Daily Devotionals

Miracles

2010-10-14T09:13:00.001-05:00

Romans 6:8-9 (Amplified Bible)Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.

It is often said that we see a miracle every time a baby is born and some people say we see a miracle every time someone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ but we really do not want to think of death as being a miracle. But death for the Christian is not final it is the evidence of the miracle that we have changed locations. We are graduating into eternity. We will miss our loved ones here for a while but with Jesus as our Savior then we will have eternity together. Death here on earth is not pretty, sometimes it is painful. Hell is what we deserve but a Christian going to Heaven is a miracle. I have some friends that are with their mother as she has reached what may be her last days here on earth. Today they might see the miracle of that dear saint leaving for home.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Release

2010-10-13T08:15:00.001-05:00

Leviticus 19:17-18 (The Message) "Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt. "Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am GOD.

Romans 12:18-20 (New American Standard Bible) If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."

We all have anger issues from our past that we need to face. You may have a real reason to be angry at that person but holding on to that anger can hurt you. And sometimes it is not the person but it is easier to blame someone else for the problems and trials that we faced. First we need to quit blaming others and quit holding grudges; it does not matter if your anger is justified or not. Our attitudes of hate will not only ruin our testimony it can actually make us physically ill and more susceptible to sicknesses. Today it is time to release those anger issues to God; He is much better at handling them than we are. Release that anger and forgive.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

In Your Fire

2010-10-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

Daniel 3:25 (New American Standard Bible) He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire, their lives were the sacrifice. They were willing to lay down their lives in order to obey God, having no god before Him. They were willing to obey unto their death. But they were not alone, God was right there with them. They were not spared of having to go into the fire but God saw that they were protected from the consequences of that fire. In the midst of your trials Jesus will be there with you and when you walk in obedience to Him He will be protecting you as you face the fires of the enemy.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Perfection

2010-10-09T19:30:00.001-05:00

Revelation 21:3-4 (Contemporary English Version) I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

This is what Jesus paid for, so we would have the privilege of abiding with God for eternity. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, I know you and I have cried many tears and it will be awesome for God to remove our tears and replace them with His joy. There will be no death, we will never say goodbye to our friends and family again. There will be no gossip, no war, no rebellion, no fears, no sorrow, no broken hearts, no rejection; all these things will be gone. We will fellowship with God, worshiping Him for all eternity. If we have chosen not to accept Jesus’ gift of eternal life with Him then we will spend eternity in hell where there will be crying and anguishing forever. With a choice like this why would anyone choose hell? Thank You Jesus for paying a debt that I could never pay.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Run Straight

2010-10-07T08:12:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 15:9-10 (The Message) A life frittered away disgusts GOD; he loves those who run straight for the finish line. It's a school of hard knocks for those who leave God's path, a dead-end street for those who hate God's rules.

Why do we insist on wasting our time taking the wrong paths? We chase everything but the call God has placed on our lives.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Renew our desire to fulfill that call You placed on us from our youth. Forgive us for taking so many detours along the way. You have placed everything we need within us and within our reach. Our vision has been short, please expand our sight, enlarge our territory. Open our eyes, open our hearts. Lord keep our calling before us at all times, help us to always remember and place You first in everything we do. We love You, in Jesus Name, amen.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Trust the Lord

2010-10-05T07:31:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 3:5-7 (New American Standard Bible) Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

In today’s world we understand trust but we just do not have it. We think we can take on everything and handle it ourselves. “Do you trust Me? “ That is the message I received in my prayers Sunday morning. “Do you trust Me?” That means do I trust God with my children, with my spouse, with my job, my everything. Am I holding anything back? Do I really trust Him with everything? Trust the Lord is easy to say but hard to let go and let God take control. Trust.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

God's Order

2010-10-03T08:43:00.001-05:00

Joshua 18:3-4 (New International Version) So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me.

