Snowed In

“The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭AMP‬‬

You ever feel snowed in mentally, physically, or spiritually? You ever been guilty of this prayer? “God give me more patience!”

If so, please don’t be discouraged! :) You are in great company! 

Be encouraged today! The Good News is this, God has given us patience already. It is a fruit of the spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‬ ‭AMP‬‬

If anyone should be praying for more patience, it’s God Himself, concerning His own creation! And yet the Bible says He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. What an awesome God we serve! He is our example for what it means to truly exercise the gift of patience.

It may feel at times like the weight of the world is on you, like God is not moving, like He doesn’t hear you like you are snowed in on every side, but it’s in these times that we must remember If God is for us, who can be against us! 

It’s not so much that we need to pray for more patience, but rather thank God for the patience He has already given us! 

By choosing joy in the midst of our troubles, by choosing to thank Him instead, He will help us to shift our focus and rehone our priorities and now instead of praying for more patience, we can pray for what to do while we are waiting! :) 

Listen, God is not slack! He isn’t slow concerning His promises! 

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly]. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] From this time forth and forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121:1-8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

It might look like you are surrounded, but you are surrounded by Him! :) 

We all have to wait, we all have times of being snowed in, but it’s in these times that we have to wait already, that we can take advantage of the time and see what can be done in spite of the waiting! 

Why not praise Him anyway! Why not grow closer to Him! 

Grab a blanket, cuddle up with Jesus, and rest in His loving arms today! :) 

You might be snowed in, but you aren’t really, you’re nestled snug in the loving arms of your Father! 

Choose joy today! Choose patience! :) 

If you do, you will be amazed at the outpouring of creative ideas and peace that comes flowing toward you, in you, and all around you. :) 

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

Speak the Word

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today, I just wanted to take a moment and share a powerful gift we have at our disposal, our words. :) 

Words hold immense power! They have the power to build up and tear down, to bring life and bring death!

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:21‬ ‭AMP‬‬

*Remember these can be positive or negative consequences ;) 

See how James describes the tongue:

“Now if we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark!”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:3-5‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Listen, the words that we speak are extremely important and the more I mature in the Lord, the more I have come to realize that. :) 

As a believer, we have been made like Jesus! That’s awesome news! 

Be encouraged today, you have the authority to speak life into those around you!

You have the opportunity to share the Good News, to speak light into the darkness! 

Once again, let’s look back on the Genesis account of creation and see how God handles the darkness, He didn’t think the darkness away, nor did He bother describing the darkness, He simply said, “Let there be light!” 

Did you know that you and I have the same opportunity? We can look out at the crazy world we live in and follow the crowd and use our words to tear down others, make gifs meant to highlight the darkness, use our words to simply describe the things we see, OR we can be like God and say, “Let there be light!”

“Use your words to design your life, not to describe your life.” - Pastor Jim Frease

It takes very little effort to describe the darkness around us, but it takes immense courage to swim upstream, to go against the grain and use our words to speak life, to build others up, to speak and believe the Word of God when it appears that no one else does! 

The easiest way to start this awesome habit is at home: the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word...

One of the best ways to begin exercising our faith is by speaking the Word at home! 

Instead of simply reading your Bible, begin to speak your Bible! :)

In this manner, you will be speaking the Word out of your mouth, it goes forth and comes into your ears, works its way into your heart and mind, and thus nestles its way into every core of your being! 

If we will practice this one simple thing over and over, we will fill ourselves with the Word, readying ourselves!

You will be surprised how over time, you will begin quoting scriptures during your everyday activities. When we are full of the Word, and life bumps us, the Word spills out! 

Make up your mind today to be a speaker of the Word and not a bearer of bad news :) 

It will take some time, but over time, you will be a force to be reckoned with and the gates of Hell will not be able to prevail against you because of the Word that is in you! 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz 

“Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon [Peter] and his companions searched [everywhere, looking anxiously] for Him, and they found Him and said, “Everybody is looking for You!” He replied, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so I may preach there also; that is why I came [from the Father].”

Mark 1:35-38 AMP

What an awesome example we have in Jesus! He taught us so many things through His earthly ministry, and one of them was the necessity of spending time with God! 

