‘With Me’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz

You’re with me in the fire
You’re with me in the storm
You’re with me in the valley
I couldn’t ask for more

I lift my hands in worship
I raise my hands in praise
Standing on Your promise
Healed in Jesus’ name!

You’re with me when I’m sleeping
You’re with me every day
You’re with me when it’s sunny
You’re with me when it’s grey

I bow my heart to You Lord
I trust in all Your ways
Acknowledging Your goodness 
So thankful for Your grace 

You’re with me when I’m serving
You’re with me when I’m not
You’re with me when I’m seeking 
You’re with me when I stop

A God of second chances
A God who never sleeps
A God who never changes
A God who doesn’t cease

You’re with me when I’m young
You’re with me when I’m old
You’re with me when I’m full of strength
You’re with me when I’m cold

You’re with me when it’s dark
A fortress and my beacon
Through every step of life 
Through every stage and season

You’re with me…

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You Have Strength in Jesus
By  Josiah Zeitz

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV ‬

Do you ever see someone really strong do something that you feel like you could never do?

it feels like that in our Christian lives sometimes,

 we see a strong Christian doing these amazing things while we’re over here messing up all the time.

Do you ever feel weak in your walk with Jesus? 

if so, be encouraged!

 you can change that! How do we do this? By growing with God, seeking Him and His word daily. 

Now you may be saying to yourself “But I already do this and I still feel weak” 

be encouraged again!

it says in Joel 3:10 “Let the weak say they are strong” and in Phillipians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” 

God will give you strength in tough times! But He won’t give it to someone who does not want it. 

As Christians we have to let God help us we can’t try to do everything on our own

I have done this many times, something bad happens, and I try to fix it all by myself and of course, I fail because I’m weak by myself.

But when I let God help me by asking Him to show me what to do and to work through me things go a lot better.

Be encouraged today you’re not alone!

 all of us struggle BUT God is here to give us strength 

we just have to let him help us! 

Do you want strength? Do you want to be freed from whatever you’re going through? Then start today by asking Jesus to help you and to guide you. 

He will 

“Trust in the Lord with all you heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!” 

(Proverbs 3:5,6)

You are not lost!
By Josiah Zeitz

Do you ever feel as if you’ve been left alone to face the cruel world all by yourself? 

I surely have! 

but it’s just not true, it says in Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

This is a beautiful scripture because so many of us feel like we’re alone and feel lost I felt this way for 2 years of my life just going through the motions of church and checking off my lists of what “holy” things I had to do that day so I could get my parents happy but inside I felt so lost because I had turned away from the only person who would find me and help me
that person is Jesus! 

Do you feel lost today? do you feel like you’re lonely? well be encouraged today your not! God is there knocking at your door just wanting you to let Him in He won’t take control of your life and make you follow Him you have to be the one to let Him in will you do it? trust me it’s worth it! He will find you wherever you are and he will show you the way he will be your light your refuge your fortress! 

Don’t think that this god was just reserved for the Psalmist the same God This Psalmist talked about is the same God we serve today He has never and will never change He is the ultimate help in times of need He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is there no matter what 

No matter how many times you feel lost he is there to guide you no matter how many times you feel lonely he is there to be your friend in a time of need 

now this does not mean we should use him as a backup plan when our lives falls apart we need to keep a current relationship with Him which means to seek him and his word daily to worship him to simply just talk to Him! 

It’s that simple it may not be easy and it will take time but the outcome will change your life drastically just like it changed mine!

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and
not to men,” ~Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)

Jesus was the greatest example of being a servant. It says in John
13:5 (NKJV); “After that, He poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples‟ feet, and to wipe them with the
towel...”

Wow! Jesus washed His disciple’s dirty feet! THAT is being a
true servant.

God Himself came to serve not to be served, and it says in John
13:15 (NKJV); “For I have given you an example, that you
should do as I have done to you.”

Jesus always put others before Himself. He never sought the spotlight.

He gave us an awesome example to follow, and the good news is He gives us the power to be like Him!

In Christ,
Isaiah Joshua Zeitz

‘God’s Love’ 
By Moriah Rachel Zeitz

We serve an amazing God! 

The Bible says, “His mercies are new every morning!” (See Lamentations 3:22,23)

But even greater than that (and that’s pretty great) is his love for us. 

It says in John 3:16, “For God so the loved world that he gave His only begotten Son.” 

God loved you so much that he came to earth to live and die as a lowly human, so we wouldn’t have to be separated from him anymore. 

How amazing is that! 

It says in Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.”

Even in the midst of his suffering, Jesus had such great love for you, for we were the joy set before him! 

To him, all his pain and agony, not only in his death, but his life on earth as well, 
Was worth it, just to be able to have a relationship with you.

(Wow that blows my mind!) 
   
God’s greatest desire is to have your love! (To have a relationship with you!)