How many of us would had just decided that we have been with these people long enough, it’s time to care for our immediate family and ourselves? These people has been together for over forty years, they had fought together. They had seen all their parents pass away in efforts to get where they are. They were so close to being home that they could taste the milk and honey. Yet they waited, they finished their fight, and then Joshua had them set out boundaries. Once the boundaries were in place then the land was given out to possess. God is a God of order, in the proper order God blesses. Life is not a free for all, everything has a place and time. Our time and place must operate in God’s order. We must not try to step ahead of God’s will, we must follow His plan be in His order.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Got Jesus

2010-10-02T08:51:00.001-05:00

Romans 10:12-15 (Amplified Bible) [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith]. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!]

The Word claims that God sees no difference in Jew and Greek. The only distinction recognized by God is whether or not we accepted Jesus as our Savior. Jesus opened a path for us to have access to the Father. Everyone and anyone can have that access but they must go through Jesus. But someone must tell them about Jesus and what He did for us. I heard someone explain this as one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. With the awesome blessings bestowed on us how can we not tell the world what an awesome God He is. We cannot decide who deserves the salvation of Christ, we must testify to everyone and anyone. Jesus said to love our neighbor; we do not love their sin but that love testifies of Jesus.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Let My Life Bring Joy

2010-10-01T18:02:00.000-05:00

Deuteronomy 30:6-9 (The Message) GOD, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love GOD, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live. GOD, your God, will put all these curses on your enemies who hated you and were out to get you. And you will make a new start, listening obediently to GOD, keeping all his commandments that I'm commanding you today. GOD, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you'll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, GOD will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors.

It is awesome to think that God would enjoy me. My kids can bring me great joy but if they can bring joy they can also bring sorrow, breaking my heart. I know that I can bring sorrow to God’s heart but my hope is to bring Him joy. Pleasing Him is my desire.

Dear Lord,
Show me how to bring You joy, bind me to Your will, let it be my will. Help me to know Your heart. Lord, thank You for the opportunity to bring You joy, use me. I love You, in Jesus Name, amen.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Old Fashoined Altar

2010-09-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

Genesis 12:8 (The Message) He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to GOD.

Why are you not going down to the altar! Do you realize that going to the altar is a sacrifice of worship? Yes you can talk to God anywhere but even Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prayed to the Father. From Genesis to Revelation there are passages mentioning an altar and calling on the Lord. This is not something that was removed by Jesus’ death. We no longer have to go to a human priest to inquire of the Lord or have him offer sacrifices for our sins; Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. There is nothing to keep you from going to the altar but you and your pride. The altar is where we strip away our pride and lay out everything before God. We do this whether or not people are looking, it is not for show. When you step out to get to that pew it is just you and God, if someone else is looking then maybe God is working on them to do the same and you are opening the opportunity for them. Going down to the altar is not about salvation only, it is about submitting yourself to your King. If you deny Him here the Bible says He will say He never knew you, depart. Talk to Him constantly but every opportunity you get to submit to Him at an altar you better get down there. If the only thing you do is say, “thank You for saving me,” then that sacrifice maybe enough however if He leads you to stay and pray it through then do it. That time is His and you not making that sacrifice is like robbing God. Get down to the altar and pray!

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

My Load is Enough

2010-09-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

Numbers 9:8 (New International Version) Moses answered them, "Wait until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you."

Sometimes we pick up things that are not ours, but if you did this without praying about it then you could be in trouble. Have you ever committed to a task that you really were not gifted to do? I have taken on responsibilities because no one else would do it, or so I thought. Later I found out that someone else was just about to accept the task when I had opened up my mouth. I burdened myself with a task when God had someone else line up for the job, so I was doing things in my own strength without God’s help. If only I would have sought the Lord, He would have told me just to wait. I did not give Him time to talk to the other person; I did not trust Him to take care of things. It is good to walk where God guides and trust Him when He says to wait. My load is enough and I certainly do not need to add things that are not in God’s will.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

