Seize the Moment – Day 1168
Raise up God’s Banner!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 29. Happy Memorial Day – never forget that your freedom is not free!
Whose banner are you flying over your life? Who gets the glory for the victories in your life? Psalm 60 was written in a time of national expansion for Israel, under the rule of King David (title; 2 Samuel 8; 1 Chronicles 18). Under his successful command, David not only unified the twelve tribes of Israel, but he also secured the borders of the Promised Land. With this context in mind, it’s interesting that David started today’s psalm with a clear description of defeat in verses 1-4:
O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us. You have made the land quake, You have split it open; heal its breaches, for it totters. You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger. You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
There is a great battle waging within every human heart: whose banner will fly over your life? To participate in the victory of God, you must first surrender by taking down your own banner of self-sufficiency and then raise up the Lord’s supreme banner – “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15; cf. 1 Samuel 17:47)! The greatest victory is the one Jesus came to win for you – freedom from sin so that you can live for God!
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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Pentecost Sunday 2023
What is Pentecost?
1. We are adopted!
2. We are sealed!
3. We are transformed!
The Apprentice Prayer
Jesus, I love you! Father, I adore you! Holy Spirit, I rely on you!Lord Jesus, I seek to live as your apprentice in all that I do today. My life is your school for teaching me. I relinquish my agenda for this day and I submit myself to you and your kingdom purposes. In all situations today I pray, “Your will, your way, your time.”
Dear Father, I ask you to ordain the events of this day and use them to make me more like Jesus. I trust you, Sovereign Lord, that you won’t let anything happen to my family or me today, except that it passes through your loving hands. So no matter what problems, hardships, or injustices I face today help me not to worry or get frustrated, but instead to relax in the yoke of your providence. Yes, today I will rejoice because I am in your eternal kingdom, you love me, and you are teaching me!
My Lord, I devote my whole self to you. I want to be all and only for Jesus! Today, I seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength, and all my relationships.
Today, I depend on you, Holy Spirit, not my own resources. Help me to keep in step with you.
Today, I look to love others as you love me, dear God, blessing everyone I meet, even those who mistreat me.
Today, I’m ready to lead people to follow you, Jesus.
Amen.
You can watch this service by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1166
Today’s modern hymn focus will be
Spirit of the Living God
John 16:13 (NASB95)
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for
He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;
and He will disclose to you what is to come..”
Spirit of the living God.
Spirit of the living God.
We only want to hear Your voice.
We’re hanging on every word
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.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We only want to hear Your voice
We’re hanging on every word
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We want to know You more and more
We’re hanging on every word
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We only want to hear Your voice
We’re hanging on every word
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We want to know You more and more
We’re hanging on every word
‘Cause when You speak, when You move
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
When You come in the room
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
You’re changing everything
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We’re leaning in to all You are
Everything else can wait
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
Come now and breathe upon our hearts
Come now and have Your way
‘Cause when You speak, when You move
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
When You come in the room
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
You’re changing everything
When You move, You move all our fears
When You move, You move us to tears
When You move, You move all our fears
When You move, You move us to tears
When You fall, we fall on our knees
When You fall, we fall at Your feet
When You fall, we fall on our knees
When You fall, we fall at Your feet
[Chorus]
‘Cause when You speak, when You move
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
When You come in the room
When You do what only You can do
It changes us
It changes what we see and what we seek
You’re changing everything
[Outro]
Spirit of the living God
Spirit of the living God
We only want to hear Your voice
We’re hanging on every word
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Seize the Moment – Day 1165
The Crucible of Hardships!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, May 26.
David was in mortal danger when he penned Psalm 59, as the title states, “when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.” Today’s psalm is David’s reflection upon the events of 1 Samuel 19:11, “Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, ‘If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.’” His wife, who was the daughter of Saul, rescued him from certain death, and David fled to the Prophet Samuel, where he encountered the Holy Spirit (18-24). It is possible that this psalm of rescue and deliverance was written in this time of revival, as Psalm 59:16-17 concluded with a shimmer of glory:
But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.
Don’t let your life be defined by the hardships. The Psalms of David are reflections upon his life experiences through the lens of his faith in God. They capture his real human experiences, and the full range of emotions that go with them, from the vantage point of God’s victory. Just liked David’s, our souls are forged in the crucible of hardship. Who are you becoming through your experiences? It is not what happens to you that defines you; it is how you respond to it!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 59, meditating upon God’s purposes for your hardships – “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
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 1164
Meditate on Divine Justice!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 25.