Here we see Jesus getting up early, drawing away from the distractions, and getting clarity for His next steps!

Clarity comes through intimacy with Him!

In fact, the Bible goes so far as to say this (Jesus speaking):

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NKJV

Listen, without Him, we can do nothing, BUT the good news is this: 

“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”

Philippians 4:13 AMP

Making it a habit to get up early and spend time with the Lord will teach us to put Him first! It will allow us to gain vital clarity for our day and direction for our life!

I would say this also, seeking Him early, is not just about a time frame, but also a preventative and preparatory measure. In other words, seek Him before the storms of life come!

My pastor says it all the time, “Put the Word of God in you when you don’t need it, so it comes out when you do!”

Be encouraged today! God wants you to know Him more and one of the best ways to do this is by spending our mornings with Jesus through His Word!

There is no set-in-stone definitive way, but the principle is this: Put God First in your day! Clear away the distractions, allow His Word to wash over you, and learn to listen to His voice! You will be amazed at the things you learn sitting at the Master’s feet! 

I want to end today, by sharing a love song I wrote to Jesus! What an honor it is to know Him more. :) 

“Found in Your Grace”

by Joshua Scott Zeitz 

I’m seeking you early,

I’m seeking your face,

lost without mercy, 

Found in Your grace.

Battered and broken,

lost and afraid,

is where I first saw Him,

it’s where I was changed.

Knelt down in your presence,

I lift up Your name,

just a glimpse of Your glory,

never the same.

Dancing with Jesus,

Swept off my feet,

Caught up in His presence, 

sweet Intimacy.

I’m Washed in Your Word Lord,

Bathed in Your Peace,

humbled and open,

Into me see.

Mold me and make me,

I’m in Your hands,

To You I relinquish, 

I yield to Your plans.

You’ve never once failed me,

You’ve never let go,

 I’m No longer broken,

in You, I’m made whole.

I’m No longer dirty,

In You, I’m made clean,

Intimate Jesus,

Into me see.

I’m seeking you early,

I’m seeking your face,

lost without mercy,

Found in Your grace.

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“Mornings with Jesus”

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Colossians 3:2-3 NKJV

Ever since I gave my heart and life to Jesus all those years ago on that jailhouse floor, something I have loved to do is get up early and spend my mornings with Jesus!

It’s during this time where I have received some of the greatest revelations from the Lord, where I have come to know Him more, where I have learned to develop my prayer language, where I’ve prayed for others, where I’ve received countless breakthroughs, and so much more! 

There’s just something about getting up early when everyone else is asleep and getting away, alone (but never alone) with God - basking in His presence, its the most beautiful thing and it’s where I have developed a deep intimacy with the Lord!

There is so much to be said regarding spending time with God, but for today I wanted to hit on one specific area, soul-winning :) 

When I was born-again in jail, I received a passion to preach, to share what Jesus did for me. Yet, as a young believer, I knew very little Word and oftentimes I spoke more from feelings and was very truth-oriented.

I knew what God did for me and I was convinced that He wanted to do it for everyone else, and He did! But I didn’t know how to get the message out without sounding mean or without sounding like I didn’t know what I was talking about.

Over the years, the more time I have spent with Jesus, the more I have come to rely on Him and His Word alone. 

I still have the same passion to preach and really moreso to see people come to Jesus. However, something is different. 

My mornings with Jesus have revolutionized the way I reach out to others. 

My walk with the Lord now has very little to do with self-discovery and really everything to do with Jesus-discovery!

In other words, the more I seek Him, want to know Him, see Him, hear Him, the more like Him I become.

in fact, my pastor has said it like this, “when we put God first, we will live more holy on accident than we ever could on purpose.”

This has radically changed the way I reach others for Jesus!

Preparation time is not wasted time! 

Through this I am building myself up on the Word, gaining confidence in what I believe, and more than anything, I am being intimate with Jesus through His Word!!! 

I have come to realize that it's these moments, my mornings with Jesus that prepare me to be ready to share the gospel at a moment's notice with anyone the Lord would have for me and I can know for certainty of what I believe and moreso in whom I believe!!

