The blog contains daily devotions and notes from the weekly messages.  We encourage you to review the notes during the sermon or through the week!  Most of the posts will have an audio and/or video link at the end of the notes.  From time to time the pastors will share other insights and devotions here.
 
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Seize the Moment – Day 1431

No Peace for the Wicked!

Isaiah 48

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, February 16.

 

As a non-Christian youth of Generation X, of course I listened to Ozzy Osborne in the late 80s and early 90s. So, later in life, when I read Isaiah 48:22, where the Lord said, “There is no peace for the wicked” (cf. 57:21), I remembered the name of Ozzy’s 1988 album, “No rest for the wicked.” As per the album title, it included “Miracle Man,” the song which offered a scathing rebuke for the hypocrisy of the fallen televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who had been a vocal critic of the famed British music artist, but himself was currently caught up in multiple sex scandals that led to his disgrace and defrocking.

 

When Isaiah proclaimed, “There is no peace for the wicked,” he was declaring the need for all people’s  absolute need for God’s redemption – Babylon and Israel, Jimmy and Ozzy! We love to create us-them dichotomies, but the reality is that we all need the peace of God as promised in the following verses:

 

  • “Peace I leave with you; My 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 fearful” (John 14:27).
  • “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  • “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
  • “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

 

Seize the moment and share your faith by extending God’s gift of love and forgiveness. Be at peace with everyone, not through the hypocrisy of religion, but through the rest Jesus promises in His easy yoke (Romans 12:18; Matthew 11:28-30).

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1430

Beware of Real Danger!

Isaiah 47

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, February 15.

 

Witchcraft and magic are real. The danger of dabbling with spells and sorceries is like playing with fire. You are going to get burned because the powers and principalities you are seeking to manipulate have their own agenda, and there is nothing innocent about any of it! We saw Pharoah’s magicians matching some of Moses’ miraculous signs in Exodus 7, and we watched Saul consult a medium in 1 Samuel 28. As God cast His judgment upon Babylon, He referenced their wicked use of witchcraft in Isaiah 47:9b-11:

 

In spite of your many sorceries, in spite of the great power of your spells. You felt secure in your wickedness and said, “No one sees me,” your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; for you have said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” But evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away; and disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone; and destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly.

 

Yahweh continued, saying that such supernatural means would not save Babylon from destruction; in fact, they would become like stubble burned in the fire. The use of spiritism and magic, commonly practiced by the ancients to manipulate their gods, was specifically forbidden for the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). The same is true for followers of Jesus; we are to turn away from all forms of evil (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Peter 3:11; Revelation 21:8). Remove such things from your life because evil only wants “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Don’t seek wisdom or power from below, but from God (James 3:15-17).

 

Seize the moment and stop seeking power through forbidden means – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

 

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

 
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1429

The Victory of God!

Isaiah 46

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, February 14.

 

In ancient times, wars between nations were considered the battle grounds of the gods. In Isaiah 46, Yahweh took on the Babylonian gods, overtly calling them by name in the first verses, then contrasting them with Himself in verses 1-4:

 

Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, a load for the weary beast. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.

 

Bel, also known as Marduk, was the principal god in the Babylonian pantheon of gods. He was a storm god associated with fertility and creation. Nebo was his son and was popularly paraded during Babylonian festivals. Isaiah portrayed them both as idols, false gods who burdened their worshippers. Then he contrasted them with Yahweh, the true God who bears the heavy burden of His worshippers. God declared of Himself in Isaiah 46:9-10, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’”

 

Seize the moment and trust Jesus for every victory – “He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Colossians 2:15; cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14). It is done!

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1428

Anointed for Service!

Isaiah 45

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, February 13.

 

Did you know that God has anointed you for service? In Isaiah 44:28-45:1, God names Cyrus as His anointed one, who will not only deliver God’s people from Babylonian captivity, but will provide for them the means to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple:

 

It is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.” And he declares of Jerusalem, “She will be built,” and of the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.” Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.

 

The Hebrew word used for Cyrus is mashiach; it means “the anointed one” and reflects the biblical tradition of selecting and equipping a person for service, such as the anointing of the kings by the prophets (e.g., 1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13; 1 Kings 19:15-16). Isaiah prophesied over a hundred years before Cyrus would come into power as the king of Persia to fulfill this prophecy, conquering Babylon in 539 BC and decreeing that that Jewish exiles could return home to rebuild the house of the Lord (Ezra 1:1-2; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23). Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of Cyrus as the anointed one, chosen and equipped by God for a specific work prepared in advance for him to fulfill.

 

God makes it clear that He is still in the business of anointing people for works of service to Him through His Holy Spirit. He now does it when people put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

 

Seize the moment and answer God’s call upon your life as a person who has been anointed by the Holy Spirit to do good works of service (1 John 2:20, 27-29).
 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 

 
 

 


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Seize the Moment – Day 1427

Be a Witness of God’s Redemption!

Isaiah 44

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, February 12.

 

In Acts 1:7-8, before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He said to His disciples, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Alongside of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), this is considered the mission of the church – to be witnesses of God’s redemption, promised by the Father, provided by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Rock and Redeemer, gave these words in fulfillment of the Word of the Lord, from Isaiah 44:3-8:

 

“For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.” … Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.”

 

Seize the moment and be a witness of God’s redemption – “Return to Me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:2b).

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1425

Today’s worship song focus :

Everlasting God

 

Isaiah 40:31 (NASB95)     

 

Yet those who wait for the Lord

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.”

