09/21/12 - Ezra 4 - 6; Psalm 137

S - Psalm 137:4 - How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?  5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!  6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . remember me at all times.  Remember to sing my praises when you are in need, Remember to sing my praises when you are hurting or struggling.

A - I must remember that the Lord will always take care of me.  So, when I am hurt, when I am struggling, when I am in pain, when I am in need, I must continue to remember to praise the Lord for all of the things that he has already done for me.

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you do for me.  Help me to remember to continue to keep praise on my lips no matter what situation I am in.

09/20/12 - Ezra 1 - 3

S - Ezra 3:10 - And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel.  11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was Laid.  12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,  13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . shout for joy, the foundation has been laid.  The foundation of your temple has been laid with the reading of the word and the praying that you have done, you have laid the foundation of your temple.  Now you are to build it.  With the things that you do, you will build a mighty temple.  See that it is adorned with many good things.  The things that you do throughout the day are how you will build it.  Build it good and strong.

A - I must remember that everything that I do goes into the building of the temple of my life.  I must continue to follow the commands of the Lord my God.  I must live in such a way that when I am finished with my life, I will hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when I am not living for you.  Forgive me for not always following your commands.  Help me to be strong and live my life to please you.

09/19/12 - Daniel 10 - 12

S - Daniel 10:10 - And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.  11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you."  And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.  12 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.

18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me.  19 And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage."  And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . fear not for you, like Daniel, are a man greatly loved.  I want you to understand the words that I have sent to you in my Word.  Also, like Daniel, from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard.  I am longing to help you understand the words that you are reading each day.  Keep reading and keep looking to me for the understanding.  I will continue to guide you and speak to you.

A - I must continue to read God's Word each day, asking him for the understanding of what I am reading.  I must continue to listen to him as he speaks to me while I am reading.  I must continue to speak to him and ask him for wisdom and guidance.  And most importantly, I must continue to live my life as an example of what he wants a person to be.

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for guiding me and strengthening me each day.  Thank you for the wisdom to understand your Word.  Forgive me for the times when I do not spend the time to speak to you and listen to you each day.  Forgive me for the times when I try to do things on my own.  Help me to stay focused as I approach you each day and listen to the words that you are speaking to me.

09/18/12 - Daniel 7 - 9

S - Daniel 9:4 - I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  7 To you , O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to tour fathers, because we have sinned against you.  9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him  10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.  11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.  And the curse and oath that are written in the law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.  12 he has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity.  For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive.  O Lord, pay attention and act.  Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . Daniel was a great man who had not sinned against me, but had resolved in his heart not to sin and was rewarded for it.  Yet he recognized that the country had sinned and he prayed for his country, the kings, the princes, and the people.  Your country has sinned greatly.  Your presidents, your senators, your congressmen, and your people.  It is up to you and people like you, modern day Daniels, to pray for the forgiveness of your country.  If many of you will pray and petition me, then I may relent and heal your land and restore it to what it once was.  Your land was built on the belief in me and I was there when the country was birthed.  It made me happy to see that your fathers were calling on me to help them in their endeavors.  Now, however, the men in control just claim to know me, just claim to rely on me.  There is no belief in me in your capitals.  Pray for your country.  Pray for your leaders.  Pray for the upcoming election, that my name will be glorified through it.

A - We, the faithful of God, must rise up and pray for our country.  We must call on God to cleanse us and cleanse our country.  We must call on him to restore us to our rightful place of honor among the countries of the world.  We must get down on our knees and pray to our God that he will find at least a few faithful men and will not destroy our country.

P - Heavenly Father, I do not speak with the eloquence of Daniel, but I call on you know to forgive our land and to cleanse us.  I call on you to have mercy on us as a country, for we have turned our backs on you and have gotten away from your commandments.  I call on you to put your controlling hand on this next election.  I pray that through it somehow, your name might be glorified.  Come Lord Jesus, come!

09/17/12 - Daniel 4 - 6

S - Daniel 4:1 - King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you!  2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.  3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.  29 at the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,  30 and the king answered and said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?"  31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.  And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you  know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will."  33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar.  He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nail were like birds' claws.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . even the great men who recognize me greatness can fall.  Beware, you might recognize, now, that all that you have is from me because it is something new for you or you have just seen these things come to to you.  When you get used to having good things, when you get used to having plenty and think that these things have come to you because of your hard work and your sacrifice, that is when I will demand it back from you.  Remember, it is because of me that you are able to work at all.  It is because of me that you have a job.  It is because of me that you live.  I planned you, from before you were born.  Give thanks to me for ALL that you have.  Recognize from where your skills come, to do the work that you do.

