The Battle For The Promise

I am learning that confession is everything. What we believe and what we confess must be the same if we want our lives to change.

I believe God is about to do a new thing and if we want in on the ground floor, than we must get our confessions lined up with our faith, let it be so, and please take a listen to a quick but powerful message about our confessions.

God Bless.

The Battle for the Promise

https://subspla.sh/876919f

Derek Prince Ministries 

Whisper

Here is some great advice when it comes to hearing God's voice.

Just remember, His voice is going to be a small still voice not those loud voices that are continually coming at us.

God Bless.

Whisper

And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. (NLT) -1 Kings 19:12

The story that is being told in 1 Kings is about Elijah running from his enemies.  He is upset with God and meets him in the wilderness.  When God is ready to speak to him there was an earthquake, then a windstorm, and a fire but God was not in these mighty displays.  Next comes a gentle whisper and that was God.  We often look for mighty signs as proof that God is speaking in our lives but we miss it because God is in the whisper.  Quiet your heart and mind and open your ears to hear God’s gentle voice. 

Download this app to get your daily )devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Quote Of The Day - If You Want To Give

LOVE THIS!

New Year, every day declaration in the words below! Let the breakdown begin.

God Bless.

Quote of the Day -Joyce Meyer
“If you want to give the devil a nervous breakdown, just get up every day and see how much good you can do.”
-Joyce Meyer, Living Beyond Your Feelings: Controlling Emotions So They Don’t Control You

He Knows

This little devotional is a light bulb moment. And as we head into the year 2020 may we get a firm grip of understanding in what this little devotional is trying to convey about worry.

May 2020 be a year of no more worry and of more blessings.

God Bless.

He Knows

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. (NLT) -Matthew 6:32

When worry starts to overrun our minds we are functioning as unbelievers.  Worry shows that we don’t understand our status in the family of God.  God cares about the temporary things like the flowers. God will take even better care of you! We are called to trust God with our lives.  When we start to worry rather than acting like an unbeliever instead bring your need to God and trust that He will provide. 

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

The Son Who Saves

He is the reason for the season and why I live the life I do. Nothing else matters. And as the season comes and goes may we remember, He is all we need.

God Bless.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

Devotional 

The birth of Jesus is foretold by Matthew. Mary gave birth to a son, He is atypical He is the Son who saves! We all need a savior life is what it is and sometimes it's too much for any one person to bear. Here we have the assurance that Jesus, the son who saves, will save us from our sins. It's reassuring to know that He also saves from danger, destruction, desolation and so much more. Let us therefore embrace Jesus the savior and be sure to introduce Him to others who are in need of a savior.

-Psalm 31 App

White As Snow

He came to make all things new and that is exactly what Jesus did. Now the only thing left for us to do is accept His sacrifice and live a life for the glory of God, His son, and His spirit.

God Bless.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD . “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. (NLT) -Isaiah 1:18

As you read this scripture, let God’s forgiving nature envelop you. It is by His grace, He pursues and saves us. What a mercy filled gift! Have you accepted God’s offer to wash you white as snow?

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Every Day Is Thanksgiving

I know Thanksgiving is over and I purposely waited to post this for Thanksgiving shouldn't just be a day but something we do and show every day, every minute of our lives.

So may we adopt the attitude of gratefulness today and into the year to come.

God Bless.

Every Day Is Thanksgiving

by Joyce Meyer

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!

—Psalm 95:2

Thanksgiving is not just a day to eat turkey and pumpkin pie, as we do in America. It was a day originally set aside to remember and give thanks to God for what He had done in protecting the first men and women who came to America, fleeing religious persecution in Europe. It was a type of harvest celebration like the one that the Jews celebrated; a day to give thanks for the crops they were able to harvest.

In addition to thanking God as we go through life, it is also a good idea to set aside special times of gratitude and giving thanks. Sometimes our family sits together and remembers where God has brought us from, and we thank Him for all He has done. Dave and I talk about our life when our children were all young and we lived in a tiny three-room apartment and had to cash in soda pop bottles to make it through until payday. I am sure you can recall times similar to those we had, and remembering them makes us thankful for how God brought us through them, and for all the progress we have made by His goodness.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, help me to realize that Thanksgiving is more than just a day on the calendar. I am grateful for all You have done in my life, not just today, but every day of the year.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2014 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Sometimes Love Is Just Being Friendly

Love this. Love the concept. Love is in the small things. Love is in the things that can not be taken away. Love is Jesus and His sacrifice. Love is hating the sin not the sinner. Love is putting yourself on the back burner while you allow others to go ahead of you. 

