Set Your House in Order!

Isaiah 38

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

If I came to you, saying, “You had better get your house in order.” How would you respond? This is the situation Hezekiah found himself in Isaiah 38:1, “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.” ’ ” Hezekiah wept bitterly. Through his tears, he cried out, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your sight” (3). He responded to his crisis with prayer. Just like in Isaiah 37, when Hezekiah did not run to Egypt for rescue, now, in Isaiah 38, he did not run to doctors for a cure. Again, he threw himself at the mercy of God, who responded to his humility in verses 5-8:

“Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.’” This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken: Behold, I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.”

God moved back the shadow to emphasize that it was He who healed Hezekiah. This was not the work of a doctor; this was the intervention of a merciful God.

Seize the moment and throw yourself at the mercy of God! This is the way to get your house in order, no matter the circumstance.

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.

The Enemy at the Gate!

Isaiah 37

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

There was an enemy at the gate of Jerusalem. The emissary of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had left his ultimatum – surrender or be sacked! The leaders brought the message to King Hezekiah, and he responded in Isaiah 37:1-2, “he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.” He led his nation in seeking God for rescue and deliverance from the enemy at the gate. What a godly leader!

The prophet Isaiah gave Hezekiah God’s answer in Isaiah 37:6-7, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” When you read through the words of the emissary in Isaiah 36, you see what the Lord was referring to, as Sennacherib went too far in his mandate to execute God’s righteous judgments and had taken on grandiose notions of his person and empire (23-29). God kept His word and sent forth the angel of the Lord to destroy the Assyrian army camped outside the gate of Jerusalem, and Sennacherib died at the hands of his own sons, in the temple of his false God in Nineveh (36-38). God’s justice was poetic, and it all came about because Hezekiah asked for God’s assistance in his crisis, as recorded in verses 21-35, “Because you have prayed to Me … I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”

Seize the moment and pray about the enemy at the gate, trusting God for His victory!

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.

The Book of Hezekiah!

Isaiah 36

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

Just like Isaiah 6-8 described the historical situation of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry at the time of King Uzziah’s death, so Isaiah 36-39 narrate the crisis of King Hezekiah’s kingship when Assyria invaded Judah. That is why these four chapters are nicknamed, “The Book of Hezekiah;” they are different than the rest of Isaiah. Isaiah 36:1 places you immediately into the drama, “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” The parallel accounts of this historical event are found in 2 Kings 18:13-20:19 and 2 Chronicles 32, as you will find connections between these devotions in Isaiah and the ones done on those chapters in the history books.

In Isaiah 36:10, Rabshakeh, the emissary of Sennacherib, delivered a message to Hezekiah, speaking to the men on the wall of Jerusalem in their own language, “Have I now come up without the Lord’s approval against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’” He wasn’t lying! As we have already learned, God did send Assyria against Israel to be “the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hands is My indignation” (Isaiah 10:5), but in his greed and pride, Sennacherib reached too far – God did not intend for Assyria to take Jerusalem from His people; it was not yet the appointed time for the destruction of Jerusalem, which wouldn’t come for another 125 years at the hands of Babylon. God had placed a godly king, Hezekiah, on the seat of David. The defenders of Jerusalem did not allow themselves to be intimated; rather, they went to Hezekiah to report to him the words of the emissary (21-22). Together, the leaders sought God’s guidance (see Isaiah 37).

Seize the moment and seek God for the courage you need to stand up against evil (James 4:7).

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.

The Highway of Holiness!

Isaiah 35

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

Traveling in the United States is reliable because of our safe and secure highways. You can drive from coast to coast with very little hassle; I know because I’ve done it twice. Because of this, we take this ease of travel for granted, but this would not have been the situation in antiquity; hence, the glorious imagery of the Highway of Holiness, as described in Isaiah 35:8-10:

A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

The Highway of Holiness symbolically describes God’s redemptive work amongst a fractured people in a hostile land; it’s the prescribed way of returning to the place of God’s presence (Zion). In Isaiah 40:3, we learn that it would be established by the Messiah, “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God’” (cf. Matthew 3:1-3). In Hebrews 10:19-20, the Bible makes it clear that it was accomplished at the cross, “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

Seize the moment and draw near to God on the Highway of Holiness – Jesus testifies in John 14:6 that He is the only way to get to the right destination!

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.

The Sword of the Lord!

Isaiah 34

Do you know who the Edomites are? Edom was the nation of the descendants of Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal to his brother Jacob (Genesis 25:21-34). Isaiah 34 records the oracle of their utter destruction as “a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion” (8-10). Isaiah named the Edomites as the object of God’s wrath in verses 5-6:

For My sword is satiated in heaven, behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

The Edomites became the representatives of all the enemies of Yahweh, as it was Esau’s refusal to repent which led to his rejection (Hebrews 12:15-17). The judgment of Edom was recorded in Isaiah 63:1-2, “Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength? ‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’ Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?” This imagery of the Divine Warrior covered in blood is captured again in Revelation 19:13-15, “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. … From His mouth comes a sharp sword, … and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” This is the final victory of Jesus Christ!