Think about that, God, I mean God himself, the One who created all of life in six days, who showed His marvelous wonders in Egypt and parted the Red Sea, the same God that came to earth as a human and was born of a virgin, who made the deaf to hear, lame to walk, blind to see, and dumb to speak! 

The same God who did so many wonders that it says in 
John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

That same God’s greatest desire is to simply have your love. 
‭
Isn’t that awesome!! 

I mean who does that!? 

Nobody but our God.

For God does not simply love, He is love.  
His love for you is so great that we aren’t even able (with our tiny human minds) to comprehend the amount of love he has for us!
   
God loves you so much, and He can’t wait for you to wake up in the morning and talk to Him. He can’t wait for you to obey Him, so He can bless you beyond measure. 

If He loves you that much, then we should love Him back with all that we have.

Even though our love is but dust in comparison to His, in His eyes, it means all of the world! 

Be encouraged today!

We don’t need to live this life alone. We have a God who desperately wants our attention and love.

The Bible says in Joshua that God is a jealous God. 

He wants to be the center of your attention, and He wants to be in constant fellowship with His children! 

So, let’s start today, taking time out of our lives to spend a little more time with Jesus.

‘The Foolishness of the Gospel’
by Joshua Scott Zeitz

Whether you are an avid superhero movie watcher or not, perhaps you have seen one or else heard of a superhero. 

When thinking of a superhero, what comes to mind?

Super strength? Super speed? Super intellect? Super flying ability? 

The list of super is vast and wide, but there is a common theme at play, the superhero in question is able to do one or a number of things exceptionally well, super even!

With this in mind, I want us to take a trip over to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 and 19, and see the stark difference between the super we mentioned above and the super of the Bible. 

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Listen, Jesus was and certainly is better than any superhero. However, He didn’t come to display His prowess or any amazing feat or ability really, although He could have. 

The Bible says in John 1 that all things were made by Him and for Him…

In other words, He is God and He created everything! 

Think about that for a moment.

In the book of Genesis, God looked out at the vast emptiness about Him, spoke, and said let there be light, and there was!

He formed you and me from the dust of the ground!

The complexities of the human body, the brain, the eye, the organs, He created all these things!

He is more than super, He is majestic. 

However, He came not to be served, but rather to serve.

He came not to show off, but rather to show honor to His Heavenly Father!

The disciples were looking for a superhero, and what they got was a servant.

More than that, what they got was an example of how God wants each one of us to live, like Jesus, daily dying, willing to lay down our lives for others.

This is our reasonable service!

Then with this, He gave us a gift, the gospel message!

It’s beyond super as well, but not in terms that we may think are super at first glance.

There is no signing people up to take on evil with swords and shields.

There is no avenger squad or justice league.

There is no vanquishing evil in the dead of night or flying about with laser vision.

It’s just a message. 

A simple but powerful message of hope and healing and a cross.

Jesus died on that cross. He bled and suffered.

Three days later, He was raised from the dead. 

And the Bible says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The qualifications aren’t possessing any sort of superhuman ability, no great acts of valor are needed. 

God’s call remains to the whosoever!

He calls us, saves us, and equips us.

He does all the work, while we simply receive and spread His message!

What an awesome message it is, but the Bible is clear, it’s the foolishness of the cross that possesses the power to save.

And to Him be all the glory, power, and praise!

Lesson 8 – Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Everything we have learned up to this point has brought us to this place. 

But also, we must keep in mind that everything we have been learning is completely and totally contrary to the way this world and the enemy operate! Therefore, we should expect to be persecuted, and depending on our platform, the location of our platform, the extent of our platform, etc. this will oftentimes determine the level and extent of persecution we receive, but we needn’t shirk from this nor seek it out, but rather get busy doing the things the Lord has for us and trust that He is with us in the fire! 

We can rejoice when we are persecuted, without lashing out or seeking revenge because this just showcases further that the things we have been talking about, and living are real!

This is why again it is imperative that we grow, grow, grow, with the Lord, before we begin any sort of public ministry, even Jesus did, growing in wisdom and stature before God and man before taking up His public venue. 

And all the while, He would get away alone with the Father to build relationships and gain strength and insight!

Listen, when the storms of life come and the devil kicks our bucket, whatever is on the inside in abundance is going to spill out! 

Let’s let it be the Word, Let’s let it be Jesus!

If we are properly prepared and ready, we don’t have to dread or fear persecution!

God has already given us His provision!

When God commands, He empowers!

We don’t have to argue or defend or get puffed up on pride, we can be like Jesus and say emphatically, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Why?

Because we were there!

We once were lost, but now we are found!

We once were blind, but now we see!

The world will push, pry, and pester looking to get any rise they can out of us!
What do you say we show them Jesus?

The truth is, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, (see 2 Timothy 3:12) but that’s ok! 

Why?

Because Jesus did, so can we.