Love is the greatest gift of all.

God Bless.

Sometimes Love Is Just Being Friendly

by Joyce Meyer

This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.

- John 15:12

God has blessed us with many things, and when our heart is right, we are thankful for each blessing. But we can do more than just be thankful. We can demonstrate that gratitude by deciding to use the blessings in our lives to be a blessing to others everywhere we go.

You can do this in big ways or in small ways, but doing it always blesses someone else. You’ll be amazed at the results. One way you can be a blessing is just by being friendly. Make a real effort to be friendly with people everywhere you go and show a genuine interest in them. Try to make shy people feel comfortable and confident. Try giving a kind word to encourage someone who seems to be down. There are countless ways we can be a blessing if we think about it creatively. Don’t let the sun set on any day without reaching out in some way to someone else.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, I am so thankful, not just for the countless blessings You have given me, but for the chance to share those blessings with others. I pray that You will show me new and creative ways to be friendly and encouraging to someone today.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2014 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Dad, Where Are You?

Sometimes we just got to know where God is and what He is doing in our lives.

It's okay. He's not angry, and if we listen close enough,  He will give us the answers we seek.

God Bless.

Dad, Where Are You?

Adam Holz

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

Deuteronomy 31:1–8

Ezekiel 3–4; Hebrews 11:20–40

“Dad! Where are you?”
I was pulling into our driveway when my daughter, panicking, called me on my cell phone. I’d needed to be home by 6:00 to get her to play practice; I was on time. My daughter’s voice, however, betrayed her lack of trust. Reflexively, I responded: “I’m here. Why don’t you trust me?”
But as I spoke those words, I wondered, How often could my heavenly Father ask that of me? In stressful moments, I too am impatient. I too struggle to trust, to believe God will keep His promises. So I cry out: “Father, where are you?”
Amid stress and uncertainty, I sometimes doubt God’s presence, or even His goodness and purposes for me. The Israelites did too. In Deuteronomy 31, they were preparing to enter the Promised Land, knowing their leader, Moses, would stay behind. Moses sought to reassure God’s people by reminding them, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (v. 8).
That promise—that God is always with us—remains a cornerstone of our faith today (see Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 13:5). Indeed, Revelation 21:3 culminates with these words: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.”
Where is God? He’s right here, right now, right with us—always ready to hear our prayers.

What Scripture brings to mind the truth of God’s presence? Place it somewhere easily visible to remind you.

Father, help us to see how much You love us!

You can make a difference.

Even the smallest donation helps reach people around the world with the life-changing wisdom

The Healer

He is all you and I need in any given situation especially in those times when we feel like sickness will over take us. 

Remember our confession. Remember who we are and who we belong to. And always find encouragement where you can find it.

May this little devotional be just that.

God Bless

"This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases." (Matthew 8:17)

Devotional

Jesus is Lord of all....He heals many. The list of infirmities and diseases are inexhaustible those in the past, present and yet to come. Arthritis, Asthma, Breast cancer, Cerebral palsy, Chickenpox, Diabetes mellitus, Ebola, Influenza, Fibromyalgia, Gastroenteritis, Hypertension, Irritable bowel syndrome, Lupus, Mumps, Osteoporosis, Pneumonia, Rheumatic fever, SARS, Tennis elbow, Ulcers, and Varicose veins are but a mere fraction of those in existence. Jesus Christ is the healer, and for EVERY sickness named and to be named He took them and bore them for us. What ails you today? Emotions in turmoil, body aching with pain, mind unstable? Come to the healer, He is waiting.

-Psalm 31 App

When I Am Anxious

This little devotional is so encouraging and doesn't make light that anxiety is for real and is and could be life crippling if you let it.

For all those of us who suffer or have experienced anxiety, may we grab hold of the promises of God and keep reminding ourselves to cast everything on Him for Him to deal with then step back and recieve the love, grace, mercy, and the goodness He has for us.

God Bless.

. . . casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

There is a promise suited to every sin you are tempted to commit and every form of unbelief that takes you off guard and makes you anxious. For example:

When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). And I take the promise with trembling, “knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3–5).

When I am anxious about getting old, I battle unbelief with the promise: “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4).

When I am anxious about dying, I battle unbelief with the promise that “none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Romans 14:7–9).

