toddler over a toy.

Yet we don't see how far and by how much we are entangled in sins that have been such a part of our lives.

The thing that we also so quickly forget when adversity comes upon us is the passages that tell us to EXPECT such things...because we don't we get anxious for nothing.

The sin that so easily entangles is anything that we're putting on either equal terms with Jesus or above Jesus whether or not we agree with the Scriptures about it. If God says that it is, then it is, and it's entangled us.

Probably it's heard thousands of times a day at many many Emergency Rooms by medical personnel from patients saying they're fine, give them something for the pain and they'll just go home. Never at all considering the risks associated with such a rash decision. They don't perceive what they are entangled in.

We cannot rely on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 commands, not suggests, that we not lean on our own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

We are going to lie to ourselves about what all has already entangled us in our lives.

Thanks be to God above, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He promised to never leave us or forsake us. That we ARE His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. That what He began in us is GOING to be completed.

Things that we have convinced ourselves that aren't bad...have we ever even asked the Spirit if they should stay or go?

Things that we say we enjoy so much that from our perspective are fun and joyful...are they crouching at the door of what's unacceptable to growing in Christ? Have we in fact crossed the line and don't realize it?

Do we justify our words when by all scriptural accounts those words never should have, under any circumstances, been said or even thought?

Consider this...has what you thought about a person...what you said about a person...would those thoughts or words ever come out of the mouth of Jesus?

Sin that easily entangles.

When we read Proverbs we can see a great deal of wisdom in how to live life. On guarding our hearts and minds. We read Paul's letters exhorting all of us to stand firm in the Lord.

We have probably faced various kinds of adversity and not understood why. The why's go back to the truth about the work of God in Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, that's GOING to happen in all of us.

Adversity indeed will only last as long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.

Do you realize that? Do you acknowledge that?

God HAS a specific and special purpose for you in Christ Jesus while you yet breathe and go about your life. Not unlike Ananias before going to meet Saul for the first time...we are to trust and obey.

We are to look at these adversities from a spiritual perspective and ask what is it that God's wanting to do in and through us or to remove from us or move us past in order to further His workmanship in us.

We all have sin that has entangled us. We are just so used to it that we don't recognize it.

Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see what He's doing in your life about your entangled sins. Ask Him to reveal what you are entangled in and again ask for His help in dealing with them. We do want His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven don't we? His will for us is our sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3a "This is the will of God for you, your sanctification".

Not your personal happiness.

Not that you get everything you ever wanted.

Not that this or that would happen in order to make you feel better about life.

Your sanctification. Your becoming more like Jesus Christ. Everything else is EXPENDABLE. Honestly everything. Even people in our lives and everything counted as a possession.

We are entangled and thank God we won't be left that way. We have His promises that He's going to finish what He's started in us.

Pray for yourself that you obey in what He's telling you to do. What to let go of. What to begin doing. Pray and be prepared because you will have things that He's identified that need to go or need to change.

Run the race with endurance...after your arms and legs aren't tangled up anymore you will be able to give of your best to the Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Thursday, February 5, 2026

When We Don't See

by David Brenneman

The Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting

PSALM 100:5

What comes to mind when you think of God's nature? Whenever I ask, people usually respond wich words like holy, all-powerful, or eternal, but very rarely do they say good. Indeed, many people think of the Lord as demanding, distant, and

unfeeling. This may be for many reasons, of course. But ultimately.

when they hear or read that God is faithful, merciful, forgiving, or

loving, they think, To others, but not to me.

Is this the case for you? Do you have an easier time imagining

other people being kind to you than the Father? Then it is time to confront what you believe about His character. Scripture is clear that what God has planned for you is for your welfare (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He works everything for your benefie (Romans 8:28), What He provides for you is not only ample but is of the finest quality. You may doubt this because of your circumstances. But the Lord sees your whole life from beginning to end, and into eternity, and He always leads in the manner best for you. God is good--to you, Stop doubting and believe in His love

for you.

Jesus, help me to trust in Your goodness and loving-kindness

in every area of my life-even when I don't understand what You are doing, Amen

-Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley

To be honest, there's a whole lot of my life that I don't see the why's behind. I don't understand and I believe that God's been teaching me that it's ok if I don't. To trust Him and keep going where He leads me. What I think are spectacular ideas on a direction for my life right now doesn't appear to be what Jesus says is a spectacular idea for my life.

Easily put: I can't see what He's doing. Yet I am still to keep trusting Him and keep moving no matter what it is that life looks like right now.