A - I must recognize that everything that I have is mine because the Lord has willed it.  I have a wonderful job, because the Lord has granted it.  I am fairly good at my job, because the Lord has given me the skills to do it.  I have a beautiful home, food to put on the table, cars to drive to work, and a wonderful family, all because the Lord has provided it for me.  I must never forget!

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for ever thinking that the things that I have are mine because of anything that I have done.  Forgive me for taking any credit what so ever for any of my skills and gifts. Thank you for providing, for me, a job which I enjoy doing.  Thank you for providing a beautiful home for me to live in.  Thank you for providing food to put on table for my family.  Thank you for my family.

09/16/12 - Daniel 1 - 3

S - Daniel 3:16 - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need o answer you in this matter.  17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

24 The King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste.  He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?"  They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25 He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . worship me.  Trust in me.  I can and will take care of you.  I know that sometimes you feel like you are in a fiery furnace.  These men really were in one and I took care of them.  Do you think that I can't take care of you with all that is going on in your work place?  Do you trust me?  Do you have faith?  Test me and see that I will do what I say I will do.

A - So, while it seems like the place is burning down around me, I am just to put my trust in the Lord my God and believe that he can and will take care of me?  That is exactly what he is saying!  So, I will do my job to the best of my ability and trust that God has everything under control.  In fact, I believe that that fourth man that Nebuchadnezzar saw in the fiery furnace is walking beside me all the time while I am at work and he is whispering in my ear, "Don't worry!  Do the best job you can!  Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, because, in reality, you are."  

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for protecting those three men in the fiery furnace way back then.  And thank you for protecting me from the fiery furnace that I am in at work every day.  Thank you for the promises in your book that you will take care of your children.  Help me to remember day to day that you are watching out form me all the time.  Help me to be bold and trust in you for protection and strength.

09/15/12 - Joel

S - Joel 2: 28 - "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.  30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.  31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . the day is coming.  I am going to return and call forth those who are mine.  Are you going to be in that number?  Will you be bringing anyone with you?  Whom have you told about me lately?  To whom have you spread the good news?  With who have you shared the joy that I have given you?  I have sent you among the nations to spread my word and share the joy of my salvation with those with whom you come into contact.  

A- I must continue to develop my relationship with the Lord by meeting with him daily and listening to the words of his message.  I must continue to build my courage and boldness to share the good news with all of those that I come in contact with.  I must be about his business 24-7.

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for the sin of not being bold.  You have instilled in me a spirit of boldness to speak your word to the people.  Help me to foster that boldness and to share your name with those around me.  

09/13/12 - Ezekiel 43 - 45

S -  Ezekiel 43: 1 - The he led me to the gate, the gate facing east.  2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east.  And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.  3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal.  And I fell on my face.  4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east,  5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple,  7 and he said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I shall dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever.  And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places,  8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them.  They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.  9 Now let them put away their whoring and he dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I want to fill your temple.  I want to dwell in your midst forever.  I want you to be my people and I want to be your God.  I want to fill the innermost part of your life.  I want your heart to be the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet.  Will you allow me to fill you?  Will you allow your heart to be my throne room?  Would you allow me to by the king of your life?  

A - Would I allow the God of the universe to fill me up?  Would I allow him to rule my life?  Would I allow him to use my heart as his throne room?  Is there any other answer but, "YES!"  I want him to rule my life!  I want him to dwell in my midst forever!  I want to serve him to utmost of my ability!  I want my life to be a shining example of what a person can become when the God of the Universe takes over and rules it from the inside out!

P - Heavenly Father, fill me with your glory!  Fill me so there is no room for any of the old petty sins that used to be a part of my life.  Move your throne room into my heart.  Let that be the place of your throne and the place of the soles of your feet.  Forgive me for allowing little things to crowd you out from time to time.  Forgive me for not allowing you to have full access of my "temple" all of the time.  Please examine my life and remove anything that is not of you or pleasing to you.  I love you and I want to serve you with my whole heart, my whole life, my whole existence.

09/12/12 - Ezekiel 40 - 42

S - Ezekiel 40:1 - In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after  the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city.  2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.  3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand.  And he was standing in the gateway.  4 And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set our heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you.  Declare all that you see to the house of Israel."

