“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.”
– Micah 7:8

If Jesus is your Lord, then this promise is for you! Claim it, especially when you find yourself fallen into dark times of fear, agony, defeat, or despair. Jesus is the Light of the World. He is in, and with, His followers. Though you certainly may experience difficult and even dreadful times in this world, you will eventually rise in victory through Christ Jesus. Though you may be surrounded and nearly overwhelmed by darkness, the Lord will always be your light.

In other words, what you see, what you feel, and what you fear is not your long term future in Christ. If you are an adopted child of God, then your long term future is one of glory and light that never ends, seated in the heavenly places with the Lord. Your long term future is to enjoy the glorious presence of the Lord and to be comforted by Him.

This world can feel, and be, awful. It can feel, and be, overwhelming. You may well find yourself in situations that test and try every bit of your being. But you are never alone in your agony. Your suffering Savior is always present with you. You will never be abandoned and left to your own devices. The Lord IS with you! Your defeats are not final! And no matter how long the darkness lasts here on earth, it will be but a moment compared to the glorious eternity that lies before you! #FollowJesus

“You will say in that day:
‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
‘Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.’
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
‘Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
‘Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.'”
– Isaiah 12

Rather than read commentary on these beautiful verses, just take time to read each and every verse once or twice more before moving on with your day. Praise God that each and every verse is true through faith in Jesus Christ. If Jesus is your Lord, this is true for you! #FollowJesus

“And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.”
– Isaiah 5:5

Centuries later, Jesus leveraged this prophecy to emphasize the point God made through Isaiah. The Lord will never give a people, organization, or nation a pass for sin just because He’s historically blessed them. Never! Just because God has blessed a group, organization, or country for a long time doesn’t mean they get to presume on His grace and mercy. Far from it!

God’s blessing will always be given as people respond in faith to Him, His Son, and His commands. God will never hesitate to tear down any person, church, group, or country that loses its way spiritually or morally. He will discipline or destroy what He’s previously blessed if it becomes more concerned with power, money, and control than with justice and holiness.

This should be a warning to us all! Jesus used this parable to warn of the coming destruction of Jerusalem for rejecting and killing God’s Son. But the message should continue to resonate down through the ages until Jesus returns. While God is supremely patient, He is never ignorant when those He’s blessed are no longer blessing others. #FollowJesus

“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.”
– Isaiah 1:16-17

God’s point is very clear, isn’t it? These matters aren’t some secondary concern to the Lord. Justice, righteousness, working to stop oppression, and defending the vulnerable is absolutely integral to God’s heart. These things are much more important to God than putting on the trappings and appearances of religion. Nearly all the Old Testament prophets spoke on these matters, as did Jesus, Who is the ultimate embodiment of them.

Take these verses as an invitation to examine your conduct and priorities. Knowing how important they are to God, where do these matters fit in the framework of your own life? #FollowJesus

“But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. “ – 2 Chronicles 26:16

As the saying goes, “Pride goeth before the fall.” That was certainly true for King Uzziah. He was very faithful and devoted to God as a young man. Over the years, God blessed him with tremendous success. So much so that Uzziah eventually forgot where all that success came from. He became proud of himself and all that he’d done. He began to think so highly of himself that he lost his concern for God’s Law. He felt comfortable taking the priest’s job in addition to his own. And he certainly paid the price for his pride!

Unfortunately, what happened to godly young King Uzziah easily happens to many who love the Lord and experience His abundant goodness and blessing. Over time, it becomes far too easy to forget that all our victories and blessings come from the Lord. We begin to believe what people so often say to us about how great we are. The temptation to elevate ourselves to places reserved for God grows and grows.

Uzziah’s story is the story of most Jesus-loving Christian leaders who ultimately fall into sin that wrecks their faith, family, and/or ministry. No follower of Jesus is ever immune to this temptation. The only way to protect against it is to be extremely aware of it at all times. The moment you think it could never happen to you is the moment you fall into serious danger.

Always be honest with yourself! What do you really think about yourself, your skills, your talents, and your accomplishments? How well do you remember to stay humble and depend on the Lord at all times, crediting Him for everything He has entrusted to you? #FollowJesus