Daniel, Job, many others, pretty much all the Disciples, at one time or another were walking by faith and not by sight. Look at the list of people in Hebrews 11.

Something else is that Satan's going to try to incite jealousy between us and other Believers because of what we see Him doing in their lives while we wrongly perceive ours as being stagnant, going nowhere.

We don't see what Jesus sees as our potential in living for Him. Note that isn't a description of worldly success but success in the life in Christ that's been for you to live for Jesus.

We are going to go through the process of sanctification, to become more like Jesus Christ, it's in God's will for us.

This is going to put us in situations we don't understand. We don't have God's 'big picture' in mind because He's God and we are not.

I would be lying if I was to say that the last 8 months hasn't been very confusing for me. I have had application after application submitted, sometimes with a form letter response, sometimes with a decent response, an extreme few that turned into an interview, all the rest were met with utter silence.

At times I feel like a bobbin in the water, sometimes going under, sometimes not between discouragement and disappointment. The silence at times from those in my life here is enough to hurt. It's a perception thing I know.

"for we walk by faith, not by sight—" 2 Corinthians 5:7.

We're learning...we haven't learned...what that fully means yet. We're still going to be among all who are saved, who will enter Heavens gates who will get their theology corrected.

It's an ongoing process for all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Colossians 3:23-24.

We may not understand but we are to still obey and to keep on striving to please Him in all that we do...and to do everything as unto the Lord.

It's ok not to see what's coming because we know that He knows.

Make this prayer your own:

Jesus, help me to trust in Your goodness and loving-kindness

in every area of my life-even when I don't understand what You are doing, Amen

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Obedience and Faith

by David Brenneman

"One of the most basic yet important principles a Christian can ever learn is that of obedience. When we obey God, we’ll experience His blessings (Ps. 25:10). When we don’t, we’ll miss out on the blessings He had in store for us.

The more familiar we become with God’s Word, the more we’ll begin to understand the importance of obedience. God’s laws are not designed to deprive us of pleasure or prosperity. Rather, they’re intended to protect us from hurting ourselves and others and to guide us toward the fulfillment in life He wants us to enjoy.

When we’re faced with daily pressures, we may be tempted to compromise Scripture’s teaching in favor of self-reliance or worldly solutions. Every person has God-given desires and appetites, which can be satisfied as He intended or in selfish and harmful ways. Throughout our lives, we’ll encounter opposition to biblical living. Obedience to God involves a commitment to Him, regardless of the consequences.

Obeying God often involves choices that we fear could result in rejection, loss, or hardship. Sometimes the decision to follow Christ brings about unwanted confrontation. Obedience always require courage. However difficult our circumstances may be, we can respond to them with confidence in the One who empowers us to do His will. Has God ever made a mistake, been too late, or proven inadequate? No! Our heavenly Father is all-powerful and consistently faithful.

The laws of Scripture are profound yet simple: The Bible teaches that we will reap what we sow and, oftentimes, more than we sow (Gal. 6:7-9). When we obey God, we always get His best. When we don’t, life will turn out to be much less than it could be and much harder than it needs to be. We don’t always do what we should, and there is grace for those situations; but for Christians, making a commitment to obey God is essential to our faith. Obedience and faith are inseparable. We demonstrate our trust in God by complying with His will. When we do, we will reap the rewards He has designed for us—and we’ll hit our mark … every time."

- Devotional "9 Truths for Living God’s Way" - Dr. Charles Stanley on the Bible app.

"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”" Daniel 1:8-13.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”" Daniel 3:13-18.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:7-9.

Dr. Stanley didn't include the 2 sections from Daniel that you just read but they absolutely do apply to what it is he's trying to say to us. The last portion from Galatians is included in that devotional.

It's a lesson that rises to the top as the Lord directs the Spirit to turn up the heat in our lives...that of obedience.

In Job at the very beginning of that book we see the fruits of obedience that Satan's got a beef with. Due to Job's obedience the Lord made him prosperous. Seems to me as well that his obedience was lost on even his own wife since she urged him at one point to curse God and die.

Obedience can and often does cost us something. For me, listening to the Spirit to befriend a brother in Christ cost me my job. But even in that...God's blessed us in ways we could never have come up with on our own. The results have been a peace that does pass all understanding.

As he also points out...you cannot have obedience without faith. Faith and obedience go hand-in-hand. There should never be one who attempts one without the other.

What he says about what we fear...this is certainly true of those who go down this road.

We are called to obey the Word of God...and we are not to use ignorance as an excuse. We're to be in the Word daily. We're to be in prayer as often as we can. What God wants of us and for us should be more important than our own wants and desires.

