Note: at the advice of a dear friend I have broken up my devotionals into smaller increments for easier assimilation and implementation.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Strong’s definition for sustained is: to maintain, nourish, provide food, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend; to supply the means necessary for living.”

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” All means everything without exception. 

I don’t need to explain how relationships get disconnected. I think every living person has experienced it at some time in their lives. We may feel slighted, yet the person was totally unaware that we felt that way. Their mind was on their own problems, and our connection at the moment was not heart to heart.

God’s heart is always an open line for communication. What about your heart? Are you engaged through your heart in your thoughts and conversations with Him? At times we may not feel connected, yet we always are from His part. 

Think back to the parable of the lost son. Luke 15:19 recorded his inner dialogue of what he would say when he went back. It says, “…I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

Hebrews 9:15 says, “And for this reason He is the Mediator…” Paul made it really clear in 1 Timothy 2:5. It says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:1-2 states an amazing truth that we can always stand on. Even when we may FEEL disconnected to God, He is never disconnected from us. It says that we have been justified by faith, “Though whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…” Access, meaning freedom to come to Him at all times.

Here are two ways that we ourselves disconnect from our fellowship connection with God. One—sin. Two—believing satan’s fiery dart lies! There is a song that Casting Crowns sings. It is called, “Great Are You Lord.” The chorus reiterates that it is His breath in our lungs. Are you breathing? Then God is connected to you—make no mistake. Are you living in sin, or are you controlled by satan’s lies? Then, you have disconnected yourself from God’s living word.

Luke 4:4 Amplified was Jesus’ answer to the devil. It says, “…It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.” Our intimate communion with the Lord is based on our understanding of Him through His word.

Clarifying: my use of the word ‘disconnect’ means break in fellowship with God

The Hebrew word ‘selah’ means to pause and calmly think about something. God called the children of Israel to be His own. Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”

They disconnected from God out of fleshly fear. Exodus 20:18-19 says, “…when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

They asked Moses to be their mediator. There are religions today that have mediators. The leaders usurp God’s place. The Strong’s definition for mediator is: a go-between, umpire, reconciler, arbitrator, intermediary. The children of Israel wanted Moses to be their connection to God.

Hebrews 8:6 was speaking about Jesus versus the OT priests. It says, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” 

Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” More tomorrow.

Do you ever feel disconnected to God? Yesterday I had an electrician come and do some wiring. He had to disconnect the electricity on the north side of my mobile. I found that the disconnection was very challenging. I had things I needed to accomplish but I had NO power.

That is exactly what happens when we disconnect with the Lord. I’ve been meditating about this off and on since yesterday. Truth: God is connected to us from the moment of our conception. Remember Genesis 2:7 says that His breath is IN us.

Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.” Paul was addressing a group of philosophers in Athens. Unbelievers.

God is connected to every human being. I don’t think that I have ever considered what I am about to share with you. I’m sure my mouth dropped open when the Holy Spirit connected this truth. This gives me a new evangelism ice breaker.

All humans are made in the image of God, and we all carry His breath in our lungs. Yet we are not connected to Him until we accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Can a believer disconnect from God? Yes. Does God ever disconnect? No. The disconnect is totally from man’s end. More tomorrow.

The Strong’s definition for propitiation is related to merciful. The word describes Jesus, through His sacrificial death, as appeasing the wrath of God. It also describes Him as a covering for our sin.

1 John 2:2 says, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Think about, ‘by the word of His power’ for a moment. John 19:30 says, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished! And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

In 1987 I was at a friend’s in Yakima WA. It was my first trip anywhere since I had fallen into the ravine. It was a memorial stone event for me. We went into a Bible book store. I bought a plaque that read: Jesus how much do You love me? And He stretched out His hands and died.”

In the days of the children of Israel, sacrifices had to be made to atone for their sins. Innocent animals had to be slain. Jesus was innocent of sin. 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”

Hebrews 9:24-25 explained how Jesus was not like the priests. Verse 26 says, “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Once for all. His finished work on the cross made a way for us to have eternal life with Him. There is nothing we can add. Our part is to believe for salvation. Yet, that was only our beginning.