 

Written in the summer of 2006 by Lincoln Brewster and Brenton Brown, this song was inspired by the passage in Isaiah 40 and a season of personal struggle in Brenton’s life. Carrying a powerful message of hope and encouragement, we, the worshipper, are reminded of God’s everlasting nature and His promise that He will provide the strength and renewal for us when we put our trust in Him.

 

You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God, You do not faint

You won’t grow weary, You’re the defender of the weak

You comfort those in need, You lift us up on wings like eagles.

 

We need to wake up and quit rushing through the day. Take the time to put God first and wait in His presence. Remember that resting in Him will provide you with His unwavering strength so that you are not relying on yourself and your strength alone.

 
 
 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

 
 

Everlasting God

 
Strength will rise as we wait upon the LordWe will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the LordStrength will rise as we wait upon the LordWe will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
 
Our God, You reign foreverOur hope, our strong Deliverer
 
You are the everlasting GodThe everlasting GodYou do not faintYou won’t grow weary
 
Strength will rise as we wait upon the LordWe will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the LordStrength will rise as we wait upon the LordWe will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
 
Our God, You reign foreverOur hope, our strong Deliverer
 
You are the everlasting GodThe everlasting GodYou do not faintYou won’t grow weary
 
You’re the defender of the weakYou comfort those in needYou lift us up on the wingsLike eagles
 
Our God, You reign foreverOur hope, our strong Deliverer
 
‘Cause You are, You are the everlasting GodThe everlasting GodYou do not faintYou won’t grow weary
 
You’re the defender of the weakYou comfort those in needYou lift us up on the wingsLike eagles
 
From everlasting to everlastingGod, You are everlasting
 
 
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Brenton Brown / Ken Riley
Everlasting God – Low Key Performance Track
Without Background Vocals lyrics
© Thank You Music Ltd.
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1424

Live Like the Redeemed!

Isaiah 43

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, February 9.

 

You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37-39), a chosen member of His family who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28; Titus 2:14). Now, live like it! As the nations raged against Jerusalem, God looked upon His people and said, “You are Mine,” giving them the assurance of their redemption in Isaiah 43:1-5:

 

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! … For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west.”

 

What a promise in the middle of a big old hot mess! Israel suffered at the hands of Assyria and Babylon, only to be released from captivity by Persia. Yet, during that time, God promised to redeem the offspring of Israel from the four corners of the Earth. To this day, that is the mission of the church, as witnesses of God’s redemption (Isaiah 43:8-13; Acts 1:8), calling His people home through Jesus Christ, the One who paid the ransom (Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

Seize the moment and live as one who has been redeemed, no matter your circumstances today – “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary and gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south” (Psalm 107:2-3).

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 


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Seize the Moment – Day 1423

Sing the New Song of the Suffering Servant!

Isaiah 42

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, February 8.

 

The first of the four Suffering Servant Songs is found in Isaiah 42:1-9, followed by a song of praise, which begins with a command in verse 10, “Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praise from the end of the earth!” This same phrase was used in Psalm 98 as a call to the God of Mission to bring His salvation to all the nations. What a triumphant conclusion to the prophecy of the Messiah, foretelling His responsibility to establish God’s justice in the Earth, as Isaiah 42 proclaims:

 

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law. … I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. … Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.

 

Seize the moment and sing the new song of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ – “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

 

(Pastor Ken)

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1422

The Beginning and the End!

Isaiah 41

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, February 7.

 

From the first to the last chapter of the Revelation of John, we hear Jesus described this way, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13; cf. 1:8, 17; 2:8; 21:6). This name of God was introduced in Isaiah, as God’s answer to a rhetorical question about who had caused the uprising of the nations; Isaiah 41:2-4 was specifically referring to Cyrus king of Persia. Twice in Isaiah 41, God asks such a rhetorical question. The first time is in verse 4, “Who has performed and accomplished it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’” The second time began the conclusion of today’s chapter, verses 26-29:

 

Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? Surely there was no one who declared, surely there was no one who proclaimed, surely there was no one who heard your words. Formerly I said to Zion, “Behold, here they are.” And to Jerusalem, “I will give a messenger of good news.” But when I look, there is no one, and there is no counselor among them who, if I ask, can give an answer. Behold, all of them are false; their works are worthless, their molten images are wind and emptiness.

 

Wouldn’t you expect the answer to the second rhetorical question to parallel that of the first one? Instead, God contrasted Himself with the false gods of the nations, who are merely idols. While there is an unfortunate chapter break here, the truth is that the quote never closes, and God gives us the first of the four Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah 42:1-9. He does provide the couplet we were waiting for, and we learn that the One who is “the beginning and the end” is the Suffering Servant of Israel.

 

Seize the moment and trust Jesus as “the beginning and the end!”

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1421

Go Tell it on a Mountain!

Isaiah 40

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, February 6.
 

I love the African-American spiritual, “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” It is a beautiful Christmas song that was first published by John W. Work, Jr. in 1907. While its bulletin blurb does not include a reference to the ancient prophecies of Isaiah, I believe it could have been inspired by Isaiah 40:9-11:

 

Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

 

We are to proclaim the coming of the Messiah from not only Mt. Zion, but from every mountain top in every nation (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). “Go Tell It on the Mountain” describes the shepherds who first heard the angelic proclamation of the birth of Jesus Christ, but it also commands us to declare this good news. Powerfully, in Isaiah 40:3-5, right before this evangelistic call of the coming of the Messiah, Isaiah gave the promise which was fulfilled by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2-3, who cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, ‘The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” ’ ” Truly, John told it on a mountain, bearing the good news and lifted up the coming of the Messiah mightily, without fear of his own death.

 

Seize the moment and go tell it on a mountain!

 

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

 

 
 
 

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