Job loved his family enough to intercede for them. Daniel and his friends loved God enough to trust Him with their everything...and even if it didn't work out as they wanted...they would still praise Him.

Another of Dr. Stanley's Life Principles is "The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us." Look at Job and you see that one for sure.

"Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees." is another principle.

"God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him." is another.

One that I'm learning to go and more importantly grow through is "Disappointments are inevitable; discouragement is a choice.".

"Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God."

"Listening to God is essential to walking with God."

Much, if not all of these "Life Principles" that Dr. Stanley developed over the years all point to both obedience and faith being together...side by side...no matter what.

We cannot go through life by getting ahead of God is one that I've known myself...that one's mine.

Obedience and faith must be inseperable. Even when obedience makes no sense to us. Why? All obedience and faith together point us to is this: our sanctification.

The Disciples saw and learned to do as they were taught from Jesus in His obedience to the Father and His unbreakable faith in the Father's plans for Him.

These 30 Life Principles aren't 'gospel' but they are found within the Gospels. You will find them within the life of Christ that we read about within those pages.

Another that I read in a different devotional is that by way of our obedience and faith we will and should expect to be hit by the enemy of God for doing so.

I can readily testify that 24 hours after publicly professing Jesus as my Lord and Savior...that broadside attack happened. It happened to me, and you shouldn't be surprised if it happens to you.

Don't expect others, even if they are Christian's, to understand your level of obedience and faith. We are all at different places in our walk with Jesus and in our growing into His likeness. Simply stated: expect to be misunderstood because it's likely to happen.

Stay the course, finish the race, as Paul wrote. Stand firm in the Lord. Be careful of how you listen as Jesus said. Keep the full armor of God on at all times. Be ready to obey when called upon.

Our infinitesimal mark on the history of mankind is still ours to make in the Lord...and will only be achieved by our obedience and faith...as He sees fit to be done.

We cannot "Trust in the Lord with all our Heart and do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will make our paths straight" as it says in Proverbes 3:5-6 unless we keep obedience and faith together.

We cannot do what we do as unto the Lord unless obedience and faith stay together.

We have a debt we can never repay to indeed work to repay for all that the Lord did for us in dying on a cross for our sins.

Think about these things today as you go out into your day.

Look up the 30 Life Principles that Dr. Stanley wrote about. Those reminders might be what you've been needing to keep at your fingertips.

Obedience and faith might mean not doing or giving up something that we 'love'...but the eternal rewards are out of this world.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

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Tuesday, February 3, 2026

What We Need, He Promises

by David Brenneman

"Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:6-9, 11.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34.

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

There's more than we think is going on that is going on.

We don't see so we dismiss. We don't look so we miss. We don't listen and we wonder why. We, unfortunately, aren't much different than the Jews whom the Lord said always seek for a sign, some proof before they will act.

Yet throughout the New Testament we see the opposite in the lives of Believers.

We need reminders of the facts about a life in Christ. The world is relentless, the enemy is relentless, our sin nature is relentless...and guess what? The Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are more relentless than they combined.

There's more to living life than getting all you wanted out of life.

There's always the chance that what God needs you to do looks nothing like you getting what you want out of life.

"Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” Acts 9:10.

Now there's those who say that the Lord doesn't speak to people in this way anymore. I am living proof that that is a lie. Satan's schemes involve people believing such lies. I know that I know that I know of many times that within me I have been spoken to by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worry. This is another one of Satan's schemes. Getting us to worry about what's coming. What's around the corner, over the next hill, down in the next valley. Where the next this or that is going to come from.

Did not our personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ make promises to us who believe?

What did Satan's first temptation to Jesus look like? "Did God really say..."?

Seeking the Lord while He may be found is the beginning. Knowing that He's already seen tomorrow. Already knows what's coming. Already knows what you will think about or choose. Knows every sin we will stumble into. Yet He keeps His promises. He promised to forgive us and never to forsake us. He promised His Spirit to indwell us. Promised to guide us through His Spirit into the righteous life that God desires for us.

We who are saved in Christ Jesus...we ought to be thankful every morning noon and night for Jesus being with us throughout it all.

We are walking through a difficult valley in life right now. Our local Church helped us through January. Some whom we know, God laid it upon their hearts to help us in getting through February. Various food pantry locations have been a tremendous blessing to us. We are still moving on towards wherever He's leading us to. There's too much evidence to see, feel and know that Jesus is keeping His promises of keeping His eyes on us.