When I am anxious that I may make shipwreck of faith and fall away from God, I battle unbelief with the promises, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6); and, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). 

So, let us make war, not with other people, but with our own unbelief. It is the root of anxiety, which, in turn, is the root of so many other sins. 

So, let us fix our eyes on the precious and very great promises of God. Take up the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit for help, lay the promises up in your heart, and fight the good fight — to live by faith in future grace.

-Author Unknown 

Hugging

I love this article about hugging and the effects it has on people.

I don't know much, but what I do know is, this is something we should be doing on a daily basis for the health benefit alone is worth it.

God Bless.

https://www.higherperspectives.com/hugging-communication-2618570100.html

A Devine Faith

Lord knows I am working on strengthening my faith so that when troubles come, I will stand unshakable in the adversity of it all. 

Lord knows I also need encouragement and this little devotional does just that.

Lord knows how long I have been working at and longing for an unshakeable faith and I am only going to find what it is I am seeking in His devineness.

God Bless

A Divine Faith

"Have faith in God."

—Mark 11:22

There is a great difference between our faith and the faith of Jesus. Our faith comes to an end. Most people have come to the place where they have said, “Lord, I have gone so far; now I can go no further. I have used all the faith I have, and I just have to stop now and pray for more faith.”

Thank God that we have the faith we do, but there is another faith. I remember one day being in northern England and visiting some sick people. I was taken to a house where a young woman was lying on her bed. Her reason had gone, and many things were manifested there that were satanic, and I knew it.

She was only a young woman, a beautiful child. Then the husband, a young man, came in with a baby, and he leaned over to kiss his wife. The moment he did, she threw herself onto the other side of the bed, just as a lunatic would do, with no consciousness of the presence of her husband. That was very heartbreaking. Then he took the baby and pressed the baby’s lips to the mother. Again, she responded wildly. I said to a sister who was attending her, “Have you had anyone to help?”

“Oh,” she said, “we have had everything.”

But I said, “Have you no spiritual help?”

Her husband stormed out and said, “Help? You think that we believe God after we have had seven weeks of no sleep and of maniac conditions? You are mistaken. You have come to the wrong house.”

That brought me to a place of compassion that something had to be done for this woman.  Then with my faith, I began to penetrate the heavens with my prayers. I never saw anyone get anything from God who prayed with an earthly focus. If you receive anything from God, you will have to pray into heaven, for the answers are all there.

As I saw in the presence of God the limitations of my faith, there came another faith--a faith that could not be denied, a faith that took the promise, a faith that believed God’s Word. And I came from that presence back again to earth, but I was not the same man under the same conditions that had confronted me before. In the name of Jesus, I was a man with a faith that could shake hell.

I said, “Come out of her in the name of Jesus!” She rolled over, fell asleep, and wakened in fourteen hours, perfectly sane and perfectly whole. Oh, there is faith, but Jesus wants to bring us all into a place in line with God where we cease to be, and His faith takes over. God must have the right of way, of thought and of purpose. God must have control.

Thought for today: You cannot know God by nature; you get to know Him by an open door of grace. The way to God is the way of faith; there isn’t any other way.

-Author Unknown 

Go To The Throne Of Grace

I don't care if you or a man or woman who read this, just be encouraged and never loose hope and most of all, remember, you are a child of the Most High.

God Bless.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Someone who has smoked multiple packs of cigarettes everyday for years might have trouble coming to God boldly to ask for healing of lung cancer. Someone who has wasted all of their money gambling at the casinos might not feel so motivated to ask God for mercy and grace in paying their bills. Our sins can affect our confidence in coming to God, so much so, that some of us opt not to pray at all. We think to ourselves, “Why would God help someone like me? Why would He heal me or deliver someone like me? Why would He extend His grace toward me? I did this to myself and I’m getting what I deserve.” But that’s not the attitude God wants you to have. You were not called to live in guilt and shame. Come out of that place in the name of Jesus! All taunting and tormenting spirits that have been sent from the enemy will leave you now in Jesus name!

No matter how you feel right now, you are a daughter of the King! You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! You are redeemed and purchased by His blood! Yes, you may have sinned and made a mess of things, we all have, but God’s mercy is far greater! No matter what you’ve done, you can always, always approach God’s throne of grace with a bold and humble attitude, confessing your wrongs and receiving His mercy and grace because of who you are in Christ.

