Mornings With Jesus

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

My awesome pastor, Pastor Jim Frease, says, “If you are always the smartest person in the room, find another room.”

Listen, before I came to Jesus, before He changed me, delivered me, gave me a new heart (one that possessed new desires and a love for God and people), I was so full of pride and arrogance! In essence, I was the “smartest” person in the room because my room consisted of well, me. 

It was a horrible room I know until that is Jesus stepped into it and I saw myself as I truly was, a miserable sinner devoid of life and in need of a Savior! 

The Good News is this: I am no longer that wretched sinner, I have been redeemed! I no longer identify with that old man, I am a new creation! He didn’t simply clean up my old heart, He gave me a new one! 

I want to encourage you today! The most humble thing you or I can do today and every day is to purposefully place ourselves under the Word of God! This is true Biblical humility and this is the place where God can mold us and make us into the person He wants us to be, the person that is the most successful and prosperous!

I love the way this truth is illustrated in 1 Peter 5:5-7,

“Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], BUT HE GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”
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Keep in mind, this is written by the same Peter who rebuked Jesus saying that He shouldn’t suffer the cross. It’s the same Peter who denied Jesus three times! Yet, it’s the same Peter who learned to fully surrender Himself to the Word of God and was radically transformed because of it! 

We are blessed to be a blessing and perhaps the first step in this process is the act of humbling ourselves under His mighty hand!

This is what we did when we first came to Christ, we repented (changed our mind, turned from our way of thinking and doing to adopt His), submitted our lives to Him and He forgave us, healed us, and adopted us into His family!

Listen, the more we make it a priority to submit ourselves under the Word, the more we will see that God is for us, not against us! The more we will see that He isn’t trying to take things from us, but rather get things to us! The more we will see that we are blessed to bless others! 

This starts with being poor in spirit, realizing our need for Jesus! Without Him, we can do nothing! He is the Vine, we are the branches. He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep. He is the Potter, we are the clay! He is the author and finisher of our faith! He is the Bishop of our souls!

When we learn to submit ourselves to Him every day, by purposefully placing ourselves under His Word, by purposefully allowing His refining fire to burn away the dross (rubbish), the impurities, all the things that keep us back from being more like Jesus, the more like Jesus we will become, and the better able we will be able to share the gospel with others! 

Are you struggling with something in your life today? Is there something that keeps weighing you down? Get the Word of God on it, place yourself under it, quote it, think on it, let it consume you instead of that thing, and watch as the Word slowly melt

“It is because of the LORD ’ S lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.”
‭‭(Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬) AMP‬‬

Moment of truth: how many times in the last month have you gone to the Lord just to simply love on Him? 

You ever notice that oftentimes our devotional and prayer times center alot around us and our need for a victory in this or that area? 

Granted God wants us to walk in victory in every area of life and the Bible is the core tool He has given us to do just that, but at the same time, He desires fellowship with us! 

Think about that for a moment! The same God who gave command to the oceans and spoke to the light and said come forth wants to fellowship with you and me! 

Now that’s great news! 

I want to encourage you today! Whatever you are facing today, He is more than enough! 

Listen, the more time we spend in His presence the less we will want to focus on ourselves :) 

The more time we spend with Him, the less we will worry if He hears our prayers.

The more time we spend sitting at His feet, the less we will doubt His ability and willingness to take care of us!

If we will make it a habit of entering His gates with thanksgiving and coming into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4) we will learn how to begin seeing things from His perspective and suddenly the things we thought were so big in scope cower at the brightness of His glory!!!

Be encouraged today! He is for you! Who can be against you?!

He is your Rock and Salvation! He is your strong tower! Run to Him today and simply spend time praising Him! Go ahead, don’t ask Him for a thing, just spend time worshiping and giving Him the honor He so greatly deserves!

We are soldiers in the Lord’s army and this is how we fight our battles! :) 

Keep praising, Keep worshiping, and watch as the those walls come tumbling down! :) 

He is more than enough! 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Something that I used to struggle with quite a lot was beating myself up, not recognizing who I was in Christ. This caused me to constantly go back into things that I had already been freed from because I felt like, “What’s the point? I’m a nobody anyway!” 

Pastor Jim Frease said something a little while back that really resonated in my spirit. He said, “I need you to be free.”

“Be free!”

There is so much packed into those two little words! Think about it - if you are asking someone to “be,” then they already possess the tools and resources to do so. 

Simply put, “be” means it’s already done! 

Be encouraged today, I have awesome news for you, Jesus paid it all on the cross! He didn’t just pay for our sin, He paid for our joy, peace, healing, victory, favor, and so much more! He did His part and our part is to “be” all that He paid for us to be, which in simplified terms is completely free! 