We serve a living Savior. I do my best to do whatever He puts before me to be doing. Doesn't matter what it is. Or who it's for. Just like our brother Ananias did.

We can worry as the world does...but we need not. We have the promises of God. If Jesus Christ was more than up to the task of making a way to save mankind...He's more than capable to keep His promises for everything else that applies to us.

We must trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. That great hymn says it oh so well.

While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,

but our toil he doth richly repay;

not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,

but is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove

the delights of his love

until all on the altar we lay;

for the favor he shows,

for the joy he bestows,

are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at his feet,

or we'll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey.

Add to this one another we don't sing often enough.

Standing on the promises of Christ, my King! Through eternal ages let His praises ring. "Glory in the highest!" I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.

Refrain:

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail! When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises, I now can see perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord, bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit’s Sword, standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall, list'ning ev'ry moment to the Spirit’s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God.

My Dear Reader...consider all that you've been richly given!

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:16-17.

We need reminders of what Jesus has done already in our lives. We need reminders that He IS doing things in our lives today. We need to be reminded that He will continue into tomorrow and the day after that and after that until He either calls us home or He returns.

It's on us to trust and obey, to stand on His promises, to pray without ceasing. Pray for those who persecute us. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. Know that He has plans for you that are more than you can understand right now. Learning that I don't need to know all the things my mind says that I do has been a challenge for me. But I know that I need to trust and obey what God has in mind for me to be doing.

Same goes for you my Dear Reader. Same goes for you.

It's ok not to understand or to know where something is going. A year ago I wouldn't have conceived in my mind the turn of events that happened in June simply from befriending someone my employer introduced me to. I wouldn't have considered all that God's enabled me to do during my employment hiatus. He's provided in ways that I never could have considered in order to help others. He's helped me get organized here at home much as I used to do at the places that I have worked. Provided free materials to build or fix things.

Psalm 23 is likely the most well-known Psalm. For the Believer...it's loaded with both promises of God and the knowledge of that path of righteousness we need to walk in order to please God.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23:1-6.

He makes, He leads, He restores, He guides.

We trust we obey. He does the rest. We need promises...He has them.

We need assurance...He provides it in abundance.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Monday, February 2, 2026

Be Ready For You Know Not When

by David Brenneman

"Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.

Luke 24:10, Matthew 24:44, Jesus says to be ready for His return.

Luke 12:45 "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.".

For at least 20 years of nothing but the teachings of Jesus Christ given to the Disciples and the OldTestament, ALL the new Disciples from the beginning of the Church onward were taught to make yourself ready. Jesus taught on many occasions of the need to be ready for we know not when He will appear.

Those who are not or will not WILL be caught unaware when that day arrives and they've nothing to show for the life in Christ they were to have had.

If there is going to be a waiting line at the Behma seat these people likely will be very distraught and nervous. There may not even be a waiting line. In His sovereign omnipotence Jesus may see all the Church at the same time. No time to prepare anything that people think that they will say that they believe will matter.

Paul's exhortation to run the race set before us with endurance...persistence...with purpose...gives no quarter to laziness or anything like that.

We should live lives expecting.

Expecting visitors. Expecting situations that will potentially point people to Jesus. Expecting situations where we are given life lessons to grow in Christ. Expecting situations where people see the life of Jesus Christ in us and in turn glorify our Father in Heaven.

They should very much see our expectation of Jesus returning.

It is fully honoring to God when we are living in expectation rather than not.

Paul counted all as loss.

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11.

Do you view this present hour of your life as though Jesus could be coming back for you? Do you instead have your mind everywhere else?

My Grandfather on my Mom's side passed away while reading his Bible. What a way to go! From reading the Word to being face-to-face with the Word. My Grandfather wanted to be a preacher but never was able to reach that point in his life.

My whole ministry here in this blog is to either point people to Jesus for salvation or point them back to Jesus.

In living my physical life I want to help people by showing them Jesus in my life. I have long since began considering that my aspersions in life aren't really worth pursuing, even though they're still there, in view of living the life that God desires for me.

What about you? How prepared are you to be face-to-face with your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ?

How much value do you put on being found approved by Him?

How are your priorities? Is there signs in your life of a true dedication to a life in Christ?

Are you approaching each day as if today were THAT day? The Disciples turned Apostles learned that and taught that for over 20 years and we find it throughout the New Testament as being taught to the Churches.

Would you be able to stand before Jesus knowing that you gave your best to the Master?

Are you living like you're ready to meet Jesus? Do you long for that Heavenly place that's your true home?