42:13 Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings.  There they shall put the most holy offerings - the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering - for the place is holy.  14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy.  They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . because of what my son has done for you, you do not have to worry about the Holy Place any more.  I have made a way for you to approach me without going through a priest who would have to go into an inner court to speak to me and hear from me and offer sacrifices to me.  You can just come to me on your own at any time and you can just ask for forgiveness at any time you need to.  My son did away with that whole procedure by his death on the cross.  You are free to come talk to me and hear what I have to say to you at any time.  so, the question is then, what is keeping you away?

A - Jesus Christ's death on the cross made it possible for us to have free access to our Lord God at any time and any place that we desire.  There is absolutely no reason why we can't stop and talk to him several times a day where ever we are at the time.  And he wants us to go talk to him.  He wants to talk to us.  He wants us to have a personal relationship with him.  He wants to be our best friend!

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifice of your son on the cross so that I might approach you at any time.  Continually remind me that I can come see you, speak to you, and hear from you throughout the day in the midst of my busy schedule.  Help me to remember that you want to hear from me and help me through my tough times.  If only I would come to you and ask for help.  Forgive me for for getting this.  I love you and want to sit at your feet and listen to your words.  Help me never lose that desire.

09/11/12 - Ezekiel 37 - 39

S - Ezekiel 37:1 - The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.  2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.  3 And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"  And I answered, "O Lord God, you know."  4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  5 Thus says the Lord God to these dry bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord."  7 So I prophesied as I was commanded.  And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them.  But there was no breath in them.  9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."  10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, and exceedingly great army.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . look around you.  All around you are people who are dead.  They are dead in me and will continue to be dead, unless someone "prophesies" to them.  I have put you where you are for just that purpose.  Look around you and speak to the "dead" people and tell them to come alive in me.  Tell them that you have discovered the truth to life.  Tell them that I can bring a whole new joy to their lives and can give them a reason to live again.  You are my prophet right where you are living, right where you are working, right were you are every day.  I want you to spread the good news that people can live again if only they will put their trust in me.

A - This is, once again, a great commission.  I am to go to the people where I work, where I live, where ever I am and spread the good news that Jesus Christ can bring new life to their "deadness."  I must live my life in such a way as to make my testimony believable.  I must tell those around me that they need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to bring their joy back to its fullest.

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for trusting me enough to give me a charge like this.  Thank you for believing in me enough to allow me to spread your good news to the people around me.  Forgive me for letting you down in the past, and for when I will let you down in the future, for I am only human and as such, I will fail again.  Forgive me for my shortcomings.  Give me the strength to go forth and spread your joy and happiness to those around me so that they can live again also.

09/10/12 - Ezekiel 34 - 36

S - Ezekiel 34:25  "I will make them a covenant of peace and will banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.  26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.  27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land.  And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them.  28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them.  They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.  29 And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.  30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel are my people declares the Lord God.  31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I would like to make a covenant of peace with you.  I will make you secure.  I will send down showers of blessings on you.  I will deliver you from those who ridicule and berate you.  I will take care of you.  You are the sheep of my pasture.  I am your God.  Follow me!

A - I must follow the Lord my God in all things.  I must obey the commands he has set forth before me.  I must live for him in all things.  I will be his disciple and walk with him always.

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for your covenant of peace.  Thank you for taking care of me.  Thank you for blessing me in such amazing ways.  I want to be your disciple and I want you to be my God.  Thank you for all that you do for me.

09/09/12 - Ezekiel 31 - 33

S - Ezekiel 33: 7  "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel.  Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.  8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.  9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . you are a watchman among our peers.  You are to tell them of me.  I am asking you to warn the people that death and destruction is on the way.  It will be here before you know it.  But those of you who belong to me will escape the sword.  Do you not want your colleagues to be with you in eternity?  Do you not want your students to live forever in the knowledge that something you said or did caused them to turn to me and be saved?  Do you not want to be my disciple?  Is that not what you have been asking for?  Are you not a child of the King who wants others also to be children of the King?

A - So, the Lord is going to return and take those of us who are his children back to heaven with him.  It is my job, and the job of those who are also God's children to live in such a way that others know that we are His.  And it is my job to tell others of the joy of salvation in Christ Jesus.  If not me, then who will tell my students?  If not me, then who will tell my colleagues?  I can't count on anyone else to do it any more than anyone else should have to count on me to do their job.  It has to be me.  If not me, then who. . .?

