Ezekiel 33:12-16 –  “And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. ¹³ Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. ¹⁴ Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, ¹⁵ if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.”

Let me say at the outset that I do not consider religion anathema, but the modern understanding and demonstration frequently is.  However, religion without righteousness is a shell, not a life.  

I urge you to remember that you are the apple of God’s eye, and He is watching over you, looking for an opportunity to bless you. Watch for it.   The door is open!

As I prayed, read, and reasoned in the Word, the Holy Spirit challenged and warned me sternly.  We are told that silence is golden.  However, sometimes silence is complicity and, in a measure, partnering with evil. May that never be our condition.

Ezekiel 33 and 34 are incredibly powerful and needed in today’s world and church.   History is filled with examples of when God’s people sat silent while evil prevailed, allowing many to perish. God does not take that lightly.

Let me briefly walk through what I heard in my inner man. The Lord drew me to the reality of Responsibility.   The watchmen are commanded to sound the alarm whenever and wherever they see danger.   Dangers can arise from many sources and endanger lives. It can be natural or spiritual.  God will hold us accountable if we don’t sound the alarm and point to the truth. (Ezekiel 33:6)

In Ezekiel 33:11, we see the unveiling of God’s heart.   God takes no pleasure in anyone’s death, even the wicked.   False Hope arises when we trust our religiousness.   It is not being religious that pleases God but being righteous (Ezekiel 33:13).   God desires true repentance (vv.14-16).

In Ezekiel 33:18-19 we are shown the truth of religion vs. righteousness. God is moved by repentance, and as we obey, He deposits His righteousness in us.

Ezekiel 34 addresses the silent church and God’s view of silence in the face of danger and trusting flesh pursuing greed and pleasure.  The sleeping church runs from controversy and thinks that by not addressing the dangers of public violations of God’s Word and precepts, it is safe. Wrong!

In Ezekiel 34:2, God addresses pastors who are in it for themselves and are not true shepherds. In verse 4, we see the exposure, danger, damage, and failure of that approach. We also see God’s attitude, and the passage reconfirms our purpose.

Ezekiel 34:11, 16 informs us of God’s Last Days move.  God is about to dethrone the self-serving who pastors the flock themselves.  Ezekiel 34:18 exposes hearts focused on name, fame, and fortune.   Ezekiel 34:19 identifies the needed ministry.   Verses 25-26 reveal what God is about to do.

Those who pursue God with fully surrendered hearts have this promise. “I will cut a Covenant of Peace with them and cause harmful beasts (natural & spiritual) to cease from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.”   

Regarding showers of blessing, I sense a two-fold message.  The shower of God will be showers of blessing, and those upon whom He pours His blessing will become blessings.

God is drawing His faithful into action. No more silence! We have the Word, the Call, the Authority, and the Power, so it is time to use it and begin enforcing the Victory of Calvary.

If we are silent, souls are destroyed. If we warn of danger, lives are spared.   God’s blessings enable us to be blessings. If we horde the blessings, we will become spiritual paupers in the palace. Our genuine love for Jesus is demonstrated in our love for people and His Word.

What is our love quotient?

Today is a day of victory!

1 Corinthians 4:20 –“For the Kingdom of God IS NOT in the word, but in power.”

Several thoughts gripped my heart as I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today.    One was a reminder that our ability is not the product of our efforts.    They are gifts from God.  (1 Corinthians 4:7)   Like athletes, we have to hone and sharpen them, but they did originate in us.   They belong to God.   God will not bless self-proclaimed success or ability, only humility and submission.

Second, it is not what we know but who we know and belong to that manifests the Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 4:20 – “For the Kingdom of God IS NOT in the word, but in power.”

If there is no manifested power of God accompanying the declaration, it is like rain on a tin roof.    It is fluff.   God confirms His Word with signs following.   The church and the world need less oratory and more manifested power of God.  The Acts Church did not turn the world upside down with their eloquence but with the power of God.

The call of God for 2025 and beyond is Power in the Spirit.   Whenever I talk to God about power, He talks to me about purity.   My failures cannot be accepted or justified.   I am in an attitude of repentance, and my heart cries for mercy, restoration, and power.   I know my call, my commission, and my purpose.   My cry is, Lord, create a clean heart and right spirit in me, and make me an ambassador of heaven in this world. 

All things are ours in Jesus.   Never settle for second best, but seek God’s best.  He has given it to you, receive it, embrace it, and allow it to be manifested in you!

Have a victorious day in Jesus; remember, you are more than a conqueror in Him!

Job 31:4 – “Does not he see my ways and number all my steps?”

In Job 31, we have the final appeal of Job the man.   In Job 31, he made a declaration that seemed out of place.  Job 31:1 –“I made a vow with my eyes that I would never look after a virgin.”  In Job 31:4, he declared that God saw his ways and counted his steps.   God sees all, knows all, and records all. 

That revelation troubles some, and lest I paint a picture of God as the harsh overlord watching for missteps to punish, let’s continue.  Elihu, the fourth man, made the correct observation that age alone is not the prerequisite for wisdom and that our ears test words like our palates taste food.

After Elihu’s diatribe, God spoke and asked probing, penetrating questions, and even humorous of Job.  In Job 38:33 – “Do you know the laws of the heavens?  Or do you make the ordinances for the earth?”

What is the point?  God knows all, sees all, and is Lord over all.  We have nothing to fear.   The God who created everything, even man, is watching over His creations.   God’s immense and extravagant love for man causes Him to observe All our ways.  He never takes His eyes off us, which can be either powerfully comforting or horribly frightening.