If not...start right here right now. Jesus taught it, therefore we should obey in it.

Each day we are still here we should give of our best to the Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

What will your life show? Will when your works are tested by the fire of His truth result in nothing or very little to give back to Him for all He did for you?

I have given the real world example of someone I know who was taught the hard way about this. Was a morning not unlike all others. Her husband was getting up to get them more coffee and in an instant he fell to the floor dead.

Just last night I heard a similar story. We have no clue, will get no warning, of when we will step into eternity....but we WILL know that we WERE warned to be ready for it.

Recall the old hymn "Give of Your Best to the Master, give of the strength of your youth..."

Tomorrow may never come...and each day we have is a gift from God. Each breath that the wicked breath is mercy in action. We are to live lives in Christ in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

Be ready for you know not when your Master will come...

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Sunday, February 1, 2026

What I Need

by David Brenneman

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it, For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds." Psalms 141:3-5.

"For my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless. Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares of those who do iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I pass by safely." Psalms 141:8-10.

Complacency, compromise, feelings based on these, comfort rather than the relinquishing of our will to His will in us.

We have but one and the same path set before us as has every Believer in the history of the Church...live for Jesus in all that we do. He didn't come to be served but to serve. The will of God for us in Christ Jesus is our sanctification...1 Thessalonians 4:3a.

Take a good look at the participation of Believers on any given Weekend and you'll find no short of people who compromised when it comes to resting in the Lord as He intended a rest to be. We, myself included, often or in the case of many more, don't try to rest in the Lord on a Sunday. It has to be filled with things that take our attention away from our walk with Jesus.

Satan's schemes are all around us, worse than any trip through a county fair's main row where all the rigged carnival games are and countless people are taken in by.

Yet in the same respect that people going through those rigged games think they can beat the game, we think we can beat Satan at his own games on our own and don't see how that's part of what he uses to sucker us in.

We need God's help to make headway in growing in Christ. We cannot rely on our strength of will to be enough or be effective against the schemes of the devil. We need to hold to a commitment such as those in Chapter 11 of Hebrews, the Faith Chapter, did.

It's not easy letting go of things that we learned to 'love'. But my Dear Reader, if we are striving to live a life approved of God in Christ Jesus, those things will need to go...and should we be driven to finally pray with that in mind...we will see the Spirit do something about them that we in and of ourselves could not.

We need the help of the Spirit of God to defeat the areas of our lives that are yet still tainted by sin's influence. We need to recognize where and when we compromised. Where and when we were complacent. Where and when we said, thought or did life in a way that's not working towards that will of God for us. We cannot trust ourselves. We have and will lie to ourselves. We need the impartial, immovable, all-knowing Spirit of God to work in us. Breaking the strongholds that need broken within our hearts.

I can't trust me to do right by me. Neither can you. It takes a lifetime of commitment to take up your own cross and follow Jesus. Not weekend visitations with Him for a few hours. We are taught of how simple and easy it is to just give a little here and there to make what we perceive life to be all that much simpler for us.

We read in Paul's letters of what he struggled to rid himself of in order to run the race set before him. Paul's struggles are of only a different kind than yours and mine and were just as debilitating at times.

We are exhorted to run the race set before us as though to win the prize. Any runner in any race drops everything they can in order to be lighter and faster than those they race with. Paul's teachings as lead by the Spirit of God show us that still better way.

We get sucked in collecting things that will yet still perish with time.

We get suckered into wasting hours watching things that don't matter in light of eternity. Pouring emotional energy into those things that gain us nothing in Christ.

We get lead astray in so many ways that we can't even recognize that it's happening until after it's happened.

We need to commit to what Jesus committed to. Living a life approved by God the Father. Even if it's an emotionally painful thing in letting go. Even if it's a physically expensive thing in letting go.

As one of Dr. Charles Stanley's Life Principles says...anything we hold onto too tightly will turn to ashes.

Do we WANT to see huge huge gaps in our Christian life where all that's tested by the fire of God's truth gets burned up?

We need to want what God wants for us. In everything in all things. The Disciples had to learn to think differently and so do we.

Ask for help from the Spirit to clear your thinking and to give you the mind of Christ. Expect and watch what will change.

Want what God wants for you. God wants us to become conformed to the image of His Son.

That's what you need.

That's what I need.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Unbreakable Covenant and Conviction

by David Brenneman and Daniel

"Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God." Daniel 6:6-11.

Maybe you noticed the slight alteration to who's writing this post today.