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for not spreading your word where I should have been, where I work and spend most of my time.  Forgive me for not having the courage to just speak your name.  Give me the boldness, the courage, the daring to speak your name daily in my classroom.  Give me the initiative to challenge those around me to do the same.  Help us to make a change on our campus for you.  I pray that you will have the upper hand on the Sanger High School campus and that you would take charge there.

09/08/12 - Ezekiel 28 - 30

S - Ezekiel 28: 25  "Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob.  26 And they shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt.  They they will know that I am the Lord their God."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I will gather my children together again some day soon.  I know that you will be there.  Whom will you bring with you?  There are so many people around you that don't know me.  Will you tell them about me?  Will you share the good news?  I have blessed you so that you can bless others.  So share my joy with them, on the streets, in the stores, at work, where ever you go.

A - I must be about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in everything that I do.  I must exhibit the joy of the Lord when I am out and spread that joy to everyone I meet.  I must see that when I am taken and go home to be with my Lord, I take some people with me, as many as I can.

P - Heavenly Father, than you for saving me and freeing me from the slavery of my sin.  Thank you for instilling your joy in me.  Help me to have the burning desire within me to share that joy with everyone that I meet.  Help me to spread your gospel to everyone that I talk to.

09/07/12 - Ezekiel 25 - 27

S - Ezekiel 27:1  The word of the Lord came to me:  2 "Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre,  3 and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:  "O Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.'  4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders made perfect your beauty.  5 They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.  6 Of oaks of Bashan they made your oars; they made your deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.  Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your banner; blue and purple from the coasts of Elisha was your awning.  8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you; they were your pilots.  9 The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to barter for your wares.

34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths or the waters; your merchandise and all your crew in your midst have sunk with you.  35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled at you, and the hair of their kings bristles with horror/ their faces are convulsed.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . do not be haughty or proud.  I will make great whom I will make great.  Just know that it is I who make them great.  If you are good, it is because I have made you that way.  If you are the best at what you do, it is because I want you to be that way for my own purposes.  Do not be proud of what you have done when it is I who am doing it through you.

A - I will try to be the best I can be at what I do.  Then when I am recognized for anything that I have done I will be sure to give the glory to God for what he can do through me.  I must make sure that I am turning all praise over to the Lord God and not inward to myself.  It is because of him that I even have a job and am able to do the things that I can do.

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for my pride.  Forgive me for taking credit for things that you accomplish through me.  Help me to be humble before you.  Help me to turn any praise over to you.  Give me the grace to accept affirmation and the humility to return it to you.

09/06/12 - Ezekiel 23 - 24

S - Ezekiel 24: 12 She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it.  Into the fire with its corrosion!  13 On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall no be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied  my fury upon you.  14 I am the Lord.  I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it.  I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I am the Lord God and I will judge.  I will cleanse you if you desire to be cleansed of your sins.  I will wash away those things that are not pleasing to me.  However, for those that are not cleansed, I will judge.  Speak to them.  Tell them about the freedom that they can have in me.  Tell them of the joy you have.  Tell them that they can also be filled with this joy.

A - It is my desire that none should have to be punished in the ways that are described in this book.  I must do my best to tell those that I know of the joy of the Lord and the peace that can be theirs if they will only trust in him to save and cleanse them.

P - Heavenly Father, help me to spread your work throughout my neighborhood and my workplace.  Help me to have the courage to speak your name to those that I know.  Give me a joy that is overflowing so that people will ask about it.  Thank you for the freedom that you have given me.  Help me to share this freedom with others.

09/05/12 - Ezekiel 21 - 22

S - Ezekiel 21: 6  "As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes.  7 And when they say to you, 'Why do you groan?' you shall say, 'because of the news that it is coming.  Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water.  Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,'" declares the Lord God.  8 And the word of the Lord came to me:  9 "Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:
"A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished,
10 sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning"

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . it is coming!  There will be a day when I will return and all those that are with me will be taken up with me in the end.  Groan for those that are lost.  Groan for those that have been deceived by the enemy.  Groan for those you love who will not be taken up with me.  Groan for those who will be destroyed by the sword.  Groan for those who have chosen destruction over life with me forever.  Groan for those who have made their choice to go into everlasting separation from me rather than be joined to me forever.  Go out and do what you can, with my strength, to bring more into the fold so they will not be one of "those."

