đâLet the living Word of God touch your heart today, meeting you with clarity and strength exactly where you need it most. As you open yourself to Scripture, allow it to gently correct, guide, and encourage you through every season and every step of your journey. Godâs Word has the power to quiet your fears, renew your mind, and remind you that you are never walking alone. Embrace the peace and joy that flow from His truth, anchoring your soul even when life feels uncertain. As you surrender to His Word, may it shape your thoughts, deepen your faith, and transform your life from the inside out with lasting purpose and hope...â
âJesusâour permanent High Priestâis praying for us this very minute.
âTherefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for themâ (Hebrews 7:25).
What a breathtaking truth. Our salvation is not fragile, not temporary, not dependent on our consistencyâbut secured by His continual intercession. Jesus doesnât just save us and step away. He stays. He stands before the Father on our behalf, speaking grace over our failures and mercy over our weaknesses.
He pleaded our case yesterday when we didnât know how to pray. He is interceding for us today in our battles, our doubts, and our quiet tears. And tomorrowâbefore we even face itâHe is already there, representing us with nail-scarred hands and a finished work.
Because He lives, our hope lives. Because He intercedes, we are never alone, never forgotten, never condemned. Our Advocate never sleeps, never resigns, and never gives up on us.
This is amazing grace. This is complete salvation.
Be blessedâand rest in the confidence that Jesus is praying for you.â đ⨠âFelix Ahenkorah
âEver feel spiritually scattered⌠like youâve been doing all the things, but your heart is still loud?
Today I noticed it in the smallest moment: standing in the kitchen, staring at nothing, mind racing.
So hereâs a gentle 60-second faith reset (a breath prayer):
Inhale (4): âJesusâŚâ
Hold (2): âIâm here.â
Exhale (6): âBring me back to You.â
Repeat 3â4 times.
Lord, I confess how quickly I drift: how my thoughts sprint ahead and my soul lags behind. But You donât shame me for being human. You invite me to come close again.
âDraw near to God, and he will draw near to you.â James 4:8
If youâre scattered right now, donât overcomplicate it. One breath. One whisper. One return.
Where do you feel the most âscatteredâ lately: mornings, work, parenting, or at night?â
From: âWord of Encouragementâ (FB)
(There is so much more encouragement on their beautiful Facebook page, well worth reading.) Amen! đđď¸đ
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 NIV
Psalm 23 is a familiar passage, I've written about it often. I think it is so familiar, that often we repeat the words without letting it sink in and really grasp the power of the prayer.
Because it is powerful. It is David's declaration of the mighty power and faithfulness of the Lord, waging war in "high places." (Ephesians 6:12)
Today's Digital Battlefield
We've been talking for the past several weeks about awareness and preparation in life's journey, wherever it takes us, and the challenges we face in the 21st century and the digital age.
The battlefield is not on the rough and hot plains, but in the zeros and ones of the digital world. Criminals hide behind fake accounts and creep in through digital backdoors.
This is the topic of tonight's livestream, "The Ministry's Wiretap: How CALEA Became the Dark Mark on U.S. Phones," and that it isn't just politicians and world leaders that are at risk of having their communications surveilled.
Just as the Dark Mark signals a hidden, powerful force in the wizarding world, CALEA operates as a modernâday Dark Mark on our phonesâan inv
Standing in Strength
In my devotional, #NoFear (2019), I wrote about the most common fears and how to combat them. The #1 fear among Americans at that time was government corruption. The government has not become any more trustworthy and there are even more areas of overreach and concern.
Get spiritual strength + political awareness with this bundle. #NoFear devotional helps overcome anxiety while Propaganda & Government Corru
Regardless of the turmoil our society faces, my answer is still the same. As David wrote, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7.
Facing the Dark Valley
We will all go through a "dark valley" at one point or another, whether it is illness, job loss, family betrayals, or societal upset. Whatever it is, our response is the same. Our securityâour peaceâis not found in what we have, where we live, or who we know ⌠it is in who God is.
The Lord is faithful. The Lord is good. We can trust in him.
While we are in the valley, that end is obscured. That is the way the trials of life so often are, we are walking in the dark, not seeing the end, or sometimes even the way, while we are down in the valley overshadowed by mountainous troubles. But the light beyond is the good end God has promised.
We have to keep walking until we reach the other side.
That is what we were made for ⌠we were raised to walk in that newness of life.
Join Me Tonight
I hope you'll join me for tonight's livestream, "The Ministry's Wiretap: How CALEA Became the Dark Mark on U.S. Phones." Bring your thoughts and drop them in the chat.