Seize the moment and spend time daily in God’s Word – wield the sword of the Lord to live the victorious life (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

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.

Seize the Moment – Day 1411

Today’s worship song focus will be

Revelation Song

Revelation 4:8 (NASB95)

We need to wake up with a new hunger and desire for more of God in our lives. Immerse yourself in worship today. Empty yourself of your own selfishness and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you up afresh and anew with the love and joy that can only come when we join with the angels in declaring “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”

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.

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Revelation Song

The Destroyer!

Isaiah 33

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, January 26.

Have you ever wondered who the destroyer is? The destroyer is found throughout the Bible, including Isaiah 33:1-2a, “Woe to you, O destroyer, while you were not destroyed; and he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; as soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.” Here, the destroyer appears to be Assyria, “the rod of My anger” (Isaiah 10:5), but it could also refer to Babylon, “My war-club” (Jeremiah 51:20).

Ultimately, the destroyer is a tool in God’s hands to execute His righteous judgments. This is evident at the Passover in Exodus 12:23, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you” (cf. Hebrews 11:28). We also find the “destroying angel” in 1 Chronicles 21:15, “And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, ‘It is enough; now relax your hand’” (cf. Revelation 9:11).

Paul referenced the destroyer in 1 Corinthians 10:10, “Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” An example of Israel’s grumbling was found in Number 21:6-9 when “the Lord sent fiery serpents” to kill the grumblers. Jesus referenced this story in John 3:14-15, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” Jesus emphasized that there is only one way to be saved from the destroyer (John 3:16)!

Seize the moment and look to Jesus, high and lifted up, the only way (John 14:6)!

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.

The Glorious Transformation!

Isaiah 32

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, January 25.

Isaiah 32 describes a Glorious Transformation that would be completed by the work of the Holy Spirit when the people returned to the Lord. God promised to give the people a righteous king, whose rule would bring blessing to the people and prosperity to the land (1-8). While this will be fulfilled perfectly in the coming Messiah, it was fulfilled in part by the righteous rule of two just kings, Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-20 and Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. Illustratively, Isaiah 32:13-18 demonstrates the impact of this Glorious Transformation upon Israel by giving the people a before and after picture of Jerusalem:

For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up; yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city. Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken. Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks; until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness will abide in the fertile field. And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places. [emphasis added]

The key ingredient to the Glorious Transformation is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – the very presence of God. The same is true today; apart from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you cannot be born again – regenerated and empowered as God’s witness of His Glorious Transformation.

Seize the moment and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-20; cf. John 14:16-17). The Spirit empowers you, as a member of His church, to participate in the ongoing work of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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.

Remain Loyal to God!

Isaiah 31

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, January 24.

God’s rebuke of Israel for seeking help from Egypt and putting their hope in horses and chariots continued. Isaiah explained why the horsemen of Egypt could never save Israel, “they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1). Yahweh is the only hope for Israel. This is further emphasized by the promise of God to His people in Isaiah 31:5-8:

Like flying birds so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it. Return to Him from whom you have deeply defected, O sons of Israel. For in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which your sinful hands have made for you as a sin. And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man, and a sword not of man will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, and his young men will become forced laborers.

This is a promise with a praxis. It is a call to repentance – “Return to Him from whom you have deeply defected, O sons of Israel” (6). When I hear the word “defected,” I am reminded of times when athletes from communist nations defected during the Olympics, seeking freedom through political asylum. There is a lot of emotion built into this concept because to defect is to renounce one’s national identity. In Isaiah’s context, the act of defecting was an even deeper betrayal, whereas the “sons of Israel” abandoned their faith in God to put their trust in things that could never save them (e.g., idols and unholy alliances). God calls you to repentance – to denounce sin, which is defection from His sovereign rule of your life, and to return to your real homeland, which is covenant faithfulness to God by walking in the way of Jesus.

Seize the moment and remain loyal to God – “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

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.

Return and Rest!

Isaiah 30

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, January 23.

The woes continued as God rebuked His children for trying to find rescue and security apart from Him. Have you ever found yourself in a similar predicament? In Isaiah 30:1-4, God confronted the Israelites with how they are seeking protection from the Assyrians outside of His provision:

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin; who proceed down to Egypt without consulting Me, to take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.”