A - It is my duty and my honor to go out and try to win more people for the Lord so that when that day comes they will not be one of "those."  I must do what every I can to tell people of the joy that can be theirs if they would only believe and have a personal relationship with Christ.  Oh, the life they could know, if they would only believe.  I must tell them!

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me from the slaughter that is coming.  Thank you for giving me eternal life in you.  Help me to do what I can to save as many as possible, that they, too will be a part of you when that day comes.  Give me the strength and the resolve to go out and spread the good news that you can provide life and joy!

09/04/12 - Ezekiel 18 - 20

S - Ezekiel 20: 33 "As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you.  34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out.  35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of he peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face,  36 As I entered into judgment with our fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God.  37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.  38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me.  I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I will be your king.  You are my subject.  But I want to treat you better than any king ever treated his people.  I want to lavish you with gifts and with blessing of all kind.  I want you to be happy.  I want you to feel like you can come talk to me at any time.  I want to take care of you.  I want you to desire to walk along flowing streams with me.  I want what is best for you.  I want you to want to tell others about me.  I want to be your best friend.  If  you will but follow my commands and statures, we can have all of this.  Won't you spread the word that I am a gracious God and a just God?  Won't you share with others the joy that you have in your heart when we walk together in harmony?  Won't you invite others into my family?

A - It is my desire to tell others that my God is a wonderful friend and is a welcoming father.  I want to bring others along side of me while I am walking with him so they can see that life in this family is joyful.  Even when tough times come, we can have joy just knowing that God is by our side taking care of us and guiding us through the tough times, making sure that we don't get devoured by the enemy. 

P - Heavenly Father, Thank you for all of the blessing that you do pour out on me.  Thank you for being there for me, even when I am not there for you.  Thank you for giving me the joy down deep in my soul so that, even when I am struggling I can still feel your joy creeping through.  I pray that you continue to guide me as I strive to bring others along side of me.  Help me to not lose heart when I am scoffed at and ridiculed.  Give me strength.

09/03/12 - Ezekiel 16 - 17

S - Ezekiel 17: 22  Thus says the Lord God: "I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar an will set it out.  I will break off for the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain.  23 On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar.  And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.  24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I  bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish.  I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I will do what I can to show the people who I am.  I will cause the people who have strayed away from me to know that I am God and that I still love them and care about them.  I will cause those who claim to be my followers, but don't obey my commands to flee from me.  I do not want people who are not serious about following me as my disciples.  Be serious about it or don't even claim to be a follower.  Are you serious about following me?  Are you willing to do the things that I will ask of you in the future, even if you do not know what is in store for you?  I love you and will look after you but I need to know that I have your whole heart.

A - I am not sure how this goes with the reading but it is what flowed as I was writing.  I just know that I must make a 100% commitment to follow Christ where ever he leads me.  I want to be totally sold out for him.  I want everyone around me to know that I am His and that my entire life is dedicated to serving him.  I will do whatever he calls me to do.

P - Heavenly Father, instill in me that desire to follow you that your disciples had.  They left their families, their jobs, everything that they knew, to follow you.  To where, they did not even know.  They just knew that you called them and they could not say no.  I want to have that sort of devotion to you.  I want to be so dedicated to you that nothing can come between my serving you!

09/02/12 - Ezekiel 13 - 15

S - Ezekiel 14: 1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.  2 And the word of the Lord came to me:  3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces.  should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?  4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:  Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer his as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.

6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God:  Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.  7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, an yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself.  8 And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . if you have idols in our life.  If you take them into your heart and let them cause you to stumble or take time away from me, you need to get rid of them and free yourself of their stronghold on you before you come to me and seek my guidance.  There must be nothing in your life that is more important than your time with me.  

A - I must set aside time each day to come before the Lord and seek his guidance.  I must let nothing get in the way of that time.  And there must be nothing in my life that is more important than the Lord and doing his service.

P - Heavenly Father, help me to make you the ruler of my life.  Forgive me for the times when I put other things before you.  Forgive me for allowing my self to be sidetracked from spending time with you.  Help me to remember, every day, to come before you, to spend time in your word and to listen for your voice.  I love you and want to serve you to the best of my ability.