Daniel is certainly writing to all who would read about his life with the Lord. He makes no mention of it when they were first taken to Babylon but the evidence is clear that from a young age he had the unshakable, unbreakable, covenant conviction to pray every single day. He met with the Lord 3 times a day and nothing nor anyone would ever change that.

Read between the lines concerning how and why Daniel succeeded in all he did. Where did it start? Where did it come from?

We cannot show others a life in Christ if we aren't living it our in an unashamed manner. We shouldn't make excuses for missing our own appointments with Jesus.

Yet we do. We allow this or that to get in the way. We desire things that would make us potentially happy at the expense of a moment or two with Jesus who died in our place.

We allow excuse after excuse and wiggle out of the responsibility that we have been taught to obey in.

Daniel certainly shows the example for all of us. I know that personally catching the message of this post has brought conviction to my heart.

We easily find the time for many things but never really get consistent in prayer.

Daniel's life exuded prayer as being of the utmost importance. As did Joseph. Those visions he had whereby his brothers and father were upset with him? Those came from a life obedient to the Lord. His own family didn't recognize the hand of the Lord in them although Israel aka Jacob kept what these words were in his heart and mind.

Throughout the life of Joseph we read of how the Lord was with him.

This leads us to his prayer life. Joseph was a man of prayer.

Daniel was a man of prayer. When he prayed Heaven certainly heard.

What is holding you back from a greater prayer life? What is it that convinced you that it was optional or wasn't really worth your undivided attention? Consider the silence that's there where there should be conversations between you and Jesus.

Daniel's life exemplifies commitment. Even if facing earthly judgment he didn't care and wouldn't stop. Just as his friends answered King Nebuchadnezzar so in his actions he said the same to Darius and those who accused him.

His life is our example just as much as Joseph's. Keep this in mind as you reread Psalms 139:1-24. If we believe that He the Lord Jesus Christ knows us this well and believe His promises concerning us, shouldn't we desire to get to know the One who loves us to that extent?

Yes this going to mean letting go of things we claim to like or love. But we cannot know the benefits until we break that cycle and start this one with the right heart attitude.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Oh the Depths

by David Brenneman

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." Psalms 139:1-24.

"How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom"

I have had the older music in my collection come to mind of late. Partially I think because of the "Trusting God with Today" devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley exerpts that I have scanned and printed to put on the board at my study desk. To remind me of how much the Father loves me. How my God loves me.

God is so in love with His children.

You are God in Heaven

And here am I on earth

So I'll let my words be few

Jesus, I am so in love with you

And I'll stand in awe of you [Jesus]

Yes, I'll stand in awe of you

And I'll let my words be few

Jesus, I am so in love with You

The simplest of all love songs

I want to bring to you

So I'll let my words be few

Jesus, I am so in love with You

And I'll stand in awe of you [Jesus]

Yes, I'll stand in awe of you

And I'll let my words be few

Jesus, I am so in love with You

We were looking at the blessings of God towards us during our season of my unemployment. We have been oh so blessed. We in turn don't hesitate to bless others if it's within our means to do so.

As a lesson I read about with a father and his son goes...he gave his son two coins and had one in each hand. He was to clench his fists tight n no matter what examples he gave he wasn't to give those coins to him. So his first example was someone in need who could really use them. His child didn't budge. Then he offered him something of even more value than the coins. He thought about it but still didn't budge. Then his father pointed out to his child that so long as their hands stayed closed around what they were given, they could neither bless someone else nor receive anything more.

We can often get into that situation. We get blessed then neglect to be ready to bless. We can set limits on blessing others when the Spirit is clear on what He's wanting us to do. We can neglect to see something greater on the horizon when we focus only on what's in our possession.

Jesus knows our hearts. Has known us from afar. From before we were even born. Knows our going out and our coming in. He saw us being formed in our mother's womb. Knew all our days before as yet one of them occurred.

Oh how deep the Father's love for us, how vast and beyond all measure. Yet we can miss it all by just a bit of selfishness. A bit of this or that.

How can you be a blessing if you're not in that mindset to bless?

How can you say you're living for Jesus when you refuse to go where He says, do what He wants or even have your hands open to receive what He's wanting you to have?

We cannot hide the truth behind our motives with He who IS Truth.

We can and will lie to ourselves to appease our conscience. We will convince ourselves that the choices we made are even having been wrought in God that we did what we did for Him.

But the truth is still there.

Are you really trying to please God in all that you do or are you jockeying to get what you want out of life instead? Are you striving to please Him in all that you do? Are you really committed to the requirements of "Whatever" that comes with salvation in Christ Jesus? As Peter was told so are we "As for you, you follow Me!".