Greater things shall you do, Jesus said, because I go to my Father. (See John 14:12)

Be happy! Rejoice! 

Why?

Because great is your reward in Heaven!

What does it mean to make peace? 

Jesus is described as our Prince of Peace. 

So surely this is the best place to start.

Loving people, truly loving people and desiring to see them blessed, whole, and happy is a true sign of Christian maturity and one that takes a lifetime to begin to master, and only under close scrutiny and tutelage by the Master! 

Why?

Because we are also people, given to bouts of greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, jealousy, and the like.

Let’s be honest, yielding to others, being happy for others, being okay when others succeed, and advance is not something that comes easy to our flesh and this is going to take more than a modicum of humility.

We are all prone instead to walk in pride.

But God hates pride and so should we.

The best way to quench the war within ourselves is to daily surrender to the Prince of Peace and thereby we will ready ourselves to freely give Him away!
In other words, by adhering to the previous lessons, being willing to revisit them as many times as necessary and more besides, this is what it will take to prepare us to be a peacemaker. 

We cannot give what we don’t first have and the only way to give peace is to first win the war within ourselves through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7)
Once we begin to see just how good God is, how much He truly loves us, and how much He values us, we then will begin to be able to truly love others and value them!
The enemy wants nothing more than to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Jesus desires to bring life and it more abundantly, and so should we.
Once we have won the war for peace within our own hearts, we will then be ready to share that peace with others and this is probably the single greatest thing that we can do, sharing the peace of God with others by presenting to them the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the very thing that we heard and obeyed and became a believer!
Notice the time it has taken for us to get to this point? That’s ok. 
Why?
Because it more important that we tell others about Jesus with our lives than our words.
If we tell others about Jesus with our words only but lack the integrity or character to back what we are saying, we are not doing them or ourselves any favors. They might just see it all as a farce, and we may just be tempted to walk away from it all. Therefore, it is imperative that we grow daily in our relationship with Him first and foremost, living out what we are learning.
Then we will be equipped to become peacemakers, introducing others to Jesus and thereby making the ultimate peace, placing the hand of another into the hand of our Lord! 

Lesson 7 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God


Finally, we begin to get busy doing the ministry work! Right?! Well, not exactly. You see, we already have been this whole time. Preparation time is never wasted time and doing things in God’s timing will take, well, time. 

Remember, a day to Him is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. 

And we are in this for the long haul, like an endurance athlete, the Bible encourages us to run our race with patience. (See Hebrews 12:1)

When it comes to dealing with people, we should never be in a rush. 

Why? 

Because people are fickle and can be easily broken, hurt, swayed, and offended. How do we know this? Because we are people. Just look how long it has taken God to get us to this place! 

God loves people.

He so loves people! And only He can change them. He possesses a remarkable, unfathomable amount of longsuffering and patience of which we are going to need heaps of when dealing with people.

Therefore, it is imperative that we learn to view people in the same way God does, and so love them and value them. 

This is going to take a lot of preparation time and work behind the scenes, hence what we have been working on with Him up to this point and what He will continue to do in us for our entire lives.

We never outgrow the process of refining and pruning. 

But now that we have finally arrived at this stage in our Christian journey, it is vitally important that we try and do as the Bible says and live peaceably with all people as much as possible and try not to offend in word or deed. 

This is what James describes as coming into perfection, so be encouraged we aren’t going to be able to accomplish this entirely and the only way to come close is by staying close to Jesus through it all!

If anyone knows what is like to deal with people, it’s Him!

After all, He created us. Plus, while in His earthly ministry, He had to deal with all sorts of people, including His own disciples.

He knows what to do, so we should desire greatly to learn of Him!

Again, just as we learned in lesson 4, we can be as close to God as we want.

But just like in sports there are those who do them for sport, as amateurs, just poking around a bit on the weekends for fun, and then there are those elite athletes who play for money or better yet to get better every time they hit the court, turf, or pavement!

The elite Christian isn’t the one who has their whole lives together. 

It isn’t the ones who can quote the Bible the best or wear the fanciest clothes or have the best most visible jobs…

The elite Christian is the one who is humble, poor in spirit, meek, puts others first, serves from proper motives, seeks after God with their whole heart, who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, who shows mercy and forgives, who desires to be pure in heart, word, and deed!

The elite Christian isn’t elite at all but is willing at any given moment to be like their master, laying down their lives for their friends and for the cause, for eternity!

After all, they know, they will see God!

How can we be pure in heart? 

Well to be certain once again this is a lifelong journey, but it starts here:

Jesus said you are clean through the Word I have spoken unto you. (See John 15:3)

The Psalmist writes, “How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.” (Psalm 119:9)

Once more, Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.”

Every day, die daily, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God by adhering to His Word, allowing it to wash you, clean you, and purge you, and keep doing this on a consistent basis until you see God like never before