09/01/12 - Ezekiel 9 - 12

S - Ezekiel 11: 14  And the word of the Lord came to me:  15 "Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Go far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.'  16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.'  17 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'  18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all it abominations.  19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them.  I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,  20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them.  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.  21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their heads, declares the Lord God."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I have put you in a place where you can be my spokesperson.  I am going to work through you.  I will change hearts through you.  But you must rid yourself of any and all abominations.  For if your heart is going after other things and your mind is focusing on other things besides me and what you are going to do for me in your land, then I can not work through you.  I must have your entire devotion and your total focus.  So, cleanse your heart and mind and focus on me alone. Put all of your strength into your service to me and everything else will fall into place.  I will speak through you.  I will give you the boldness to speak for me.

A - I must rid my mind of those things that detract for my service to my God.  I must cleanse my heart and my mind and ask for forgiveness for those things that take my focus off of Him.  I will meet regularly with my God and ask for forgiveness daily because I know that those things always creep into my mind and take my attention off of Christ and cause me to worry or doubt, two attitudes which I can not have if I am going to serve my Lord wholeheartedly.

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for my thoughts and actions that are not pleasing to you.  Forgive me for my doubts and my worries.  Help me to stay totally focused on you at all times.  Give me the strength to speak for you in my workplace and in my home.  Put words in my mouth when it is time for me to speak.  

08/31/12 - Ezekiel 5 - 8

S - Ezekiel 6: 1 The word of the Lord cam to me:  2 "Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,  3 and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains an the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.  4 Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols,  5 And I will lay the dead bodies of he people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter you bones around your altars.  6 Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out.  7 And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . what are the idols that you are worshipping?  What is it that is taking the place of worshipping me?  What is it that you are spending time on when you should be coming and spending time with me?  What things do you have that take your attention off of me?  Are there things in your life that you should put a little less emphasis on so that we can have  a meaningful conversation on a daily basis?  I love you and want to spend time with you, if only you could make time every day to just sit with me and not have your focus be on all of the other things that are going on in your life.  Don't worry about those things!  Don't you trust me enough to take care of all of your needs?

A - The Lord, the God of creation, the Almighty King, wants to spend time with me!  And I am too busy most of the time.  Is there anything in my life that is more important than sitting down for 30 or 45 minutes with the God of the Universe?  I need to un-clutter my life so that I have time to spend with Him.  I should want to spend as much time as I can with Him.  I should want to drop everything to sit at His feet and listen to what He has to say to me each and every day.  I will make that a priority right now!  I will take time in the morning to watch the sunrise, or the sunset in the evening, and glorify my God for what He has created.

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for wanting to spend time with me.  I am honored to know that you do want to talk to me, and to listen to me.  I am so humbled that you would want me sitting at your feet, just listening.  I resolve to do more listening to you, beginning today.  Give me the strength to follow through on that.  Put in my heart the desire to spend more time with you.  Forgive me for pushing you off to the side most days because I am too busy for you.  Thank you for loving me!

08/30/12 - Ezekiel 1 - 4

S - Ezekiel 2: 1  And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you."  2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.  3 And he said to me, "Son of men, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me.  They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.  4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'  5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.  6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.  Be not afraid of their words, not be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.  7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

8  "But you, son of man, hear what I say to you.  Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."  9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.  10 And he spread it before me, and it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . I would like to speak with you.  I am sending you to the town of Sanger and specifically to Sanger High School.  You will be my spokesperson on that campus.  I would like for you to speak for me there.  Don't worry what people say about you.  Don't worry about the way that they look at you.  There are some that will scoff.  There are some that will laugh.  There are some that will question you about what you are speaking.  Be strong.  Be brave. Be courageous.  You are a modern day Daniel, my chosen one.  You will open your mouth and I will put words in it for you.  The people there are a rebellious people also.  You will have a hard time getting across to most of them.  Don't worry about them.  I will bring before you the ones to whom I wish you to speak.  You will tell them about me and about the life that they can have in me.

A - This is a serious calling.  I will be bold on my campus and tell people that God can save them.  I must speak to the parents, the teachers and the students.  I must live my life in such a way that it brings up questions from students and teachers to begin conversations in the classroom.  I will meet daily with my Lord and speak to him and listen to what he has to say to me.  I will praise him for all of the struggles that I go through in his name.  

P - Heavenly Father, thank you for the calling that you have placed on my life.  Thank you for placing me where you have.  Forgive me for the years that I have spent there in my own little world, not sharing your message with those around me.  Give me the strength to speak to any who may ask about why I have such a joy in my life, why I have the posters up in my classroom that I do, or why I listen to the music that I choose to listen to.  Speak through me when the opportunity comes to answer those questions.  Help me be your disciple on my campus.