We began our meditations focusing on Jesus as God, Man, and Servant King. We will now continue to thoughtfully consider how and why a hallmark of Jesus’ life was to seek out lonely places to be with Father God.

SCRIPTURE
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But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. - Luke 5:16

DEVOTION
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This scripture has many juxtaposing ideas. Jesus sought out lonely places to find relationship.  What an odd thought. And yet, it was the bedrock of Jesus’s ministry.  

First, the “Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness”. Scripture says that it was there that “his strength would be revealed against the accuser.” (Matt 4:1)

As a practice in his time on earth, Jesus continued to withdraw. He pulled away from the crowd, the busyness, and the comforts that he had with the disciples and those he loved in order to go after something else. He withdrew from the many in his daily life in in order to focus on the One. And spending time with his One was what gave him strength against the accuser.

Jesus as God, as man, and as servant king needed the lonely places to discover and cultivate strength in a way that he could not find in the busyness of his normal world. “It’s how he began his ministry. It’s how he made important decisions. It’s how he dealt with troubling emotions like grief. It’s how he dealt with the constant demands of his ministry and cared for his soul. It’s how he taught his disciples. It’s how he prepared for important ministry events. It’s how he prepared for his death on the cross.” - Bill Gaultiere
  
REFLECTION
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What sort of things do you think were distracting to Jesus? What things do you think were difficult for Jesus to leave behind? Why did Jesus’ strength need to be revealed?  

Where can you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit into the lonely places within yourself or your story to encounter a deeper, more solid relationship with your heavenly Father? 

PRAYER
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Thank you Jesus for being willing to withdraw to strengthen yourself through prayer. We have no idea of the choices you made on a daily basis and what those decisions cost you. We have no idea the prayers you prayed in those lonely places. Thank you for fighting for us by fighting for your strength, identity, and purpose in the wilderness.

Lent 2019 | Day 7 | Jesus Withdrew to Lonely Places Part 2

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PROLOGUE
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We have spent 21 days in centering prayer, focusing our attentions and affections on God. What a precious time it has been. The nearness of God is surely for our good. The kindness of the Lord truly leads us to repentance. The steadfast love of God and his beautiful presence is transformative. Taking time to behold him really does change us. He is with us always. And His steadfast love endures forever.

SCRIPTURE
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“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” -Esther 4:14  


DEVOTIONAL

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The scripture in Esther 4:14 is in reference to God positioning Queen Esther (Queen of Persia) in a place of influence so that she could speak up for the Jews who couldn’t speak for themselves. Her obedience to “her” moment in history actually saved her people from being destroyed.
Yesterday, in the United States it was Martin Luther King Day. On this day we celebrate and think upon a life of one who lived and died to work for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth through racial equality.
Dr. King’s life was an example of a life lived “for such a time as this.” He said, “I have a dream.” And he did. That black and white and red and brown and jew and gentile and boy and girl and all God’s children would live together in peace and unity. But the authority of his conviction was on the fact that his dream was originally God’s dream. Dr. King knew what was right. He knew who God was and what God loves and hates. Dr. King knew when he fought for the kingdom of God, he was moving within the will of his loving father and God was with him. He was acting as a prophet, priest, and king, to co-labor with God - to establish “thy kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.” He had confidence to go up against oppression because God hates injustice and robbery.
You are also a prophet, priest, and king. And you were chosen to be alive “for such a time as this.” It is no mistake that you have been brought to this day, to this hour. Your age, your race, your background and lineage, your skill set, your personality, your story - it is all part of this moment. God is wanting to establish and increase his kingdom of peace and love inside of you and establish it on the earth through you.
You may not be called to do something extraordinary in man’s eyes. You may not get the recognition of man. You may never step on a podium or stage. In fact, you may not be called to do it in ways that bring attention to anyone but your loving Father in heaven. Or you may be called to risk reputation, financial stability, the comforts of daily living, and even risk your life. These things are between you and God.
But what is known is this. God is sovereign. God is good. God is with you always. You are secure in God’s love. You are already seen. You are already known. You are already important, and valuable, and irreplaceable to God.
God’s call to us not about comparison. We all belong. We all have a place. We do not need to earn God’s love or man’s praise. There is no need to be bullied by the values of a broken world, by what man sees as valuable or productive. And we all have good works to do that were set out before the foundation of the world.
This is a call to step into your time...each day...saying yes to the love of God for yourself and others...and the purposes of God that he has for you...daily...for such a time as this.