"And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?" Luke 9:23-25.

Self-examination in terms of wanting what God wants for you is always a healthy thing. Then begin praying for yourself in the changes that the Spirit will, not might, tell you needs to happen.

His job is to make us fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. To make us more like Christ. Only Satan's schemes and our sin nature are fully opposed to that. We need to recognize these things and hand them to Jesus to deal with.

Oh the depths of His love for me and for you. Our lives were never meant to be the same after coming to Christ for salvation. We were given spiritual gifts to be both discovered and to be used.

Pray for yourself this day to be who Jesus wants you to be, to let go of what you should and to be ready both to bless and receive the blessings of others.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Friday, January 30, 2026

Seeking Spiritual Understanding

by David Brenneman

"We walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7.

Imagine you've gone through a difficult experience in your life and you're fearful of what the future might hold. To encourage you, a friend says, "You can do it, one day at a time. Remember: just walk by religion, not by sight." Walk by religion? To a biblically literate Christian, the very sound of that phrase is off-putting, to say the least.

You probably know what Paul really said in 2 Corinthians 5:7:

"We walk by faith, not by sight." But even the idea of walking by faith seems contrary to common sense. If we walked by religion, we would at least have a tangible structure- things that are seen--to pin our hopes on: buildings, traditions, schedules, liturgies, ministers, and the like. If we walk by faith, we have only the promises of God. But we also have "the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). We not only have God's promises but we

also have the evidence from thousands of years of history that He has kept His promises to those who trust Him. And He will keep

His promises for you.

If you are facing an uncertain future (and who isn't?), remember to walk by faith-faith in the God who promises He "will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Walking by faith means being prepared to trust where we are not permitted to see.

JOHN BLANCHARD

-Walking with God, Dr. David Jeremiah.

In many ways we neglect to see the world from the spiritual point of view that we see Jesus teaching the Disciples for 3 and a half years...and of which they taught the early Church for 20+ years before they had Paul's letters, Peter's letters, James and the rest.

We don't even look at the world in which we live as they did. We don't look for how spiritual matters impact the physical life. We listen to the world in it's feable understanding and chalk it up to chemical imbalances and the like.

Why is it those 2026 years ago understood and could tell the difference between the medical and the spiritual when it came to what someone was suffering from? Why? Because the master of deception has had 2026 years to perfect his deceit.

We don't get involved because of a few reasons. One is that we're not as trained up as those first Disciples were. I speak not of those who became Apostles...but those whom were the first that the Apostle's trained.

We live in a world immersed in deceit. Lies that are so sugar coated that unless you're really a student of the Scriptures, as my Spiritual Dad, Mike Wingfield teaches...you will indeed be deceived.

We have been taught not to challenge wrong thinking. We have been taught to accept those who break the laws of the land as if they had a right to. We have been taught that it's acceptable to not challenge doctor's diagnosis. That we should believe them no matter what.

We don't look at people as Jesus looked at people. He saw beyond their physical issues...to the root cause of their issues. Today's world is 'treat it with a pill or an IV and you'll be ok...leave God out of it.".

Most in the professing Church today I would dare-say that in his recent newsletter "PT News" at www.ptnews.org is spot on...they don't know how to recognize what is and is not spiritual warfare. They do not know what to do and are not aware at all of their spiritual surroundings.

They've accepted so many compromises that they don't think they have a right to stand up in the faith.

No matter where you are in your spiritual journey with Christ...you CAN and SHOULD stand firm in the faith. You have to start somewhere or start again somewhere in your life in Christ.

When we accept and do not challenge Satan's lies...his deceit...then we can and usually do enable people to stay trapped in whatever hell on earth they are in.

Look at what happened even with the Disciples...who were given authority to cast out demons. There were some that even that authority wasn't enough. Prayer and fasting were needed to bolster that request.

You, my Dear Reader, need to sit down and have your own serious, dedicated, intentional, training in righteousness with the Spirit of God if you are going to ever have your thinking about people and about yourself ever straightened out.

Within this...realize that which the Scriptures say WILL take place. "Everyone will be without excuse" when they stand before Jesus. "Chemical imbalance" will not be an acceptable excuse. "I couldn't help myself" will not be an acceptable excuse. "I didn't think it would be a bad thing" will not be an acceptable excuse.

In fact...let's make it simple...as simple as the coming to Christ for salvation. There are no acceptable excuses for not coming to Christ for salvation. There's no acceptable excuses for not doing, saying or being as Christ, through His Spirit, teaches us to do, say or be.