Take this with you and never forget it…Don’t ever let anyone or anything make you feel so bad that you back away from receiving God’s promises of healing and deliverance that Jesus paid the ultimate price for you to walk in!

Come out of that place, and go to the throne of grace!

Prayer: Father, in and of myself, I don’t deserve your mercy or grace, but because of Jesus, I come boldly to your throne asking for it anyway. Forgive me, Father, of all wrong I’ve done to myself and others. I receive your grace and mercy. I receive healing and I receive provision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

-Author Unknown 

A Great Numbers Of Christians

I couldn't agree more with this little devotional. It is time we stopped be selfish and taking every promise God has given us and turning them into a right to sin and act anyway we want to.

It's time we fall upon on knees and ask for forgiveness and get the heart of God again. It's time to stopping griefing our Father but glorifying Him instead.

God Bless.

I think there are great numbers of Christian believers who ought to go home and go into their places of prayer and apologize to God for their demeaning attitudes toward His Holy Spirit. Included in their numbers are Bible teachers who are guilty of leading us astray. They have dared to teach Christians that the Holy Spirit will never speak of His own person or position, as though the third Person of the Godhead may be ignored and His ministry downgraded! Jesus said, “[When He comes] He shall not speak of himself, but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak” (John 16:13b). Jesus was actually telling His disciples that the Comforter will not come to stand on His own to speak on His own authority; He will guide you into all truth. He will speak and act on the authority of the divine Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you do not yield and honor the Holy Spirit, your lives will not show forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit!

Verse

Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

Thought

The Comforter will not come to stand on His own, to speak on His own authority; He will guide you into all truth. He will speak and act on the authority of the divine Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Lord, help me never to accept anything but the truth regarding the Holy Spirit. Make me always yielding and malleable in the Holy Spirit’s hands. I praise You and serve You—the Triune God.

Tozar Devotional 

Be A Good Example

Amen...and...amen. 

The day of change is upon us. Who will you be known for? Be the example your family member, you neighbor, your coworker, and everyone you come in contact needs.

May Christ ambassadors being to arise.

God Bless.

Be a Good Example

by Joyce Meyer

Teach what is fitting and becoming to sound (wholesome) doctrine [the character and right living that identify true Christians].

—Titus 2:1

Being a Christian is not so much a matter of doing as it is of being. When you’re willing to get out there and shine, you’ll eventually swallow up the darkness in your realm of influence.

God anoints normal, everyday people to live supernaturally in a frustrating world. He wants you to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. He wants you to stop just telling people Jesus loves them and start letting Jesus flow through you to meet their needs.

The best way to show the love of Christ is by example. People in the world want to see Christians who live what they preach and teach.

You can be a shining example of a victorious Christian, and that’s the best way to “teach what it fitting.”

From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Stronger Than You Think

The title alone is enough for you to get through any circumstance for you are indeed stronger than what you see yourself.

You have the living God inside you who is waiting patiently to come out and help you get through anything this world throws at you. 

Indeed, you are stronger what you think and there is a whole big world out there who is also waiting patiently for you to emerge stronger than before so that the hope that is within you can be transferred to them and save them from the evil of this world.

God Bless.

Stronger Than You Think

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (NLT) -1 Corinthians 10:13.

Temptations can range from seemingly harmless distractions to life threatening addictions and everything in between. Where does yours fit in? The irony is that this one thing that is so personal to you is a struggle for many others too. Remember that you are not alone in many ways. Trust in God and lean on Him for the strength to overcome them each day. Only He can make you stronger than you think.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Are We Raising A Whole Generation

This little devotional is thought provoking and quite scary.

As the new year approaches, it's time to take back what is ours and show people of all ages the hope we have within us.

God Bless.



Are we raising a whole generation of young men and women without any sensitivity to the voice of God’s Holy Spirit? I am on record, and I will be as long as I live, that I would rather lose a leg and hobble along throughout the rest of my life than to lose my sensitivity to God and to His voice and to spiritual things! Oh, how I want to keep that sensitivity within me—within my soul! I am thinking about a great throng of men and women raised in Christian homes. They have been brought up in Sunday school. They probably cut their first baby tooth on the edge of a hymnbook when the mother was not watching. Still, to this day, they are not right with God. Some have made a kind of profession but have never been able to delight themselves in the Lord. The reason? They have lost sensitivity to the message and the voice of God. If the Holy Spirit cannot move something within their beings every day, they are not going to be effective Christians—if they are Christians at all!