What's in Your Heart

2010-09-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

Jude 1:14-21 (The Message) Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: "Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth." These are the "grumpers," the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead. But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: "In the last days there will be people who don't take these things seriously anymore. They'll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts." These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There's nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit! But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

We will be held accountable for our actions. Everything we do and do not do will be held up against our perfect example, Jesus. There are times when we thought no one was watching that will testify against us in judgment. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we say that we will follow Him. Yet there are so many who profess to be followers of Christ yet truly only follow after their own personal agenda. What is your agenda, are you following Christ or your own desires? Instead of asking “What’s in your wallet” I am asking what is in your heart?

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

For the Good of All

2010-09-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

1 Kings 3:26-27 (Amplified Bible) Then the mother of the living child said to the king, for she yearned over her son, O my lord, give her the living baby, and by no means slay him. But the other said, Let him not be mine or yours, but divide him. Then the king said, Give her [who pleads for his life] the living baby, and by no means slay him. She is the child's mother.

The love of a mother surpassed even the judgment of the king. The true mother acted selflessly by wanting to spare the life of her child even though it meant her giving her child away. In today’s society we are taught to think of ourselves above even our own children. We have thrown them away by abortions in order to pursue our own life goals and ambitions. We take them to daycare or set them in front of TVs so we can be free. We forget that children are a gift from God, a blessing. The father was not there to protect his child and that is not right either. Our job as parents is to protect, provide and love the children and raise them to become parents like we were to them. Society has raised kids to be less than the kind of parents theirs were so instead of improving society they have made things worse. If what you are doing doesn’t make things better but worse, then stop doing it. It is time for us to wise-up, if we want a better America then for the Good of all we must improve it, one child at a time.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Holy unto the Lord

2010-09-25T08:21:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

The family unit is supposed to represent the body of Christ and we are to be a living holy sacrifice but we have allowed sin to come in to destroy this unit and taint our sacrifice. We have marred our family unit and our church body by tolerating sin. I have been in churches where some of the members were engaging in sexual sins. Many within the church knew what was taking place but ignored the situation. Some of these situations involved people in prominent positions. We know what God has to say about these things yet we cover our eyes and allow these to continue. Satan knows your weakest point and he will make sure that is the temptation he will place before you. He does not have to kill you all he has to do is destroy your testimony. Once you damage your testimony then the world will not believe what you have to say about God. Protect yourself. Do not let these sins continue otherwise you will be held responsible for those who are hindered by these sins.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Guided By His Light

2010-09-24T08:06:00.000-05:00

1 John 1:5-7 (The Message) This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

Are you stumbling around, wandering about as you try to resolve this on your own? Your direction is found in Him. He is your light, He is your path. He will not lead you to devastation, He has your best interest in His plans. You must trust Him. You cannot do this on your own. There is nothing that cannot be forgiven when you repent, and turn to Him. Give up and let Him be God in your life.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Move On

2010-09-22T09:29:00.000-05:00

Genesis 37:23-24 (Amplified Bible) When Joseph had come to his brothers, they stripped him of his [distinctive] long garment which he was wearing; Then they took him and cast him into the [well-like] pit which was empty; there was no water in it.

Joseph had the choice to either be frozen by his fears becoming bitter and angry or he could choose to move on with life. He chose to follow God’s plan. First let me tell you that I am not responsible for your problems. As you came to this world, that will be how you leave; so do not to look at how the world changed you but how you changed the world. Are you going to keep sitting there staring at your computer screen? Change will happen weather you approve or not, weather you hide or not. Joys and sorrows come; you will experience them even when you try not to be a part of this world. I cannot tell you enough that the choices you make affect everyone around you. How you view the world and people in it will be what affects you. It is you who will be responsible for your joy; it is you who will answer for the choices you make. If you choose to only see the problem then you will become frozen by your fears. You will never progress and refusing to move will usher in death. I challenge you to choose to move, a wrong move is not irreversible but fear of making the wrong move will paralyze you. It is time to stop blaming others for your problem; it is time to progress to move beyond your comfort zone.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Wanting More

2010-09-18T08:34:00.000-05:00

Leviticus 9:23-24 He and Moses went into the sacred tent, and when they came out, they gave the people their blessing. Then the LORD appeared to the people in all of his glory. The LORD sent fiery flames that burned up everything on the altar, and when everyone saw this, they shouted and fell to their knees to worship the LORD.

