Day 235 Bible Readings for August 23 – 2 Chronicles 16: 9 (ESV)

2 Chronicles 16-17, 2 Chronicles 18: 1-27, 1 Corinthians 15: 1-34, Psalm 122

2 Chronicles 16: 9 (ESV)

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

In verse 8 from 2 Chronicles 16, the prophet Hanani tells King Asa that Father-God looks for all over the earth to support someone who is committed to him. Father-God searches for those believers who love him so he can support them and show the people his strength. King Asa did not love or have any loyalty to Father-God. Asa put his trust in a pagan king, and not the Lord who helped him win a victory over the Ethiopians. Asa forgot about Father-God. So the prophet Hanani told King Asa that he would now have more wars and not have the protection and support of Father-God.

I see in King Asa’s actions many things I have done. I relied on myself when things were going well, rather than on Father-God. I thought I knew better than the Lord and didn’t need his help anymore. But when I look back on all the times, I relied on myself rather than on the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit there were negative consequences. Nothing went smoothly, and everything took way longer than planned. When I did rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, everything I tried went smoothly and came out better than expected. I know for myself the folly of not relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the support of Father-God.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts about this Bible verse, and you want to always have the support of Father-God in your life because you are born again in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 233 Bible Readings - 2 Chronicles 15: 2 (ESV)

2 Chronicles 13-15, 1 Corinthians 14: 20-40, Psalm 121

2 Chronicles 15: 1-2 (ESV)

“The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”

In verses 1 to 2 from 2 Chronicles 15, Azariah the prophet said to King Asa that he did not have a permanent claim on God’s favor and blessing after his victory over the Ethiopians. Azariah prophesied about abiding in Father-God. Azariah said if we seek Father-God, he will reveal himself to us because we are his children and he does not himself from us. The prophet reminds King Asa that Father-God has a covenant relationship with his people, that is conditional upon our obedience and faithfulness. The Lord gives us what we want from him. But the reverse is also true. If we do not want him, then Father-God will grant us that desire and stay away from us. And if we disobey Father-God and disobey his laws he will not protect us, and we will suffer from the consequences of our disobedience.

It took me a long time in my relationship with Father-God to realize that if I wasn’t seeking him every day and reading his word, he wasn’t in my life. I did not hear the guidance of the Holy Spirit or feel the peace and calmness that came from my relationship with Father-God. Then on day when I was experiencing a season of affliction and wondering where Father-God had gone in my life, I realized that the Lord wasn’t there for me because I had stopped seeking him. I didn’t want him in my life, and he gave me what I wanted. I'm not sure Father-God was ever truly absent from my life; at times, it felt like abandonment, but in reality, I was the one who abandoned him. As soon I had this realization, I started seeking Father-God again, and instantly he was there for me full of love. I learned the truth that Father-God will always be faithful to me and will welcome me back like a prodigal child. Father-God took me back, and because of his love and mercy he will always take me back if I repent and seek him again.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts about these Bible verses, and you want to feel that no matter how long you’ve turned away from Father-God he will always welcome you back because you are born again in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 232 Bible Readings – 1 Corinthians 14: 2-4 (ESV)

2 Chronicles 10-12, 1 Corinthians 14: 1-19, Psalm 120

1 Corinthians 14: 2-4 (ESV)

“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.”

In verses 2 through 4 from 1 Corinthians 14, Paul talks about the difference between the gifts of the spirits of speaking in tongues and to gift of prophesy. Paul tells us when you speak in tongues, you are speaking directly to Father-God because the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is within you. Speaking in tongues allows you to pray, praise and glorify Father-God directly. Paul tells us the gift of speaking in tongues will build you up and strengthen your relationship with Father-God. The gift of prophecy, on the other hand, is given to people to serve, build up, and strengthen the church.

I remember the first time I went to a Holy-Spirit filled church where people were speaking in tongues during the whole service. I was not used to it, and it seemed very strange to me. But after further study in the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I now know that these people were speaking directly to Father-God. I wanted to have the gift of speaking in tongues and I had friends pray over me, but nothing ever came out. And if something did come out, it sounded like I was speaking nonsense. It took me a long time to figure out that the nonsense I was hearing was my mysterious way of speaking to Father-God, and it was okay that I couldn’t understand my own prayers. My soul knows and Father-God knows my prayers. Praying in tongues lets me express my deepest feelings to Father-God and always moves me to tears. I feel so good after I pray in tongues because it makes me feel like I told Father-God what I want and need, and he heard me.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts about these Bible verses, and you want to feel that you can pray about everything you want and need to Father-God and that he hears you because of your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 231 Bible Readings – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (ESV)

Song of Solomon 5-8, 1 Corinthians 13, Psalm 119: 169-176

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (ESV)

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

I was reading verses 4 through 7 from 1 Corinthians 13, and I was struck by how these verses can apply any relationship a person might have. I know many people use these verses as part of their marriage vows, but using these verses in any relationship will help to keep that relationship strong and long lasting. I love all the friends that I have, but sometimes they do things which irritate me so much that I no longer look forward to seeing them. I have a church friend whom I love very dearly, but she is very insistent on having everything exactly to her liking. I go early to church service and try to save seats for this one friend as well as others. I do not like sitting in the front row including the sides of the first row. Instead, I like to sit in the middle so I can see the pastor and the front center screen. This friend came to service 15 minutes before it started and looked at the seat I saved for her, then proceeded to scold me for not saving her a seat in the front row. I was not happy about her rebuke. The whole time she was speaking to me, the only thought in my head was if you don’t like the seat I saved for you then you should come early and get the seat that you want instead of relying on me to save you a seat. She knows I never save seats in the front row, so my choice of seats was not a surprise to her, but her scolding me was a shock to me. This friend has always been kind to me, and we’ve had some amazing Holy-Spirit filled experiences together. But I’ve had to repeatedly ask the Holy Spirit for guidance on how to forgive her for complaining about the seat I saved for her. I know these verses stood out to me today because Holy Spirit is guiding me to use these verses when I think of my complaining friend. Love isn’t just a feeling or emotion. Paul says love is a deliberate choice to act with kindness and compassion. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I can choose to have love for my church friend and endure all the challenges in our relationship because I value her as a fellow member of the body of Jesus Christ.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts about these Bible verses, and you want to choose love in all of your relationships because of your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.