Did you know that both the blessings and the curses of the Bible are equally the promises of God? While this is not a popular sentiment to emphasize in today’s church culture; it is an essential truth to the coherency of our Christian faith. You can’t have the one without the other! There can’t be good news if there was never any bad news to hear in the first place. There is a grave danger in accentuating the positives of Christianity until all the bad news of sin, judgment, and Hell are squeezed out, like water being wrung out of a wet towel.
Psalm 58 is a meditation upon the justice of God. There are curses for sin just as certainly as there are blessings for faith. David urged God to manifest His divine judgment in verses 6-9:
O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord. Let them flow away like water that runs off; when he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts. Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.
As you reflect upon such prayers, you may find your stomach churning. The anxiety caused by the reality of divine justice is intended to open you to the good news. You should fear the Lord and take seriously His righteous judgment for sin. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, according to Jesus’ teaching in John 16:8, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 58, meditating upon the blessings and curses of God’s divine justice – “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth!” (Psalm 58:11).
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 1163
God is My Hiding Place!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 24.
Did you have a go-to hiding place growing up? Maybe you used it when you were scared or when you were playing a game of hide and seek. The classic places to hide are the closet, under the bed, or in some hidden nook. Psalm 57 takes us into the mountains with David “when he fled from Saul in the cave,” as described by the title. In verses 5-6, David expressed what it felt like to be hiding in a cave:
My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah.
David was hiding in a dark and obscure location, far away from Saul and the prying eyes of his spies, but he knew there was no where he could hide for long. So, David petitioned God in verse 1, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.” Where do you go when you are scared, or when you are overwhelmed by life and don’t want anyone to find you?
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 57, meditating upon God as your hiding place, the One you seek when you need help in times of need – “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 5:6).
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 1162
Praying Peace over Past Trauma!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 23.
Have you ever had a traumatic experience that keeps replaying in your head, like a bad scene from a horror movie? When a trauma happens in a person’s life, the brain is flooded with adrenaline and other neurochemicals that causes that memory to be forged into the brain. Simply, this is why people can be easily triggered into a trauma response.
David had some traumatic experiences in his life, which he kept replaying in his head. Psalm 56 is from the time when David was in peril at the hands of the Philistines, specifically “when [they] seized him in Gath” (title). This event is recorded immediately after Doeg saw David with the priest Ahimelech, who later betrayed him to Saul, the historical context for Psalm 52. Additionally, David’s rescue from Abimelech [Achish king of Gath] was the setting for Psalm 34. First Samuel 21:12 records, “David … greatly feared Achish king of Gath.”
How did David deal with the memories of his past traumas? David processed his memories through the writing of these three psalms. He brought it all to God, as recorded in Psalm 56:3-4, 9-11:
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? … Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 56, meditating upon the peace of God – “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.”[1]
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1161
The Deep Pain of a Friend’s Betrayal
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 22.
When I was in the military, we trained hard to protect against friendly fire. To avoid shooting at their comrades or allies, we instilled into the soldiers the importance of situational awareness, fire discipline, and target acquisition. It is demoralizing to soldiers to learn that their own army was responsible for the damage and death. David experienced friendly fire at a very personal level, as attested in Psalm 55:12-14:
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.
David was experiencing the attacks of a close friend, the deep pain of a friend’s betrayal. David expressed how the friendly fire affected him personally in today’s psalm:
- Verse 2, “I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted.”
- Verse 4, “My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.”
- Verse 5, “Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.”
How did David respond to the deep pain of a friend’s betrayal? He passed on his response in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” The final words of today’s psalm give us the victory, “But I will trust in You.” (vs 23) When those closest to you cause you the most pain, turn to God, the One who will never betray you (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5-6)!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 55, meditating upon God as your safe place in times of conflict – “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
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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Next Gen Ministries
Graduation Video
The Kidz Zone: Time Machine
A video about the Time Machine ((0:30)
Q & A with Cindi (6:45)
Children’s Ministry (15:00)
AWANA
Youth Ministry (29:50)
Leading By Example
The Orange Method
You can watch this video by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1159
Today’s modern hymn focus will be
Great Things
Psalm 40:5 (NASB95)
“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.”
Come let us worship our King Come let us bow at His feet
He has done great things. See what our Savior has done
See how His love overcomes He has done great things
He has done great things
We need to wake up to the fact that God has been, is, and always will be faithful and to put our full trust in Him. God is bigger than all our problems, fears and situations and He will be there every step of the way with us.
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.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
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