Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions. Most resolutions are self-focused; lose weight, eat healthy, get a better job, buy this, buy that and so-on.
I want to suggest a resolution that will change your perspective on life itself, transforming you into a new person, and moving your focus from “me”, “me”, “me” to Jesus Christ. As we become less, Jesus becomes more and our lives are blessed as we become a blessing.
If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land. God will meet our needs and provide security. I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. God will bring peace to His children who walk in Him. So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. God will bless us. Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. What more could we want but to have the God of all creation dwelling among us?!
Leviticus 26:3-4, 6a, 9, 11-12 NASB
How can we have these blessings and walk in His statutes and keep His commandments? By being in the Word of God daily. As we read His holy word we are transformed into a new person who knows God personally. Let the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 NASB
🌹Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16 NASB
There are several free Bible apps that have reading plans for the year so what are you waiting for? Let’s go!!
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Tag Archive | covenant
Proclaim the Light
Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,
“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
Isaiah 42:5-7 NASB
Jesus, Light of the world, I will arise and shine for Your light has come and Your glory has risen before me. In Your hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind yet Your Light shone in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. You are the Lord God, who upholds my right hand, Who says to me, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
I pray for Your chosen people, a royal priesthood, a people for Your own possession, that we will be bold in proclaiming the excellencies of You who called us out of darkness into Your marvelous Light. Spirit of God who made me, breath of the Almighty who gives me life; Spirit of the Lord God be upon me, anoint me to bring good news to the afflicted; to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners by Your Almighty power. In Your name and for Your glory Lord God, amen.
Isaiah 60:1/Job 12:10/Isaiah 41:13/
John 1:5/1 Peter 2:9/Job 33:4/Isaiah 61:1 NASB
🌹Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel Will be justified and will glory.”
Isaiah 45:22-25 NASB
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Covenant to Walk
Then the king (Josiah) stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book.
2 Chronicles 34:31 NASB
First commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” Keeping that one commandment alone will fulfill the covenant. Loving God with your whole being brings your will in alignment with His and you desire to be obedient to His testimonies, His statutes. Following in obedience you “do” — perform the words of the covenant with reverence and submission. We could start with loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
🌹 Walk after the Lord. Be like Jesus.
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
The Bible
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
Psalms 107:20 NASB
The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
2 Kings 23:3 NASB
God shows the way, His perfect way, through His word. God sent His word so we don’t have to walk in darkness and ignorance. If we don’t read God’s word we don’t know how to walk with God in fellowship, love and obedience.
Josiah surrendered his heart and soul to walk with God and to keep His word. And the natural outcome is that others will join you in following by the testimony of your walk and talk.
Praise God for His word and the privilege of living out His word before others.
🌹From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the Lord is to be praised.
Psalms 113:3 NASB
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Elijah, Prophet of God
Elijah, a prophet sent by God, to warn and restore the Isaraelites devotion to God instead of Baal. In 1 Kings 18 is the testimony of the two altars where the priests of Baal, 450, and Elijah, the lone prophet of God, met to sacrifice to their respective God/god to reveal who was truly God.
One of my favorite stories. You should read if you are not familiar with it.
After this event . . .
Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
1 Kings 19:1-4 NASB
This great revelation of God in Elijah’s life, to see the power and faithfulness of God, was overshadowed by fear of what Jezebel promised to do to him.
Haven’t we been there? We let the events of the world, the fear for our own livelihood overshadow the work of God and the Holy Spirit through us. God calls all His children to be the voice piece of His gospel. When called we must stand firm in the hope and power of our God.
Well, God also will not allow us to wallow long in our disobedience- running from His calling to share the gospel – before He gets our attention.
Through an angel God provided Elijah with the necessary strength to go on a journey to meet with God.
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:9 NASB
Have you heard this before? A simple question. “What are you doing here?”
Elijah had his excuse all ready:
He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
1 Kings 19:10 NASB
He wasn’t really listening to God. His fear for his life was greater than his fear of God.
But God was about to get his attention.
So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.
1 Kings 19:11-12 NASB
God sent a mighty wind, an earthquake and fire. When God had Elijah’s attention He then spoke in a gentle whisper (blowing).
Aren’t we just like Elijah? Look around you. Are you living in fear or in the safety of your obedience to God?
🌹Is He trying to get our attention so we can hear His gentle whisper?
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Name of God
For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, Malachi 1:11a NASB
If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. Malachi 2:2 NASB
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 NASB
“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. Malachi 2:2, 5-7 NASB
God takes His name seriously and your role in the priesthood of the saints. We are His possession for the proclaiming of His excellencies.
How do we do this? By speaking truth from our lips, which comes by the reading and study of God’s word and walking with Him in peace and uprightness. We are the messengers of God to turn many back from iniquity, sin.
You can’t help but stand in awe of His name when walking intimately with God. And you can’t help but speak His truth when when you do.
🌹Do you stand in awe of His name?
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Abundant Mercy
“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
Isaiah 55:1a NASB
“Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
Isaiah 55:3 NASB
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.
Isaiah 55:6-7 NASB
God of abundance. Abundant mercy to still be reaching down, calling our hearts back to Him. Abundant mercy He desires to pour out on His children.
Now is the time to seek the Lord, while He may be found. Today may be the day when time runs out for you. Don’t delay. Come experience God’s abundant love, grace and mercy.
🌹 Praise God for His abundant mercy. Who do you know that needs to hear?
His Eternal Covenant
“Thus says the Lord , ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.”
Jeremiah 33:20-21 NASB
What a promise! Thank God we can’t change night and day. We would be foolish enough to try. Just as we can’t change God. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever. Thank God for His Son, Jesus, who reigns forever.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NASB
🌹 Thank God for His new covenant in Christ.
Continually Seeking Him,
Sharon
Origin of the Rainbow
I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” — Genesis 9:11-17 (biblegateway.com)
Reminder. Promise. Covenant.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Promise: Mercy and Righteousness
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, — Psalm 103:17
What a great promise to cling to and remember. God’s lovingkindness (mercy) is forever. When we received His mercy through the cross it extended down through generation after generation to us and it will never end. It is hard to fathom the depth of this mercy we receive for all who reverence God.
And if His mercy weren’t enough but His righteousness is to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments. Passed on to children’s children. His righteousness will not go away. Our God is righteous and nothing can change that.
Share your righteous God who keeps His covenant and shows mercy from everlasting to everlasting to your children so they may pass it to their children who pass it to their children for a thousand generations. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. His righteousness is ever progressing.
Praise You, Lord God for your lovingkindess and righteousness! The promise that is everlasting.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Continually Seeking Him 