Being where God wants you in His presence, is the start to receive His blessings. They came into His presences with other believers. They offered sacrifices both with praises and with their incomes. Then the people were blessed. God accepted their offerings and they worshipped. I have trouble understanding why we seem to have so much going on in our lives that we fail to do these things. God has given us everything even the air we breathe, our heart which He causes to beat pushing the blood He made throughout our body which He also made. We take Him for granted and fail to give Him our worship, praise, tithes, and time. We forget Him while we go on vacations, play golf, go fishing, hunting, shopping to name a few of the things we place before God. If you are content/complacent in your relationship with God then this message is not for you. I am not satisfied, I want more in my relationship. I pray that you want more also.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Time to Move

2010-09-17T13:14:00.001-05:00

1 Peter 3:13-18(The Message) If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

If God has laid something on your heart to do, then go after it. Do not worry about failure, it maybe the faithfulness that God wants from you. True failure is to not try. When God places something in your heart, then He will supply the provisions and protection to accomplish it. The only requirements are being led of God and following His plan of action in love. You have got to only go where God leads. Go out now and get busy doing the things that has been placed on your heart.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Clean It Up

2010-09-15T08:04:00.001-05:00

2 Chronicles 31:1-3 (Contemporary English Version) After the Festival, the people went to every town in Judah and smashed the stone images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. They destroyed all the local shrines and foreign altars in Judah, as well as those in the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim, and West Manasseh. Then everyone went home. Hezekiah divided the priests and Levites into groups, according to their duties. Then he assigned them the responsibilities of offering sacrifices to please the LORD and sacrifices to ask his blessing. He also appointed people to serve at the temple and to sing praises at the temple gates. Hezekiah provided animals from his own herds and flocks to use for the morning and evening sacrifices, as well as for the sacrifices during the Sabbath celebrations, the New Moon Festivals, and the other religious feasts required by the Law of the LORD.

Hezekiah cleaned out the junk then he organized the house. Then he designated/budgeted the offerings. When doing the laundry after the dryer, my clothes are all mixed up. When the load is really big of a lot of small things it is easier to take the clothes and dump them on the bed and just start sorting through them, one item at a time. When things in my life began to over whelm me God helps me dump out all the stuff and sort through things, one thing at a time. I could not accomplish this on my own because I made the mess trying to do things on my own, so there is no way I could fix it on my own. I have to trust God, these things will not fixed themselves or disappear, but God will help me go through them, one thing at a time. Like the laundry, I cannot ignore things because it will only grow worse. It is time to face the problems, and trust God to help you sort through things.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Clear as Black and White

2010-09-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Romans 3:21-26 (The Message) But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it's now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.

It is time we call sin, “sin”, and not be fearful of being politically correct. There is a line in a song which Carmen sang that said, “instead of coming out of the closet we need to clean it.” America cannot go on candy coating sin so that others won’t be offended. Sin is offense and it is past time to take a stand, to draw the line. The Word of God is clear and we try to hide the fact that if you are wallowing in sin you will die and go to hell. Being born that way is not an excuse the Bible tells us we are all born sinners. Because we were born sinners does not give us an excuse which would keep us from going to hell. There is a price, Jesus paid it but you can only claim this gift if the blood of Jesus has validated your soul. You cannot get into heaven without Jesus’ blood and His blood does not mix with sin. It is like oil and water, if sin is the water then the blood is the oil. When you are standing up to your neck in water the oil cannot cover you however if you step out of the water then the oil can cover you and will remove the water. You have got to get out of that sin so the blood of Jesus can cover you. It is not too late and you can never be too far in sin that the blood would not cover you.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