Our progressive sanctification is a journey that consists of steps of believing. Galatians 5:3 was a warning, one that we need to heed as well. It says, “Are you so foolish, Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

Verse 5 says, “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” The Lord hears our thoughts. He knows them before we think of them. Does He hear faith?

As I read Exodus 19, several emotions came to the surface. It was the account of when God met them from the mountain in a thick cloud. Verse 9 says, “…that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever…”

They were to consecrate themselves, wash their clothes, and were instructed to not go up to the mountain or to touch its base. Verse 12 says, “…Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.”

Verse 16 says, “…in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

What was it like for the children to live in that moment? Put yourselves in their place and see how you would feel. In 1998 we were in Costa Rica on a short term mission trip. Our meeting was way up in the mountains that was very verdant.

The pastor took our team up to see the ‘inactive’ volcano. The closer we got to the mountain, the more I noticed the sparseness of plants and flowers. It was eery, like something was wrong. 

As we stood around the base of the mountain, I could feel the earth slightly trembling. That was a moment of truth. Should the mountain blow, there was no escape. We were so little, vulnerable, and the magnitude of power was overwhelming.

Verse 18 says, “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

That was all pre-cross. The people were terrified. Hebrews 12:18 gives us another inkling. It says, “For you have not come to the mountain…that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest.” Verse 21 were Moses’ words, “…so terrifying was the sight…I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”

He is Ever Present, forgiving, merciful, gracious, caring, loving, tender, and compassionate. Proverbs 24:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

This is post-cross. Verse 22, 24 says, “But you have come…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant…” Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Boldly without quaking hearts.

Galatians 5:19 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident…” Matthew 7:15 was speaking about false prophets, but it bears true for one who walks in the flesh. Verse 16 says, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”

Does that remind you of James 3:11-12? He wrote about our tongue. It says, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

Now let’s jump to Proverbs 18:20-21. It says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Death words bear flesh-fruit, and life-giving words bear fruit that encourages, strengthens, builds up, and imparts grace to the hearers. Our words impact. If you have ever been slammed by a death word then you know that is true. 

There was a lady in my church growing up (with the Lord now) whose words exuded encouragement. Folks flocked around her because she always had a smile and a kind word. I remember others that folks tended to shy away from. A gentle versus a caustic spirit. Which are you?

Ephesians 4:29 is a great character thermometer. It says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” I wrote an ebook called, “Honey-Laced Words.: imparting grace to your hearers” It is also chapter five in “Victorious Heart: intimate communion with God.”

One time, when we were out of the country on a short term mission trip, we all ate corrupted fruit. At least that was my definition of worm infested fruit. You know the saying, ‘What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you?’ 

We were driving back from a night of ministry. Our driver stopped the van and told us that we could get out and pick some fruit. We filled several boxes. We all ate this fruit in the dark. In the morning I went to the box to get another piece of fruit. It was crawling with worms.

I hope that is a good visual for what the Lord sees—worms crawling all over our thoughts based on our flesh. What fruit are we offering to others through our words which are first thoughts?

When we spend time with the Lord through His word, our thoughts will be saturated with truth. We will heed His voice,  do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep them—avoiding many spiritual diseases caused by our disobedience.

After God delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians, He gave them clear direction. Exodus 15:26 says, “…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes…”

Let me reiterate this. Diligence is a great character quality. Character is revealed by what we do behind closed doors. Are we as steadfast when no one is looking as when they are? Is our message and messenger the same? Diligence is steadfastness, and persistent in excellence. Diligence is the opposite of slipshod.

God’s promise to the children of Israel’s diligence included obedience. Note the words: heed, do, give ear, and keep. It was a conditional promise. If they did, then God said, “…I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

The Hebrew word for heal is rapha. The Strong’s definition is: to cure, repair, mend, restore health.  It is the Hebrew word for doctor. Did they do what the Lord told them? No. Numerous times they disobeyed.