Not only would Israel suffer because of their misguided trust in Egypt, but all of Egypt was put to shame, as were all who put their trust in Pharoah (4-5). While this had a literal historical fulfillment, it also has an ongoing spiritual one. Don’t make alliances with the powers and principalities of this world in hopes of finding “refuge in the safety of Pharoah.” In Isaiah 30:15, God called His people to return home, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Heartbreakingly, Isaiah recorded the people’s response, “But you were not willing, and you said, ‘No, for we will flee on horses,’ therefore you shall flee! ‘And we will ride on swift horses,’ therefore those who pursue you shall be swift” (16). This world has no alliances that can save you – bigger bombs, smarter technologies, and large bank accounts will deceive you with false promises of security every time.

Seize the moment and return to the only One who can give you rest – “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

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.

The Potter and the Clay!

Isaiah 29

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, January 22.

Do you believe there is a God? Even the evil ones know that (James 2:19); the essential ingredient of a saving faith is to have a belief that surrenders oneself to God and His will for your life – “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Three times Isaiah used the imagery of the potter and the clay to illustrate the stubborn refusal of God’s people to submit themselves to God’s will. The first time is found in Isaiah 29:15-16:

Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? (cf. 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Isaiah warned the people of their self-sufficiency, their striving to make life work for them apart from God. Lovingly, God was using the prophets to call His children back to trusting Him in midst of their horrible circumstances. To emphasize our fundamental need to trust in the sovereignty of God, Paul pulled from this rich and meaningful imagery of Isaiah in Romans 9:20b-21, “The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” The essential ingredient to a saving faith is to trust God and His purposes for your life; that’s belief!

Seize the moment and believe God for His design for your life – “be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

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.

Seize the Moment – Day 1404

Today’s worship song focus will be

Lavish

Psalm 23:1-2 (NASB95)

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.”       

Written and released in 2017 by Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Redmon & Mike Weaver, it is easy to see that this song is based upon Psalm 23. It’s important to remember that before we had hymn books, the early church sang the scriptures. Just read through the book of Psalms and see the description of the chapters where it says “To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David” (Psalm 5). In fact, the word ‘psalm’ means a sacred song or hymn, especially one in which expressions of praise and thanksgiving are prominent.*

You are my shepherd, I shall not want.    

You make me lie down in green pastures.     

You lead me beside still waters

You restore my soul

We need to wake up each day with a song of praise in our hearts and on our lips. Think about how much better your day would go if you did this instead of grumbling at the alarm clock. God loves you and wants you to always have the best day, even when it may be dark and gloomy. Can you think of a better way to start your day?  

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.

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Lavish

You are my shepherd, I shall not want
You make me lie down in green pastures
You lead me beside still waters
You restore my soul

And though I walk through the valley
I won’t fear death’s shadow
Because I know You are with me

And the banner that’s over me
Is the love that has set me free
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me
And Your love conquers all my fear
Because Jesus You’re always near
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me

You pour out Your Spirit ’til I overflow
With peace in the midst of my trouble
You’re more than enough for my struggle
You are all I need

And though I walk through the valley
I won’t fear death’s shadow
Because I know You are with me

And the banner that’s over me
Is the love that has set me free
You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me
And Your love conquers all my fear
Because Jesus You’re always near
Oh You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me

Goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days
And I’ll make my home in Your presence now and always
Goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days
And I’ll make my home in Your presence now and always

And the banner that’s over me
Is the love that has set me free
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me
And Your love conquers all my fear
Because Jesus You’re always near
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me
‘Cause You lavish Your love
You lavish Your love on me

Heed God’s Promise of Rest!

Isaiah 28

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, January 19.

Why is it that the people of God, throughout history, have struggled to heed God’s promise for rest? We say we want peace and quiet, yet we sabotage it at every level of our existence – internally, externally, personally, and publicly. God cries out to His people in Isaiah 28:11-12, and 16:

Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” and, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen. … Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”

In Romans 10:9-11, Paul quoted the last sentence of verse 16, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’” Furthermore, Paul bookended his point in Romans 9:33 when he quoted the first part of verse 16, putting the promise of salvation in between the two quotes of Isaiah 28:16, emphasizing the ancient truth that righteousness can only be imputed by faith.

Rest must be received! Israel did not listen when confronted by the Assyrian Empire. Later, Judah did not listen when confronted by the Babylonian Empire (Jeremiah 6:16). Jesus is confronting all people with it in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you listening?

Seize the moment and heed God’s unceasing promise of rest – it’s yours to have so “cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Are you sabotaging your experience of this promise in your life?

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.

The Bible Reveals One God!

Isaiah 27

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, January 18.

The Bible is full of rich and meaningful imagery. Today’s chapter is no exception; listen to Isaiah 27:11-13:

When its limbs are dry, they are broken off; women come and make a fire with them, … In that day the Lord will start His threshing from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel. It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Seize the moment and worship the one God who is revealed from cover to cover of the Bible. Take time to find these connections between the Old and New Testament.

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.

Be Steadfast of Mind!

Isaiah 26

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, January 17.