How to Win

2010-09-13T07:32:00.000-05:00

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New International Version) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Our battles are in the spiritual realm with our greatest battle being within our own minds. We must take captive every thought and submit it to the Lord. We do this by reading the Word of God, prayer and praise. When we read both silently and aloud, we plant the very words of God in our thoughts, training ourselves for battles. By speaking the words we speak life and power and release Heaven to do God’s will. When we read we learn the personality of God and who we need to become. When we pray we are not just talking to God but we listen to Him as well. When we praise we break strongholds and the powers of hell flee, they cannot be where the presence of God is and God inhabits the praise of His people. So today take the Word of God hide it in your heart, take time to talk to God and LISTEN to Him, and don’t forget to get your praise on, He deserves it and you need it.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Deliverance and Victory

2010-09-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 21:31 (Amplified Bible) The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.

Do everything you can to prepare for the battle but know that the victory is the Lord's. My pastor spoke about 2 Chronicles 20 when several armies came against Israel. The word from the Lord was to go to meet them then watch the Lord's deliverance. They prepared for battle, went out to meet them with the praise and worship leading them to the battle and then they watched what God did to their enemies. So prepare for battle with praise and worship and go to face your enemies without fear for the battle REST in the Lord. All the children had to do was fight the internal battle with fear by turning it into faith, then God was released by their faith and praise to deliver and bless the people.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Power in the Spoken Word

2010-09-11T00:12:00.000-05:00

John 11:41-42 So they removed the stone Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. "I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me."

There are more spoken prayers in the Bible than references to meditation prayers. Yet here in today’s society we have promoted praying silently above praying out loud. Spoken prayers open the doors of Heaven. The spoken Word brought to God can heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and encourage others in Christ. God loves to hear from his kids and He does know your heart if the prayer is unspoken, but the spoken prayer impacts others and builds your own faith. Don’t be ashamed of your faith. It is better to use your mouth for prayer than gossip, you are going to use your mouth for something so choose to use it for the good.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Christ in Me

2010-09-10T11:20:00.001-05:00

Ezekiel 37:10-12 (Amplified Bible) So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath and spirit came into [the bones], and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. Then He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost; we are completely cut off. Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you [back home] to the land of Israel.

First God challenged Ezekiel to find life, when it was clarified that the bones offered no hope or life on their own. Then God told Ezekiel to speak life into that which was dead. Ezekiel had no abilities to create life in those dry bones but God does. It was not about what Ezekiel could do, it was about what God was able to do through Ezekiel because of his obedience. God has asked each us to do task that are beyond our own abilities. We must be obedient to His calling, and remember to give God all the glory. It is not me but Christ in me. It does not matter what I see, what matters is what God said to do.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin

Leave the Past

2010-09-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 42:8-9 I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

We cannot live in the past. It is time to dust ourselves off, and quit clinging to the image of how things used to be. So many of us built hopes and dreams on a pastor’s vision for our church, dreams that left went that pastor moved on. We have been wandering around that mountain long enough; the children of Israel would never have entered the promise land if they would have said, but God visited us here at this mountain so this is where we need to stay. We are not getting closer to God by clinging to the past, be it traditions or the Presence of God that you once felt in a place. The Presence of God is not found in a place, a thing, or even one particular person. The Presence of God is found in our worship and praise, it is found by spending time with Him. Today it is time to get up, dust yourself off and get rid of those things which have become idols in your life. There is no room for sacred cows. If you have placed things of the past before God, it does not matter how seemingly practical or useful these things may be, get rid of it. Our God is a jealous God, let go of the past.

Love and God Bless,
Cindy Irwin