Verse

Quench not the Spirit. Hold fast to that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:19–20

Thought

I would rather lose a leg and hobble along throughout the rest of my life than to lose my sensitivity to God and to His voice and to spiritual things!

Prayer

Lord, indeed the most important sense I possess is the sense of Your Holy Spirit. Cultivate in me a finely tuned sensitivity to You.

-Tozar Devotional

The Still, Small Voice

Love this and right on point. God is not angry with our out cry's and He collects all our tears while still telling us He is there with us and His love for us will never end. 

The problem however is how we respond to Him when things aren't going our way. We must continue to listen for and follow the still small voice for it is that voice that will never lead us astray.

God Bless.

The Still, Small Voice

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

- Psalm 23:1, NKJV

Do you sometimes cry out, as I have, “God, don’t You see my tears? Don’t You see my broken heart? God, never mind me, but how can You bear to see the agony of my loved one? God, I know that You care. I just don’t understand why You don’t intervene in this situation right now. Why don’t You do something? And, God, why did you do that?!”

Then, to my heart, I seem to hear His still, small voice whispering, “Anne, trust Me. I know what’s best.” And I’m left to wonder why I think I know better than God what’s best for me or my loved one.

From Why?

Anne Graham Lotz 

Don't Lose Focus

Now is not the time to be looking to the left or to the right or to the problems that are happening all around us. We must stay away from things, people,  and situations that cause us to look focus on who we are and the only thing that is needed...Jesus.

May our eyes and ears be eternally focused on the soon coming King.

God Bless.

Don’t Lose Focus

by Joyce Meyer

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

—2 Corinthians 10:4

Sometimes we lose our focus. We can be walking in love all day, going along fine, until someone comes along and offends us. As soon as we forget our focus of love, we stop making progress and come to a standstill—aggravated, upset, and offended.

Understand that the mind is a battlefield. If you don’t stop Satan when he gets into your thoughts, you are not going to stop him from getting into your life. Stay focused. Ask God to help you remain full of love, no matter what comes your way today.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Control Your Mouth, Enjoy Your Life

A joyous life in a nutshell written in the words below. May we grasp and take hold of these words and gain control over the mouth and what comes out of it.

God Bless.

Control Your Mouth, Enjoy Your Life

by Joyce Meyer

For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.”

—1 Peter 3:10 NLT

The Bible says that we need to control our tongues if we want to enjoy life, and I believe we all want to enjoy life. I find that reading and meditating on what God’s Word says about the power of words is helpful to me. Here are some of my favorites:

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless (James 1:26 NIV).

Look up these additional scriptures and meditate on them as you seek to live a powerful life: Proverbs 8:8; 11:9; 12:18; 15:4; 18:21. God’s Word has power in it that will strengthen and enable you to speak words of life that will benefit you.

Power Thought: I am careful and intentional about all that I say.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2013 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

in this world, it's not uncommon to hear someone say: am I my brother's keeper? at least once a week.

And the answer is, yes, yes, you are. Or at least have a heart for others so when you see someone in need instead of looking away, you see their need and pick them up without judgement, that's being a keeper of the brethern or at least a start of one in my eyes.

God Bless.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 4:1-10

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” - Genesis 4:9

My kid brother died years ago. It was heartbreaking. Unlike Cain, I hadn’t killed my ­brother, but Cain’s question to God exploded in my soul. Suddenly I knew the answer: “Yes, I am my brother’s keeper.” I’d wanted to protect my little brother.

After leaving Eden, Adam and Eve had two sons: Cain, a crop farmer, and Abel, a shepherd. Eventually Cain offered some fruits of the soil to God while Abel offered the choicest parts from the firstborn of his flock. God honored Abel’s gift but not Cain’s. So Cain got angry.

God warned Cain to control his anger, to do what was right, and to prevent sin—lurking at his door—from devouring him (1 Peter 5:8). But instead Cain killed Abel.

“Where’s your brother Abel?” God asks. And Cain unwisely responds, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

As a Navy chaplain, I learned that shipmates care for one another. That was all God was asking of Cain—like “At the very least, do no harm!” So it should be for us.

Kneel today at the foot of Jesus’ cross, where “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), to save us from sin and death. In his strength, we can obey Jesus: love the Lord your God, your neighbor, one another, and even your enemies (Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35; Matthew 5:43-48). We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

Prayer:

Father, you give us brothers and sisters so that we can care for them. Guide us to do as you ask. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Norman F. Brown