QUESTION
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Where have I said yes to dreaming with God? Where have I said no to dreaming with God? Why?  Where have I said yes to living a life of “for such a time as this”? Where have I said no to living a life of “for such a time as this”? Why?

PRAYER
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God wake me up to my design. Wake me up to why you have created me for this place and this time in history. Help me to embrace your dreams!

21 Days 2020 | Day 21 | You Were Created for Such a Time as This

SCRIPTURE
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“I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb … And they were shouting with a great roar, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!’” -Revelation 7:9-10

DEVOTIONAL
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Imagine this scene. A crowd with people from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language. All standing in front of the throne joyfully worshipping at the top of their lungs. That scene sounds like the most electrifying, exciting, chaotic, joyful, unified display of life I can think of.

How did John know they were from different tribes, tongues, nations, and people groups? He knew because he could see it and hear it! It was a joyful celebration of different people with different languages and colors and expressions of praise.  

There were differences of all kinds, but there was something they had in common. They had all been bought with a price and brought into the family of God. They had been redeemed and restored and made whole. And they were unified in who deserved their affection and praise.

Often, when we talk of heaven, we talk as if we will be changed into someone other than who we are. But that is not what happens in heaven. The Kingdom of God is about completion. It is about restoration. It is about returning everything to the original plan - God’s original dream!!!  Of course, where sin and trauma and illness and evil of all kinds have twisted us and marred the original design God had for us - that will be removed forever.  But Jesus did not come to turn us into someone else. Jesus came to bring us into OUR fullness.

We also might imagine that the harmony in heaven will be a result of us all being the same.  But that is not what John saw around the throne. No, he saw a vast multitude of diversity.  God’s perfect will is for us to be uniquely different but unified under him.  

That is heaven. Everyone different in size and shape and color and background but everyone the same in the spirit of adoption - one God, one King, one Lord, one Father, one Savior. No need to compete for attention or control for security. Instead, in the Kingdom, everyone is satisfied in God’s love and able to fully celebrate and honor the beauty and uniqueness of all God’s children.

by Anthony & Mary Keith Skinner

QUESTIONS
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Am I afraid of people who are different than me? What differences make me the most uncomfortable? Ask God why. Talk to God. Let him transform your thinking through His kindness.

PRAYER
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God, you came to restore me. You came to reconcile all things to yourself. Give me eyes to see your original design for me. Give me a heart to embrace and even celebrate the differences in race, color, personality and nationality of others. Exchange my fears for your peace. Teach me to love as you love.

21 Days 2020 | Day 20 | Sign of the Kingdom - Unity & Peace

SCRIPTURE
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“They shared everything they had.” -Acts 4:32

DEVOTIONAL
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“And all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)

Where could such generosity come from? To hold all things in common?  To see resources as something to be freely shared and given away? To be in one heart and mind? And to be enjoying every minute of it!

Acts 4:32 is fruit from experiencing the presence and belonging of God.  His presence and belonging brings the revelation of the knowledge of who God is and who we are in him.  

Because we have a secure seat at God’s table, we are forever free of having to watch our own backs or prove ourselves. Instead of being orphans, we are now sons and daughters! We are seen. We are known. We are loved. We are safe. We can bring justice to places by sharing our resources and giving to all who have need. We can invite others to find their secure seat beside us.

The mind of Christ is limitless and vast with creative and redemptive solutions to all problems. The resources of God are without ration or short supply. The power of the Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead and gave Him authority over heaven and earth and under the earth is now living inside of you. He conquered death and then turned to us and said, “Don’t be scared. Go do what you saw me do on earth. I am with you through the ages.”  

Let’s remove the boulders of oppression for individuals and systems and prepare the way for the Lord! Let’s create justice with the resources of our faith, our time, our reputation, our connections, our creativity, our favor, our skills, our wisdom, our finances, our compassion. We have access to the power of God for creative miracles and creative solutions. So, press in to your Good Father and find where He wants you to co-labor with Him.

REFLECTION
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We are kings and co-heirs with Christ in His kingdom. He has asked us to do what we see the Father doing and to bring His kingdom to earth. What part of the kingdom is God asking you to share? Do you struggle with hoarding blessings, or do you freely share God’s blessings with others, knowing that you have a limitless supply of God’s goodness?

PRAYER
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God deliver me from an “orphan spirit”, from an attitude of lack. Help me to see where you are calling me to be an Ambassador of heaven and share the blessings of Heaven.