We will indeed see hard times when we come to Christ. Jesus said so.

Long ago there was a song "One Day at a Time" and the message is right that it speaks to. Even in the hard times, as well as the good times, take every day with Jesus one at a time. Don't get ahead of Him. Always be learning about how to be who God in Christ Jesus wants you to be. Always be aware of your surroundings in the spiritual sense. Listen to the Spirit, not the world. Don't let anything get in the way, be it family, friends, or even your own self-interests in being all who God in Christ Jesus wants you to be.

We need to take the lessons that Jesus taught to heart. It's still an amazing thing to me to look at the book of Acts from that perspective. All they had for 20 plus years was ONLY the teachings of Jesus...and it was THOSE plus the Old Testament that transformed the global landscape as the Church of Christ spread out into the world. The letters, epistles, etc. that came later only served to bolster what they already had in their firm foundation of the teachings of Jesus from the Apostles.

Look at your life. Get real with you about where you have compromised. Where you have accepted the world's doctrines on how to live life and what you should or should not accept as truth.

While yes this life is likely going to be rough...and it likely WILL get rough when you stand firm in the Lord and the light of His Word.

Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own undestanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

We cannot know or understand the true life that awaits us in Christ if we are not choosing at a minimum those two promises.

We are to be living for Jesus in all that we do. Whether or not we understand or not. Whether it makes sense or not. A light shining is totally indiscriminate on what it reveals. OUR light is supposed to shine in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Our FIRST priority to live a life acceptable to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not the world.

"may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him" Romans 15:13.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Thursday, January 29, 2026

His Open Arms Are For You

by David Brenneman

"Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:34-43

Long long ago for me, these facts about my Savior were explained to me. I was around 7 at the time. I knew and understood that I was a sinner in need of a Savior, who was Christ the Lord. I knew that there was nothing that I could do on my own to be right before God. It wasn't me who did anything to save me. I heard His call and He reached out and did everything that I couldn't do.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" Ephesians 2:8.

Grace. The truest definition is "unmerited favor". Getting something we don't deserve. We have nothing to offer in exchange for our soul. There's nothing we could possibly give to cover our own sins.

This comes hand-in-hand with mercy...our not getting what we do deserve for breaking God's laws. We are born in sin and we need His God-given perfect sacrifice to deal with this.

What we receive in exchange is a life we never could or would see otherwise. We are adopted into the family of God. We have all our sins, past, present and future dealt with. He promises to be faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Removing them as far as the east is from the west.

So no, I have not a remembrance of a life before Jesus. But for sure my life has never been the same as it would have been.

Throughout my life there's been countless examples of His loving hands turning my life into something worth living. He's brought me through dangers that by any other means would have been impossible. He's provided in ways that I never could have considered. When it comes to battles with those whom have wronged me, He's fought them on my behalf. He is a promise keeper.

Jesus is very real and is very much open to saving more people. He said that whomever comes to Him in faith by no means would He ever cast out.

What does it take? Read it here:

First you have to acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a Savior...just as I had to do.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.

Next is to acknowledge His truth about sin. That the Bible is clear that what we deserve for sin is death.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates His own love for us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

And in conclusion you already just read what Romans 10 says.

My Dear Reader the gift of eternal life is free. Jesus paid it all. He wants to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life. But you have to ask Him to do that.

I really like this portion of a story about a man who believed...his daily prayer that was the beginning of his life in Christ.

"I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,

SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS BEN, JUST CHECKING IN TODAY."

You too can pray such a prayer after you receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

Until you do, there's a great divide between you and God that cannot be crossed without going through the cross of Jesus Christ. Only through the finished work of Jesus on the cross can we come into the presence of God.

Jesus loves you. When He looked forward to the cross He thought of you. When He was cruelly beaten and scourged, He thought of you. When He was being nailed to that cross, He thought of you. When He arose from the dead, He was ready to welcome you into His family, having done it all to make it possible to join Him where He is.

Scripture further says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Without the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone we cannot please God.

What's holding you back? Questions yet you may still have?

Jesus said you must come as a child does. Look upon Him who died and arose again and simply believe that that is and was for you. Believe that He said it about you and claim it for yourself.

You can text the word "Jesus" to (330) 264-9459 and you will be connected with someone who will talk to you about this salvation in Christ that you have read about today.

Jesus is waiting with open arms for all who would come to Him to be saved. No matter what the baggage is we bring, He will deal with it. No matter how sinful we feel He will heal it. No matter what...He's ready to save.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org