Just as the Dark Mark signals a hidden, powerful force in the wizarding world, CALEA operates as a modernâday Dark Mark on our phonesâan invisible spell that lets governments listen in. We'll decode the magic, expose the danger, and give you the defensive charms you need.
Tonight: Thursday, January 29th 5:30 pm EST / 4:30 pm CST / 2:30 pm PST
Sometimes we think we have to do âthe thingâ all on our own ⌠whether itâs the job, that volunteer project, or getting ready for a family Thanksgiving dinner.
Then we begin to feel bitter and resentful, overwhelmed, and underappreciated.
But God never asks us to do more than we can actually can do. When we come ot a spot where we just cannot go another step ⌠God knows.
Heâs waiting for US to realize this and ask him to step in.
The next time you feel like youâre in over your head, remember the Lordâs words in 2 Chronicles 20:15 and ask him for help.
This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's" 2 Chron 20:15
Read more about 2 Chronicles 20:15
In 2 Chronicles 20:15, King Jehoshaphat was in trouble surrounded by enemies. The Lord told him, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of
First #FunFact, out of the 400 or so Scripture graphics that Iâve created to publish on my site one for Psalm 138:8 is one of my top five favorites.
I love the colors of the image. (That is 95% of my strategy when it comes to creating graphics, find images I love and put good words over them).
I love the setting, the burst of the sun rising over the sea. One can imagine oneself standing on the cliff looking towards the horizon for the promised hope to come.
I also love the verse itself. It is one that I hold on to.
Differently translations handle that first line a little differently when translating into English. The ESV says the Lord âwill fulfill,â the NASB âwill accomplish,â and the NiV confidently declares âwill vindicate.â
The Hebrew word used there is âgamarâ (Strongs H1584) and it means âto end, come to an end, complete.â Strongs commentary writes that is comes from âa primitive root, to end (in the sense of completion âŚ)â
It ties into the verse from Friday, Zephaniah 3:17, that we are hoping in the Lord, the Mighty One who saves.
The NLT, my go-to for devotional, makes it even more clear. âThe LORD will work out his plans for my lifeâ for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Donât abandon me, for you made me.â
We trust in the Lord because He is good. He is faithful and we can trust Him to do what He said. He will not forsake us because he made us.
Second #FunFact. This is one of the Scripture graphics that the attackers corrupted. Not deleted as they did for some of them ⌠corrupted. The file was there, but it was corrupted so it would not display ⌠on both my laptop and my website.
Iâve used this verse in a number of posts on my site, including my 2016 reflection for the New Year titled âNew Year Resolutions and New Starts.â (Yâall, that is less than two months short of a decade ago! Can you believe that?)
I wrote:
âJust this past week has been such a clear illustration of that. I had a lot of plans for what I was going to accomplish in the week between Christmas and New Yearâs. Very little got done. My laptop cable stopped charging, the battery went down, and the registry was corrupted so once I did get a new charger, Windows wouldnât load.
And then I misplaced my phone for an hour, call notifications werenât coming through, and now Iâm going to have to start the New Year on the phone with the cable company because now my modem is connecting to the service, but not to the internet.
I had good intentions and an awesome plan, but life happened.â
(đś I wish those were my problems now)
The long and short of the post is that none of us knows what is coming. We can make all the resolutions in the world and it doesnât mean that thing will be.
When I wrote this in January 2016, little did I know that the plagiarism of my work had already begun and that the auteur essay that I wrote for the film class that I had just finished, âShona Auerbach: Creating Poetry on Screenâ would get my entire ministry site targeted when I published a revised version of it in An Unexpected Journal two years later. ("The Making of a Hero")
I had no idea that the people who were in the program with me, whom I considered friends, were actually undermining me the entire time, stealing not only my words, but my businesses and identity.
How could I expect this?
How could I know or even try to plan for what was coming my way?
But the Lord knew.
He knew their hearts.
He foresaw their plans.
And inspite of all the plots and threats, He will perfect, complete, accomplish, and vindicate His plans for my life.
When we trust him for HIS plans for our life, we can be sure he will bring them about.
From "Psalm 138 and God's Faithfulness When Plans Fall Apart" on RaisedtoWalk.org
What is discerning of spirits? Discerning of spirits is an oft-misunderstood spiritual gift listed in the Bible. Learn how to develop true discernment.
https://raisedtowalk.org/topic/discerning-of-spirits/
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