Free from fear, free from worry, free from sickness, free from shame, guilt, anger, jealousy, wickedness, addiction, poverty, you name it, He paid it! 

Listen, for so many years I struggled with my identity, and even now every once in a while an old thought or demon tries to come knocking, but can I tell you the ultimate and easiest way to be free? 

Immerse yourself in the Word of God! Immerse yourself in what He has to say about you! 

Did you know that He is always thinking good things about you? :) 

Pastor Jim put it like this one time and I am paraphrasing, “If God had a fridge, your picture would be on it! If God drove a car, your bumper sticker would be on it!”

Imagine that! God driving around a minivan with “Father of (insert your name), my beloved!” 

It may seem far-fetched and if you are prone to deal with the same things I did and still have to stave off continually with the Word, then you are going to have a tougher time than most seeing yourself as the apple of God’s eye, but I want to encourage you today - you are!

Listen, perhaps you grew up in a home with very little love and affection or positive affirmation and you feel like an orphan most days, can I tell you some more good news?! You have been adopted into the greatest Family there is! You are accepted by the Best, who cares about the rest! 

You are who He says you are! 

Enough is enough! Draw a line in the spiritual sand today and declare to yourself, the world, the devil, that you are no longer going to allow past faults to define you! You aren’t going to allow the things that Jesus paid for to weigh you down any longer! In Jesus’ name, you have the power and authority to cast them off and be free!

You are not defined by what you do or what you did, you are defined by who you are - a child of the King! 

When we immerse ourselves in the Word on a continual basis then what we do, say, and think will begin to line up with the Word and we will walk with a new confidence being able to rightly share the gospel with others because we know who we are, free! 

Go ahead, right now where you are, begin to thank Him for what He has done for you! Thank Him for who He is and who He has made you! 

“Thank you Lord for the price you paid for me! Thank you that I am redeemed! I am whole! I am healed! I am free! I am yours! I am adopted! I have peace! I have joy! Because of you Lord! Thank you! In Jesus’ name!”

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii (200 days’ wages) worth of bread is not enough for each one to receive even a little.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:7‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“There’s not enough time, money, space, this or that...”

How many times have we caught ourselves saying these things when faced with an obstacle, that to us, seems insurmountable?

The disciples were faced with one such feat when they were gathered on the hillside and Jesus asked them what they should feed the multitude. Philip’s answer: there’s not enough.

And I love how he didn’t just say that, but he exaggerated his answer in an attempt to prove to Jesus just how extreme the situation was as if Jesus didn’t already realize a miracle was needed. 

How many times do we do that very thing? :) 

We need a new job, help finding a new house or what have you, and instantly we begin to add up the numbers and come to the conclusion of, “Even if this, this, this, and this happens there won’t be enough!”

And then we go to God with our hail mary prayers, “Oh God do you see how impossible this is?” 

Listen, Jesus knew all along that a miracle was needed and He knew all along that He was going to take care of the whole thing. He was simply waiting on them to surrender their doubts and offer what they had.

Be encouraged today! God is more than enough! And He is able to do way more than you or I give Him credit for! He isn’t looking for you to somehow figure out all the ins and outs and the details to every single facet of the situation you are in, He is waiting for you to come to Him with what you have with a thankful heart and offer it freely to Him! 

“Lord, I know you are able! I know you are willing! I know that you care for me! Here I am, just as I am, I trust in you to take care of me! Thank you, Lord!!!”

Listen, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! His driveway is solid gold! He is Alpha and Omega! He is more than enough! 

Put your hope in Him today! :) 

Hope is not wishing, it's a confident expectation - Expect Good things today because you serve a Good Good Father! 

Expect Good Things today because you are a child of a King! 

Expect Good things today because you are adopted into the greatest family in the Universe! 

Be encouraged! Don’t look at what you can see or feel, keep your eyes locked on Him and He will make a way where there seems to be no way! :) 

Be still and know that He is God!

I love you all so much,

Joshua Z. (Soul Winner) 

“Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Ever feel tired or sluggish during the day like you just need a little extra sleep? I know I do! If I am short one hour of sleep for whatever reason, it messes with my entire day.

Likewise, failing to spend one-on-one time with the Lord is a recipe for disaster. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Bishop of our Souls (1 Peter 2:25), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), When our minds and hearts are stayed on Him, we feel rested, and ultimately we are available to be used by God to bless others. :) 

The awesomely Good News is this, we are never alone! When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did a tag-team hand-off with the Holy Spirit who has come to reside within every born-again believer!

This means that we have 24/7 access to the throne of Grace! 