I truly hope this has encouraged you :) Christianity is not about performance, its all about position :) 

Our life is hidden with Christ in God, and the more we learn to know Him, the more we will be like Him!

If you struggle with sharing your faith, with sharing the gospel with others, don’t beat yourself up - start spending some extra time with the Master, He will teach you, train you, prepare you :)

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz 

“who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

2 Corinthians 1:4 AMP

I love the Lord! He has this awesome ability to cut right to the heart of a matter in a way that leaves me without excuse but also provides plenty of room for mercy! The way He handles me no matter how foolish, selfish, or childish I’ve been, makes me want to tell others, “Come meet this awesome Jesus who found me right where I was and offered me forgiveness, life, hope, peace!”

Listen, you are so valuable to God! More than you know! 

Be encouraged, “Whatever God reveals, He heals.” - Pastor Jim Frease 

John Chapter 4 tells of the interaction between the Samaritan woman and Jesus at the well and before their conversation ended, Jesus had managed to cut right to the woman’s heart revealing that He knew of her previous and current troubles with men, He knew her sin, and yet He offered her eternal life right where she was! 

At that moment, when Jesus revealed these things to her, she could have gotten offended and walked away. She could have received her forgiveness from Him, but then never told anyone. She could have run back to the village

and claimed all manner of evil against Him. There could have been a much different result, but instead, she went back to her people and declared to them boldly, “Come meet a man that told me everything I’ve ever done!” 

When Jesus truly gets a hold of your life, He heals you from the inside out! He takes away the shame and guilt attached to the sins and mistakes you’ve committed. He heals you in a way that you are free to declare, “Come meet a man that told me everything I’ve ever done!”

Be encouraged today, You have so much more to offer than you know! 

What has the Lord done in your life? What obstacles, sins, addictions, weights has He freed you from? 

What victories, healings, miracles, comforts, encouragements has He offered you? 

I want to challenge you today, don’t run from those things, look and pray for opportunities to share them with others! 

We live in a society that values putting your best foot forward, putting up facades, being flawless - But can I encourage you today? Without Him, (Jesus) we can do nothing! 

It’s in this place of vulnerability and humility that we can be a witness to the people around us 

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 KJV

Jesus came to bring us life and life more abundantly! That’s awesome news! :) 

I wanted to keep today’s devotion short and sweet, God is for you, not against you!

There are so many voices in the world. They scream and holler and yell, these voices are meant to silence the Word of God, to rob us of our peace, to steal, to destroy our lives...

If we aren’t careful and take these voices in, take them to heart, take them personally, they will slowly begin to erode away at our faith, our convictions, our conscience.

I want to encourage you today, don’t let them! 

Stand up tall for the Word of God, the B.I.B.L.E :) 

God’s Word is the only voice we need to allow into our lives, why? Because it’s the only voice that can give life, peace, hope, joy, freedom, and so much more! 

When the storms of life arise the Word of God is our sure foundation! It’s our refuge! It’s our strong tower! Under its wings, we can take refuge! 

We were never meant to do life alone, to allow the winds and waves of the world’s many voices to beat against us, sapping our joy. We were meant to walk hand in hand with Jesus and be overcomers! 

Take courage, today saints! Don’t allow the goliaths in the world to overtake you! They might be big, they might be loud, but we serve a God who has overcome the world! 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.”

Psalms 37:23-24 AMP

I love Psalm 37 because it reminds us where to keep our eyes, on the Lord, and not on other people, especially ungodly people - those who seem to be prospering in everything, but aren’t living for the Lord.

Listen, when we follow Jesus there are going to be times when we will be tempted to jump out of the fire of God’s Word! It hurts and it’s uncomfortable to our flesh (our carnal desires), but don’t lose hope!

The Bible says in Galatians 6:9 not to become weary in well-doing! If it says not to, then there is a real threat of doing it! :) 

How do we avoid growing weary? By allowing God to order our steps. 

As my Pastor says, “We live in a microwave world, but we serve a crockpot God.”

In other words, we tend to want things right now, but God would rather us be properly prepared to receive. Why? 

He wants what is best for us and if we got everything we ever wanted right away without ever having to work for it or attain the character to hold onto it, it wouldn’t be long before it was lost, damaged, stolen, or worse it consumed us! 