In 2 Corinthians 10, we discover that He has enabled us with unearthly weapons to fight against unearthly and earthly enemies.  In 2 Corinthians 10:4, we discover that we can conquer rebellious strongholds.  Are there any non-rebellious strongholds?

We cast down imaginations.   That does not mean imagination is evil, but it must be rejected if it exalts anything above Christ and is not harmonious with the gospel.

Satan is a master deceiver and convinces some to accept a gospel not taught in the Word.  A manmade gospel that feeds the flesh and promotes a life without restraint.

Remember, God knows everything.  Nothing escapes His consciousness.   If we are seeking Him, submitted to Him, and one with Him, that is incredibly comforting.   It banishes destructive fear.  If God knows and loves us, we can have perfect peace, and no weapon can prevail against us.  We walk in peace and power fully provided for in all things and at all times.

Remember, God never slumbers or sleeps, and His eyes are always upon us for good!   Rejoice and be glad!

Psalm 16:7-9 – “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. ⁸ I have set the Lord always before me;  because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”

What will we discover today that will enrich our lives and give us greater peace in His presence?   As I was reading God’s Word this morning, praying, musing, and pondering the richness of His Word, a thought flooded my heart and mind – Living with the Consciousness of God’s Presence!  

I can almost hear someone say, “We always do that!”  But do we? The Legacy Standard Bible’s translation of Psalm 16:7-9 is refreshing.  “I will bless Yahweh who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.  ⁸ I have set Yahweh continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.”

You cannot receive the counsel of the Lord without an awareness of His presence.   I refer to Psalm 1 and receive incredible strength, hope, and encouragement of living a life wholly consumed with Him and His Word.

Several things stand out to me in Psalm 16:7-9.  The decision to bless, worship, praise, and give thanks to God was a conscious personal decision.  It was not waiting until the Spirit moved us; it was a decision to do it now!  In that state of living in the conscious presence of God, we find that God instructs us in the night.

Does God instruct us in the night?  Yes, when we are asleep, it is one of the best times for the Holy Spirit to download information to us.  It is the time when He has access to our unencumbered and uncluttered minds, hearts, and spirits.   As we are asleep, like Solomon, God desires to communicate with our innermost being and does so in many ways, including dreams or night visions.

Out of that place of living with a consciousness of God’s presence, we receive strength, courage, hope, faith, fearlessness, and the ability to stand.  Knowing that God is there or where we are is incredibly comforting or disturbing.  The difference is in our attitudes and actions.  If we are hiding from Him and living a life controlled by fleshly desires, it is disconcerting that He is there, sees, and knows.  But, alas, He does whether we are conscious of His presence or not.

It is incredibly comforting that He is with us, always present, if we follow Him wholeheartedly.  We have peace knowing that He is there.  We have confidence knowing He is there, as we know Him and His Power.  We have Hope because we know He does not, cannot, and will not lie or fail.

Galatians informs us that the Blessings of Abraham, obtained by faith, belong to the believers.  If I am living with a consciousness of God’s presence, I rejoice in His Promises and Blessings.  I begin to know who I am, and as I know who I am in Him, I can become who He says I am!  Who are you?  Seriously, Who Are You?  Why not be Who God Says You Are?

Today would be a fantastic day to set our hearts to keep our minds and hearts filled with the consciousness of God’s presence.  That is not a troubling but a comforting thought!  He Is There!   Hallelujah!  He is Here!  You are more than you have become.  You have a world to impact for God and the provision to do just that.  You have the continual presence of the LORD; believe it, embrace it, and embrace it.

Have a wonderful day, and always allow the awareness of God, the Living God’s Presence, to fill your heart and mind!

Joshua 3:10 – “And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.”

Today, as I prayed, read, and pondered what I was reading, God’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence flooded my heart and mind.    

As I read in Job, the declaration was made that God sees our ways and counts our steps.  Wow!  He sees it all, records it all, and knows it all.  That, for some, is frightening, but for those who are His, it is a comfort. 

He is Love, but that does not mean He ignores sin.  He is also just and will judge sin.  But He is longsuffering and promises to forgive if we come to Him in repentance and belief.  Some try to make God all Love and omit the Justice portion of His character.  No sin can enter heaven, but if we adopt the view that regardless, everybody gets to heaven, we negate the Cross and the price Jesus paid.

Jesus paid for our rebellion.  There is no way to clean up sin with human justification and with human philosophy.  We err if we create a doctrine out of our desire for justification.  We need to allow the Word of God to transform us rather than attempting to transform the Word of God to suit us.

God is Love!  God is Mercy!  God is Longsuffering!  God is Forgiving!  God is all that, and He is also Holy!  His Holiness demands divine Justice, which Jesus did at the Cross.  He paid our penalty.  However, the caveat was that we must confess our sins and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. 

The Bible says “if” not whether we do or not, but “if” we confess.   He promises not to reject us when we do.  God is more interested in our pardon than we are.  He wants no one to be lost but gives us the ability to choose right and wrong.  He even promised the Holy Spirit to help us walk the right path.

Today, take comfort in the reality that God sees it all, knows it all, and is All-Powerful.  He has never and will never fail; therefore, we can be assured that we can live without a sense of lack in anything.  We can live knowing that He is Our Father, and we are His children.  We can live knowing that Jesus is preparing a place for us and coming back for us.  We can live knowing that we have authority and power over the enemy.  We are, through Jesus, more than conquerors!

Rejoice!  Today would be a great day to decide that you will no longer allow the conditions of this world to shape your attitude.  You will allow God’s Spirit and Word to guide and inspire.  Be Who He Says You Are!  Victorious!

Have a fantastic day, and remember, Jesus is coming back as He said, and that final Sunday will come!