Today’s modern hymn focus will be

Jesus Messiah

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB95)      

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The initial lyrics and melody from this song came from Chris Tomlin’s guitarist, Daniel Carson, that he shared with Chris and his team of Ed Cash & Jesse Reeves. This song uses the name “Messiah”, declaring that Jesus’ Name is the Name above all names – that He is the Christ, the Son of God, the Chosen One, the Savior of the world. They drew their inspiration from the Scriptures that were very specific in describing Who Christ truly is in our lives.

Jesus Messiah, Name above all names. Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

This is a message that everyone needs to hear. With so much in the world that is trying to divide us, we need to wake up to the fact that there is only One who will bring us together…Jesus! He is our Living Hope and the One who bring us life, joy and peace.

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:

Jeus Messiah

The Deep Wound of Deception!

Psalm 64

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, June 2.

As a West Pointer, then as an officer in the US Army, I learned a lot about planning military operations. One of the essential steps that goes beyond an honest assessment of your army’s capabilities, is to know the strengths and weaknesses of your enemy. In Sun Tzu’s sixth century BC work, The Art of War, he wrote, “If you know your enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”[1] It should not surprise us that centuries before Sun Tzu, the great military leader King David wrote extensively about his enemies, accurately describing them in Psalm 64:2-6:

Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, from the tumult of those who do iniquity, who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, to shoot from concealment at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear. They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, “Who can see them?” They devise injustices, saying, “We are ready with a well-conceived plot”; for the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.

In this short passage, David provides an illuminative study of evil, specifically about its nature, weapons of choice, methodology, and attack plans. Glaringly, we find evil within our own hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 confirms this reality, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Don’t be deceived; to be at peace with God, you must confront the evil that is in your own heart – the enemy within must be defeated!

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 64, meditating upon the victory of Jesus Christ over evil (Colossians 2:15) – “The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory” (vs 10).

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:

[1] Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Trans. Lionel Giles (Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg, 1994, updated 2021) http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132 (Accessed May 20, 2023).

Yearn for God!

Psalm 63

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, June 1.

David was yearning for God! Followers of Jesus can ask God for this deep longing in their own souls, but often we are too easily satisfied by lesser things, distracted with cheap substitutes that do not satisfy for long. In today’s world there are so many options to choose from for how we can pursue satisfaction. It reminds me of how easy it is in today’s fast-food world for a child to never cultivate the hunger for fresh food, but only craves after processed fast food. James Montgomery Boice described how this deep yearning for God has grown rare in today’s churches:

How little this is found today! Most people do not even know that it is God their souls truly desire. They are seeking satisfaction in other things. Others know God but do not cultivate his presence; they do not long after him. Is it not this above everything that explains the weakness of the contemporary church? Is it not this that makes us so hollow spiritually?^[1]

Cultivate Jesus as the deepest longing of your soul – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 63, meditating upon the sufficiency of God to satisfy your deepest longings – “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (vs 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:

[1] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 518.

Wait in Silence!

Psalm 62

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 31.

I live in a loud household. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way; we are just loud people! Our kids get it honestly. With that said, I must confess that the older I get the quieter I get, and the more I enjoy silence. As a boy who used to blast 80s rock as background music by which to study, I now prefer to read in silence. David taught us the importance of silence in Psalm 62:5-8:

My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

I was recently in the New Castle Correctional Facility with a group of fifteen men whom the Lord has graciously allowed me to disciple through my book, Live Like a Champion Today. We were talking about the importance of having a “trellis” in our spiritual lives to be able to manifest the promised fruit of John 15:1-8. Jesus concluded in verse 8, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” Fruit bearing can only happen if you abide in the vine, which is your personal relationship with Jesus. Through times of silence, when you abide in God through Bible study and prayer, the Holy Spirit enriches your life and empowers you for fruit bearing. Make space for God’s grace in your life today.

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 62, meditating upon the presence of God as you prioritize times of silence – “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

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.

Prayer from Anywhere!

Psalm 61

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 30.

Did you know that you can never be too far away for God to hear your prayer? God’s ear is attentive to those who sincerely call upon His name, who seek Him for shelter and sanctuary. God can rescue and deliver you, as David expressed in Psalm 61:1-4:

Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

No matter how low you go, or how weak you feel, God is waiting for you to call upon Him. There is nowhere you can go that is too far away for God to hear and respond. David emphasized this by posing the question in Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” This points to the attributes of God’s omnipresence and His omniscience – God is simultaneously present everywhere and knows all things. Nothing in all of creation can escape His embrace, nor run beyond His reach. As Hebrews 4:13 explains, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” No matter what you are going through today, cry out to God because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 61, meditating upon the power of prayer – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

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.

Raise up God’s Banner!

Psalm 60

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.

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

The Crucible of Hardships!

Psalm 59

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.

Meditate on Divine Justice!

Psalm 58

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.