What a mighty God we serve! :) 

Listen, we live in a world that wants to chew you up and spit you out, but take heart because Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) He said I leave my Peace not as the world, with some twisted, ulterior motive, but as I give to bring you you hope, life and joy!

John 10:10 says it's the thief who wants to steal, kill, and destroy you, but Jesus wants to give you life and it more abundantly!

Therefore take heart today! Run to Jesus! He wants to make you free and fill you up so much so that you always feel rested in Him. It's in this place of rest that you are ready and willing to reach out to those around you! 

This world’s got nothing on you when you are rested in Him! :) 

***Having trouble entering that rest? Start here: do the 5, 5, 5 (credit to Pastor Jim Frease)

5 minutes of Bible, 5 minutes praise, 5 minutes of prayer.

Don’t be discouraged! You got this! Start right where you are at and do this simple thing - it may be awkward at first, but if you will do this on a consistent basis, over time, you will find that your time in these things will increase and your walk with the Lord will grow by leaps and bounds. You will become rested! :) 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted and return to You.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:10, 12-13‬ ‭AMP

One of our favorite family pastimes is watching food competitions on television. After watching several of these types of shows, there’s something strangely wonderful that I have noticed, it’s easy to sit on my side of things and critique the people doing all the work. :) 

“Hey, do this or do that! Why are you doing that?!” We scream at the t.v. in a matter-of-fact way as if they can hear us, or better yet as if we could really do any better if placed in their position. 

It’s easy to do this very thing in our Christian walk as well. If we aren’t mindful, it can become quite easy to begin pointing the finger at everyone around us telling them what to do, what to believe, how to believe, critiquing them on their faith or lack thereof. 

For me personally, this is something I struggled with early on in my walk with the Lord. Simply put, I was rough around the edges! :) This caused me to have a very critical spirit which meant that rather than being able to share the gospel with people, I was more focused on their lack of spirituality. 

Listen, Jesus didn’t say go into all the world and tell people how bad they are or go and tell them how lacking their faith is, He said to share the gospel! :) 

The best way that I’ve found to do this is by spending time with the Lord! Only when I take the time to reflect on my own walk with Him, allowing Him to mold me and make me am I able to be a viable witness for Him and the Kingdom. :) 

The more time I spend with Jesus, the more like Him I become! The more time I spend in His presence, the more like Him I speak and act. 

We all have rough edges that need to be smoothed over. Be encouraged today! The Bible is the best refining and smoothing tool there is - allow it to smooth things over in your own life and watch how much easier it becomes to share the Good News with others! :) 

Feeling a bit rough today? Don’t be discouraged, spend a little extra time in His presence today! Praise Him. Put some worship music on. Allow the Bible to pour over you. Pray like David did, “Create in me a clean heart...” 

What a difference it makes when rather than telling people how bad they are, we start showing them how good God is! (credit to Pastor Jim Frease for that nugget.) 

Smooth things over today in your own walk and get out there and share the Good News! :) 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 
(Psalms‬ ‭46:1, 10‬) NKJV‬‬

By a show of hands, go ahead, wherever you are reading this, how many of you have ever rushed into something too fast? Said something you regretted later? Did something you wished you hadn’t? 

Oh my! Both my hands and my feet are up! :) 

Today, I just want to take a moment and be still before an awesome and mighty God! To acknowledge how good and faithful He is! 

Be encouraged today, He is for you, not against you and He cares about every facet of your life! 

Yet, how many times do we keep Him at bay until we feel we actually need Him? 

It looks something like this, “Okay God, I can handle all the smaller things like this, this, and this, and I will call on you if/when this, this, or this arises.”

In doing so, we try and compartmentalize Him, control Him, and treat Him in essence like a spare tire or genie in a bottle.

Listen, I’m not saying we need to get all hooky spooky, “Oh Lord which flavor of gum do you wantest me to have today...?” 

Yet, I am saying this: If we will on purpose practice putting Him first in our decision-making, our spending, our giving, our child-rearing, our work, if we will on purpose begin to allow Him to be involved in more areas of our life, we will find that the “small” things we used to keep Him out of, won’t stress us out near as much!

Take some time today and think about some areas in your life that perhaps you have been trying to do on your own, without truly involving Him, and begin to get scriptures for those areas. Begin to talk to the Lord about them. 

Watch and see those areas begin to turn around for the better! 

He will be exalted in the Earth! Allow Him to be exalted in your life today! Be still and know that He is God! :) 

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭4:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Let’s be honest for a moment, we don’t always feel like doing certain things. I know I don’t! :)

In like manner, I don’t always feel God. In fact, I would say more often than not, I don’t. 