Be encouraged, God is for you, not against you! :)

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.”

Proverbs 24:16 AMP

You ever feel discouraged, broken, defeated? You are not alone! The Good News is this: God is not a feeling, He is a spirit, and He has created us in His image and His likeness! :) 

That means, that we are a spirit first as well. 

 it is super important that we realize this truth, that we have feelings, but they are not the deciding factor! In other words, we don’t have to be, and shouldn’t be led by them.

Perhaps you already know this or maybe this is new to you, but we are spirit beings, we live in a body and we have a soul (a mind, will, and emotions).

Jesus said to the woman at the well, God is a spirit and those that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Jesus also taught that the Word of God is spirit and life. (John 6:63)

Again, Jesus said this about Himself in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...”

What does all this mean exactly? It means that the way to grow spiritually and to ultimately know Him more is by feasting on the Word, on Jesus Himself! :) 

In John 1, Jesus is described as the Word,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1 KJV

Intimacy with Jesus through the Word of God is the key to overcoming anything life has to throw at us! 

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz

“For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:30 AMP

Christianity was never meant to be hard. Sure, some of the decisions we have to make at times can certainly be difficult, especially to our flesh, but Jesus’ call has always been simple, “Follow me.”

Christianity is about surrendering our lives in favor of His life! Surrendering our sin in favor of His forgiveness! Surrendering our inability in favor of His grace!

It’s about positioning ourselves to receive what He has provided for us! :) 

That’s awesome news! Granted, it doesn’t sit well with our flesh, wanting things outside the parameters of the Word of God and it doesn’t always sit well with our minds if they haven’t been renewed to the Word of God.

However, this can be remedied easily through surrender. The key to living a prosperous life in Jesus is surrender. :) 

Listen, when we truly get a revelation of how much God loves us, of how good He truly is, we will want to surrender our lives to Him! We will want Him to get into every area of our life, every room in our hearts! 

Christianity is easy peasy, so long as we surrender to Him! By so doing this, we are saying, “God I trust you!”

Easy doesn’t mean we will never face hardships or trials or storms or even be asked to suffer for His name’s sake. Easy means when we choose to surrender to Him, He gives us the grace and strength to overcome ANYTHING that may arise! 

Listen, even Stephen in the Bible, when he was being stoned to death for his stance for Jesus, was said to have peace and he simply fell asleep! 

The way of the sinner is hard. The way of man-made religion is hard. Christianity is easy.

Follow Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. He is for you, not against you! :) 

He has given us His Spirit, His name, His authority, His grace, His strength, His peace, His Word, and so much more! 

He has given us Himself!

Our response: I surrender all! 

In Christ, 

Joshua Scott Zeitz

Shortcuts

“Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

 Something we enjoy doing as a family is playing video games, specifically platforming games which involve much jumping, quick thinking, and memorization.

Some of the levels get quite difficult because they require you to memorize where certain things are. 

One wrong move, and it's game over.

One of the best ways to get past these levels is watching each other play, paying close attention to where to jump when to jump, and when and where not to. :) 

I love Jesus! 

In our walk with Him, He places people in our lives that we can follow. If we are careful to pay attention to what they do, how they handle certain situations, the habits they hold, and so forth, it will greatly help us, providing special insight into certain situations, causing us to gain victory in areas simply because we know what to do and what not to do! 

The people serve as God-given shortcuts! :) 

The Bible serves as a major God-given shortcut, it is chock full of people that have done both good and evil things of which we can garner much wisdom, knowing what to do, and what not to do. 

Listen, God-given shortcuts never involve compromise, however.

If the people in our lives are not emulating Jesus, we don’t need to and shouldn’t follow them. 

However, be thankful for the ones who are! 

Be encouraged today! Take an assessment of the people in your life right now. Who are the ones who are perhaps further ahead in an area that you are struggling in? What can you learn from them? 

Don’t worry, a close walk with Jesus will keep us away from compromise.

We are not on this journey on our own. We are the Body of Christ. 

Who can you learn from today?

Remember, Until next time, What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!

In Christ,

Joshua Scott Zeitz