21 Days 2020 | Day 19 | Sign of the Kingdom – Generosity

SCRIPTURE
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“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.” Isaiah 61:8

DEVOTIONAL
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We see in Isaiah 61 that God defines quite clearly what He loves and what He hates.  He loves justice.  That means he loves fairness, equality, and balanced scales. And just as much as God loves justice, He hates its’ opposite - robbery and injustice. He hates wrongdoing and inequality and unbalanced distributions.  

There have been cases of injustice and robbery throughout history. But there is a foundational story of robbery and injustice that the whole earth is groaning under. It happened in the garden. The God of the Universe, who created man to live in peace and unity and safety with Him and each other, was robbed of his dream. He was robbed of connection with His children. He was robbed of being known. He was robbed of co-laboring with his kids to increase His Kingdom on earth. And Jesus was robbed of His inheritance — us! This robbery took place when Adam and Eve surrendered the right to be co-heirs with God and care for the earth. (Gen. 1:26)    

“What have you done?” God cried. God lost us … and we lost Him. We lost our connection to Him and with that we lost the knowledge of who He is, what He is like, who we are in Him and what we were created for. It was the most devastating and cataclysmic loss of all time.

So Jesus came to take back what was stolen. To balance the scales. To ransom the debt. With the precious payment of His life came the restoration of all things. But this task has not yet been completed. From the beginning of God’s vision, we were made to labor from love to spread His kingdom. So now, as his redeemed, we get to fight with God to restore His original dream. There are good works that have been set out for you since the foundation of the earth.

Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” To act justly can be translated “to do or create justice.”

In Isaiah 61 we see that God calls us his priests and has anointed us with His presence to bring beauty where there are ashes, joy where there is mourning, and praise for despair. We are to rebuild and restore devastated places. We are anointed to CREATE JUSTICE where there is injustice, inequality and unbalance of every kind. When we do this, the earth is set right again with God’s justice and He receives the glory and the splendor He so rightfully deserves!

REFLECTION
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Where do you feel called to pray or fight for justice? Where have you grown complacent, numb, or despairing with injustice? Where are you participating with injustice on a conscious or unconscious level? Are you afraid to feel the guilt, shame, rage, fear, or sadness that comes when you look at the brokenness around you and the desperate need for justice?  Ask God to help you come to Him in truth with your emotions. What are the good works God set apart for you since before the foundations of the earth?  Ask God to give you revelation!  If you feel afraid or overwhelmed by this question or anything you might feel He is saying, simply talk to Him about it.

PRAYER
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God, I want to live Micah 6:8. Help me to understand what is good to you and how to do it.  Help me to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you.

21 Days 2020 | Day 18 | Sign of the Kingdom – Justice

SCRIPTURE

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For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save (sozo) that which was lost. Luke 19:10

DEVOTIONAL
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Jesus came to ransom back what was lost. To rescue his glorious inheritance which is us!  Yes, He came to save all of mankind. But what does the word “save” mean? The word save is “sozo” in Greek and it means more than just salvation. It means salvation and healing and deliverance.  It means to make whole again. Our beautiful Jesus did not just come to save a part of us. No, he came to save all of us.  

We are born into a broken world and we experience brokenness as a result. But God’s nearness is for our good and through His presence He wants to make us WHOLE. Matthew 15:30 says, “A vast crowd brought to Jesus people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.” We know that Jesus could ONLY DO what he saw the Father doing. The Father wants us saved, healed, and delivered.

We must ask the Lord to help us see the world around us as He sees it. We want to learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates. We want to be moved with compassion as Jesus was - knowing that God has so much more for us and all mankind than what we experience under the curse. We can fight for heaven to be made manifest in the hard stories and places we encounter. We can pray for the healing of tormented minds, sick bodies, and unjust circumstances. Jesus said, “The Kingdom is among you!” We know that nothing is broken in heaven. Our God desires to bring sozo to the earth.  

REFLECTION
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Where do I need the Son of Man to come seek and sozo that which was lost in me? In my circumstances? Is there an area that I have been afraid to see healed or delivered in my life due to fear of the unknown or fear of change? Is there any area in which I have grown hopeless in calling out for a savior, healer and deliverer? (Talk to God about your feelings and your experience. Do I feel complacent with the world around me?  Where do I need to grow in compassion?

PRAYER
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God you came to sozo me…to save all of me! I confess I want your salvation, healing, and deliverance for every part of me.  I want to share your sozo with those around me. Holy Spirit, teach me how to bring of your salvation, your healing, and your deliverance to the sick, the hurting and the lost.

Lent 2019 | Day 7 | Jesus Withdrew to Lonely Places Part 2

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