Peace begins with God, by putting your trust in Christ alone and being “steadfast” of mind (1 Corinthians 15:58). This gives you a secure mind and heart, building you upon the rock of Jesus, just like a city on a hill can be made strong by fortifying it for protection. In Isaiah 26:1-4, the prophet proclaims the people’s song of joy and thankfulness to God for His righteous judgments, “We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security. Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”

Are you steadfast of mind? Are you experiencing God’s perfect peace? In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul gave us the promise of the peace of God, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Do not read this magnificent promise of God as His condemnation of you for having fearful feelings or anxious thoughts; rather, hear these words as God’s invitation to experience the victorious life of trusting God’s prescribed ways of fortifying your mind and securing your heart, building your life upon His rock through obedience to His Word, and escaping the deadly snares of fear and insecurity.

Seize the moment and be steadfast of mind; experience the perfect peace of God by fortifying your life on the everlasting Rock (Matthew 7:24-27). Trust God for “the way of escape” by living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:13).

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.

The Response to Judgment!

Isaiah 25

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, January 16.

Isaiah 25 shows the response of God’s people to the righteous judgment of God, foretold in Isaiah 24. Their response was pregnant with the hope of the coming Messiah, as described in Isaiah 25:6-9:

The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Jesus bursts forth from Isaiah’s prophecy. God was not surprised by humanity’s sin; He always intended to send His Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior to provide for us His salvation, removing the veil, swallowing death, wiping away our tears, and removing the reproach of death. In Paul’s triumphant description of the resurrection of Jesus, he quotes Isaiah 25:8 in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54:

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. … But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Seize the moment and declare the victory of Jesus Christ in how you live your life – “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).

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.

The City of Chaos!

Isaiah 24

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, January 15.

Instead of being a place of peace, Isaiah described the Earth as, “the city of chaos” where “every house is shut up so that none may enter” (Isaiah 24:10). What God designed to be His dwelling place with humanity has been mutilated by mankind’s mismanagement. Isaiah 24 describes the coming judgment, which will be reminiscent of the catastrophic flood in the days of Noah (Genesis 6-8), beginning in verses 3-6:

The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

God has desired for His people to join Him in the work of cultivating the Earth into a place of peace. Often, as we see in Matthew 21:12-13, God’s judgment is in response to how we fall short: “Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a robbers’ den.’” God’s judgments are to restore people, and the creation we are called to steward, back to His original design – to be the place where God rules with righteousness and justice.

Seize the moment and invite Jesus to bring peace to “the city of chaos” within you, so that you may bring God’s presence to the world. Trust Jesus to transform you into a house of prayer today.

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.

Strong God

Strong God

The Urgency to Respond!

The Valley of Vision!

The Heavy Burden of Bad News!

Isaiah 21

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, January 10.

I have had to deliver the hardest of news to people; it can be heart wrenching to carry the heavy burden of bad news. The same was true for the prophets of God who had to deliver time-sensitive oracles of judgment from God. If they failed to obey, they would incur the judgment of God upon themselves (Ezekiel 3:18-19). In Isaiah 21:2-5, the prophet contrasts his experience as the bearer of bad news, for he was to deliver an oracle of judgment against Babylon, with those for whom the oracle was given:

A harsh vision has been shown to me; the treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys. … For this reason my loins are full of anguish; pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor. I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see. My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; the twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling. They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink; …

God gives to His messengers the revelation of His Word to bring people to repentance. The gospel of Jesus Christ confronts people with the heavy burden of bad news – “For the wages of sin is death … .” As an ambassador of Christ and minister of reconciliation, you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Seize the moment and recognize your absolute need for a Savior. The gospel is only good news when it also tells the truth about the bad news of sin and death. If there is no real need for a Savior in the first place, then there would have never been a Christmas or Easter to celebrate.

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.

Naked and Barefoot!

Isaiah 20

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, January 9.

You have heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Recently, a major news source carried a picture from the Middle East, capturing the surrender of a large group of militants. The men were barefoot and stripped down to their underwear as a man walked forward with his hands up. Their nakedness symbolized their humiliation as a defeated army. While this picture has caused a stir in modern days; it was a common site in ancient days. So much so, that Isaiah was commanded by God to walk around without his sandals, and without his outer garment, for three years to symbolize the coming defeat of Egypt and Cush by the Assyrian Empire. In Isaiah 20:3-6, God spoke to the people, using Isaiah’s obedience as an illustration to them:

Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. Then they will be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. So the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, “Behold, such is our hope, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and we, how shall we escape?”

Isaiah was commanded to provide a shocking prophetic sign to the people of Judah – do not depend on an alliance with any other nation for your victory. Do not put your hope in men who can so easily be humiliated and made defenseless; trust in God who can deliver you in this evil day.

Seize the moment and put your faith in God for His victory in your circumstances – “the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

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.