Something happened that was later picked up by John. Number 21:5 says, “And the people spoke against God and against Moses…For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

Verse 6 says, “So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people…” Many died. In verse 7 they acknowledged their sin. They asked Moses to pray for them. He did and the Lord said in verse 8, “…Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it shall live.”

Fast forward to John 3:14-15. It says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Isaiah 53:4 in the Amplified says, “Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)…” 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” The Lord is our Jehovah Rapha.

Disobedience is sin that bears consequences—fruits of the flesh. However, when we follow the Holy Spirit so that He is the One in control of our lives, we bear fruit for God’s glory. Even though you know these two verses, I want to include them.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Verse 25 in the Amplified says, “…(If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit).”

I remember one hard trial that I was in years ago. My heart was comforted when He spoke this into my heart: Nothing is in vain. I will redeem it all. I want to take you to Ephesians 1:11. It says, “…according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Whatever the Lord has allowed into our lives has His purpose engraved in it. Purpose means that it is essential. He included it when He formed you in your mother’s womb. He created us as He knew us according to Jeremiah 1:5.

We are being watched. Not only by those around us, but also to those that we cannot see. Ephesians 3:10 says, “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places.”

Some of our trials fit under the category of the above verse. Others are to remove hidden dross that would taint our testimony. Some trials are seasons of instruction to prepare us for the next good work. 

Joseph had to go through the series of trials he went through in order to be and do what God had called him to do. In Genesis 50:20 he told his brothers that God has used their evil intentions, “…in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive.”

We are empowered to endure whatever God has allowed. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 in the J. B. Phillips says, “He who calls you is utterly faithful and he will finish what he has set  out to do.” Our part in endurance is to trust the only One Who is Trustworthy.”

Here is one of my anchor verses. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” It’s my spiritual glue that firmly holds me together when everything seems to be in upheaval.

Jesus is always our example. Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” I don’t think I will ever forget the one scene in the Passion Of Christ. Jesus was kneeling before his scourgers. He said, “Father, My heart is ready.” 

In Luke 9:52 it says that they prepared for Jesus. Verse 53 was the fulfillment of Isaiah 50:7. It says, “But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” Our course is set. Will we embrace it or get distracted through our trials?

Ezra prepared his heart and Daniel purposed in his heart. Both hearts were set to please the Lord in what He had called them to do. We may not know and understand the ‘why’ of our trial, but we can rest assured that it is His purpose.

We, as a nation, are being corrected. 2 Samuel 17:14 says, “…For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.” Let us keep praying for our nation to fulfill all (everything without exception) of God’s purpose.

Proverbs 10:17 Amplified is a great barometer for us. It says, “He who heeds instruction and correction is (not only himself) in the way of life (but also) is a way of life for others. And he who neglects or refuses reproof (not only himself) goes astray (but also) causes to err and is a path toward ruin for others.”

David’s prayer is one of mine. Psalm 25:4-5 says, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

Only one with a humble heart is willing to be led. The Lord was able to lead Ezra and Joshua because of their humility. The Lord led the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “…to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

The Lord knew what they would do, but He wanted them to see what rebellion was hidden in their hearts. So it is with us. When we refuse to humble ourselves (James 4:10), then He will use adverse circumstances that will cause our hidden flesh to react.

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple.” The Hebrew for the word simple means lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment and foolish. 

Our fleshly reactions are foolish. They lack God’s influence because He resists the proud. That is why we are to read His word for understanding—gaining knowledge, wisdom, and direction from our Instructor.

Here is a promise that we must stand on. Even when we flesh out, this verse holds true. Psalm 37:24 says that our steps are ordered by the Lord. However, if we get derailed through disobedience, and pulled off track, there is hope.

Verse 25 says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” We are sealed for eternity. I love these kinds of verses. No matter what we do in opposition to the Lord’s way, He will not leave us to our own devices. More tomorrow.