However, He has promised in His Word to never leave me or forsake me, so which am I to believe? My feelings or the Word?

This may seem like a clear-cut answer and perhaps looking at it in hindsight it is, but how many times when faced with various trials or circumstances do we think, “Where is God in all this?”

Short answer: Where He has always been! 

Listen, God’s Word is His will and His Word always supersedes our feelings and experiences. 

You may say, “Yeah but I experienced this or that and it was contrary to the Word or this happened and it didn’t line up with the Bible...”

God’s Word is forever settled in Heaven! (Psalm 119:89)

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) 

Be encouraged today :) The sooner we get it settled it is in our hearts that God is not our problem, He is our answer, and that the Word of God is our refuge and fortress the better off we will be. 

The key: Keep putting the Word in no matter what! Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Keep on keeping on! :) 

If we will do this, then we will be like David in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

The very things that used to bother us, will seem like nothing anymore! The crazy things going on around us won’t faze us! We will have a peace that passes understanding! It’s in this place, a total surrender to the Word where people will look at us and say things like, “I know this or that has happened to you or around you, but how can you have such peace?”

Bam! That’s your door of opportunity to share the gospel! :) 

Be encouraged today, no matter what things are looming overhead we can hide under the wings of our Heavenly Father! This blessed assurance comes not from feelings, but from the Word of God! 

“Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭AMP‬‬

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37‬ ‭AMP‬‬

When we rent something vs. own something, our outlook for that something is oftentimes entirely different. What I mean is this: Let’s say I am renting a house, I might do my best to take care of some of the things within it, or without it, but when it comes to the major things, I am going to give those over to the owner. After all, it’s not my responsibility.

It’s easier to negate some of the things that we don’t see as important because we don’t own it.

In like manner, our walk with the Lord can become the same way. If we aren’t careful, it just becomes something we do and not something we truly desire or want to invest in. 

If we aren’t careful, we can start doing things like reading our Bibles, going to church, and even giving as a means of doing our part as renters but really leaving the rest up to God. :) 

Be encouraged today! Life is not always peaches and cream and neither is our walk with the Lord. In other words, we aren’t always going to feel like serving Him, feel like praising Him, even feel like spending time with Him, but it's in these times when we need to do so the most! 

Listen, the enemy wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy us! The way to keep him at bay and us from becoming apathetic in our walk with Jesus is by continuing to walk in obedience even when we don’t feel like it, even when we don’t see things happening, even when we don’t think God is answering our prayers the way we think He should.

Sometimes, we just gotta dig down and say, “Come Hell or high water, I’m gonna walk with Jesus!” 

Listen, the “feelings” and the circumstances will line up, but we have to do our part - Keep on keeping on! Don’t give up! 

Choose today to love Him and serve Him with all your heart, soul, and mind!  

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:25-27‬ ‭KJV‬‬

You ever been to a giant amusement park, museum, or zoo? Some of these places can be huge and difficult to navigate, especially if you want to see everything! 

For me, I tend to find enjoyment in the simple things and can spend quite a lot of time in one spot, especially the aquarium. I can sit and watch the fish swim for a long time! :) 

Granted, it may feel like you aren’t getting your money’s worth if you don’t see every single thing, but sometimes less is more, and there is such a thing as quality over quantity. 

In our Christian walk, it can be difficult at times to stay focused. There are so many distractions out there and sometimes within our very own homes. 

Listen, the enemy wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy all the time and Jesus wants nothing more than to bring us life and it more abundantly all the time! 

However, this doesn’t mean life is going to be all adventure all the time. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet moments, the moments which may appear to be mundane or pointless at first, where we are challenged the most! 

It’s in these times of still that it can be easy to lose focus, get distracted, fall back into old ways of thinking and doing, and basically forfeit progress. 

Can I encourage you? Don’t give up! 

Learn to take accept these moments of mundane as moments to draw closer to the Lord, to grow in character! 

Listen, character, and integrity are often built the most when no one is watching except you and the Lord! :) 

Allowing Him to mold and make us in the secret place is what prepares us for the public space! 

Pastor Jim Frease says, “Preparation time is not wasted time!”

Be encouraged today, just because you aren’t seeing things happening right now perhaps, just because you don’t feel things changing, or just because you may think the Lord doesn’t see or hear or care, He does! 

He always does and He always will! 

Draw close to Him today! He doesn’t use lots of bells and whistles to get our attention. Most often it’s in the still small voice where our relationship with Him will grow the most and it’s in these times when we are being molded into His likeness! 

Learn to love the simple things in life and you won’t need all the other things to make you happy. 

Jesus is more than enough! :) 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz