Hymn: Hosanna (Praise is Rising)
Seize the Moment – Day 1467
Today’s worship song focus :
Hosanna (Praise is Rising)
Mark 11:8-10 (NASB95)
Inspired by a desire to write a song that expresses adoration and a surrender to God, Paul Baloche and Brenton Brown teamed up to create this powerful and impactful song. It encourages believers to be like those who proclaimed Jesus’s entry into the city, lifting up their voices in recognition and declaring who the Messiah is as the one who came to save us, our Lord and Savior!
We need to wake up and make this song one that we sing all week long as we prepare for Holy Week with the start of Palm Sunday tomorrow. Use this powerful song as part of your personal worship and express your love and adoration to God for sending us the Blessed Messiah! Let your praise rise up!
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Hosanna (Praising Rising)
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Jeremiah 7
Incantations vs. Prayers!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, March 22.
People frequently allow superstition to infiltrate their faith, treating the name of Jesus like an incantation, repeating it, and tacking it on to the end of their requests. But there is a significant difference between praying to God and performing an incantation. Jesus taught about prayer in Matthew 6:7, “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” This is the exact practice God was rebuking through His prophet in Jeremiah 7:3-7:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”
Prayer is not a magical means of compelling God to do your bidding. Instead, prayer is a divine gift by which you can know and walk with God, as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:8, “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the authorized way to have intimacy with the Father (John 3:16; 14:6, 13-15; 16:23-28); He is not an incantation to be invoked.
Seize the moment and pray the Lord’s Prayer, taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13, as a means of grace to walk in covenant faithfulness to God in your daily 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.
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Jeremiah 6
Find Rest for Your Soul!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 21.
Jesus intentionally created a clear connection between Himself and the Old Covenant prophet Jeremiah, as well as to the larger prophetic tradition of Israel. One of the clearest examples of this is found in Jeremiah 6:13-16:
“For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace. Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be cast down,” says the Lord. Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Through Jeremiah, God was calling people to return to Him and His Covenant, which included the ancient promise of rest. Leaving no room for misunderstanding, Jesus focused the ancient paths of God from Jeremiah 6:16 on Himself by quoting this promise in Matthew 11:28-30. In coming to Jesus, a person is graciously invited to enter the rest of God and avoid the wrath of God that is upon all who do not walk in the ancient paths, as Jesus proclaimed over the apostate Jewish cities in Matthew 11:20-24. Jesus declared that the New Covenant was to be found in Him and that the rest of God was His to give to those who come to Him.
Seize the moment and “be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11).
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.
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Jeremiah 5
The Transforming Power of Devotion!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 20.
Are there consequences for worshipping the creation rather than the Creator? In Jeremiah 5:21-24, God gave the prophet a timely word for His people who were facing repercussions for rejecting Him:
“Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see; who have ears but do not hear. Do you not fear Me?” declares the Lord. “Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and departed. They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’”
We become like that which we worship. We become foolish and senseless when we reject God for any created thing, as God reminded His people about the danger of idols in Psalm 115:5-9, “They have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; … Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.” Jeremiah warned God’s people, reminding them that God is the Creator who sets all things in their prescribed place, bringing order to the chaos with His presence. When we allow anything else to be first in our lives, then we become unduly influenced by it. Whatever we are devoted to has the power to transform us into its image.
Seize the moment and worship “the glory of the incorruptible God” and not His creation (Romans 1:18-32).
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:
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Jeremiah 4
Formless and Void!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, March 19.
What happens when you don’t cultivate and care for your garden? Very quickly, it returns to its wild state with no hope for it to produce a crop. Imagine what a lifetime of not tending to your garden would do to it. In Jeremiah 4:23, the prophet intentionally connects the coming judgment of Judah with the creation story, “I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.” The word pair of “formless and void” is a direct reference to Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
In the people’s rebellion against God, He would allow the land to return to its natural state apart from His intervention – a non-functional, uncultivated state, filled with evil and calamity. Because God judged them and found them guilty, He would remove the light of His presence from the land. This was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of God’s people to Babylonian exile. The imagery of “formless and void” is so stark that one might think that God was going to annihilate His chosen people, but He qualifies His judgment in verse 27, “The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not execute a complete destruction.” The land would go to wild for seventy years, but God promised to allow the people to return after the time of judgment was fulfilled (Jeremiah 29:10-14).
Seize the moment and steward the garden of your life, cultivating the soil of your heart and mind, planting the good seed of His Word, caring for the growth, and reaping a harvest of praise to the glory of God (Isaiah 55:6-13).
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.
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Jeremiah 3
Wisdom through Observation!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, March 18.
There are many ways we learn to be wise: by reading the Bible, through formal education, and from personal experience. We also learn by observing others, watching what happens to those around us, and what happened to those who came before us. Judah had an opportunity to learn from the experiences of their northern neighbor’s rebellion. Nearly a century after Israel’s judgment, Jeremiah gave this scathing rebuke against Judah in Jeremiah 3:6-10:
Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the Lord.
Judah did not learn from the mistakes of their northern cousins. Instead, they repeated their folly, playing the harlot. But God, rich in mercy, continued to pursue His people with the same call to repentance through a prophet to a new generation – repent of your adultery; come home to Me, and I will forgive you. Return to Me, and I will be faithful to you.
Seize the moment and learn wisdom through observation. Pay attention to how God has designed His creation – “whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7-8).
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.
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Everyday Discipleship Wk 9
How to Carry Your Cross!
2) Use the S.O.A.P. Bible journaling technique: Y or N
3) Pray & meditate upon the Lord’s Prayer daily: Y or N
4) Memorize the assigned Bible verses, to include last week’s memory verse of James 4:7: Y or N
5) Manage your calendar for the “Big Three” and for gathering with your church: Y or N
+ Discipleship = intentional journey and life-long commitment to learn and manifest the fruit of who I am in Christ
+ The “Big Three” = transformative practices of Bible intake, prayer intimacy, and spiritual friendships
+ Church = intentional community of disciples who are called in love, gathered for love, and sent on mission
+ Walk by the Spirit = empowered lifestyle of focused surrender
+ Walk in the easy yoke of Jesus = covenant faithfulness
+ Disciple’s Desire = “Well done, good and faithful servant”
+ Spiritual Warfare = a reality of everyday discipleship
AS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST,
+ This is a call to discipleship. Read Luke 14:27.
+ The “cross” points to the crucifixion. Read John 19:16-30. Also in Mt 27:33-56; Mk 15:22-41; and Lk 23:33-49.
THIS IS HOW YOU CARRY YOUR CROSS
+ Philippians 2:1-11 & 3:7-14
+ Colossians 3:1-17
+ Romans 6:3-11 (cf. Colossians 2:12-14)
+ Galatians 2:20-21
+ Ephesians 4:17-32
+ Philippians 1:21-27
+ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
+ This is the gospel of Jesus! Respond to Ephesians 2:1-10.
2) Write a SOAP journal entry for either each chapter or each day. Bring your notebook to take notes.
3) Review this handout as you prepare to read your Bible every day. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you “become” conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
4) Memorize Luke 9:23-25 and learn how to carry your cross daily.
If you would like to watch this lesson on YouTube, click HERE.
If you would like to view the entire service including music, etc. click HERE.
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Hymn: The Blessing
Seize the Moment – Day 1460
Today’s worship song focus :
The Blessing
Numbers 6:24-26 (NASB95)
Taken from the priestly benediction of Numbers 6 and the prayerful blessing of Psalm 67, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Steven Furtick and Chris Brown created this anthem of hope and encouragement for all believers in the spring of 2020. We are reminded of God’s faithfulness and unfailing love for us with this message of peace and assurance even in the middle of our chaos.
The Lord bless you and keep you
Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn His face toward you
And give you peace
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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ55mDL7dA0
The Blessing
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Jeremiah 2
The Absurdity of Apostasy!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, March 15.
Judah was unfaithful to God, seeking after the gods of powerful neighbors. Their false worship through idolatry was considered apostasy, which is the forsaking of the prescribed way of worshipping God. It was for this reason that God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to Judah – to call His people out of rebellion and back into the way of covenant faithfulness. Through him, in Jeremiah 2:13, God confronted the people of their crime, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” This is imagery built upon his predecessor’s prophetic ministry, as Isaiah stated, over a century prior, in Isaiah 55:1-3, “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; … Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.”
Covenant faithfulness is how Judah can drink from God’s “fountain of living waters.” Unfortunately, they refused to worship Him, choosing the corrupted cisterns of apostasy, directly referenced in Jeremiah 2:17-18 as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires, “Have you not done this to yourself by your forsaking the Lord your God when He led you in the way? But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates?” Which would prove themselves to be corrupted cisterns of counterfeit promises. This is the absurdity of apostasy – to forsake the ancient paths of eternal peace for the contemporary means of transitory power.
Seize the moment and walk in the prescribed way of Jesus Christ, the One who can rescue you from the absurdity of apostasy – “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38; cf. John 4:10-14; Revelation 22:17).
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.
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Jeremiah 1
A Timeless Call at a Specific Time!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 14.
In the same way that Isaiah was called at a specific time, when the Assyrian Empire sought to destroy the northern ten tribes of Israel and seize the Promised Land, Jeremiah was called at a specified time of intense suffering as the Babylonian Empire sacked Jerusalem and deported the southern two tribes of Judah. His ministry was set in a historical context, as described in the first three verses of his prophetic work:
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
As you read the prophetic books of the Old Testament, don’t forget that the prophets were real people with real faith in real history. The historical context of every single one of these books can be placed in the painful history of Israel, including the kings to whom Jeremiah prophesied (2 Kings 21-25 and 2 Chronicles 34-36). Just like Isaiah, Jeremiah had a call narrative. The God who transcends time spoke to him in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” God gave Jeremiah a timeless call to share His Word to the nations at a specific time in history, and God is doing the same with you today.
Seize the moment and share the good news of Jesus in your specific time and place today. You are a hope-bearer (1 Peter 3:15)!
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.
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Isaiah 66
Steward God’s Plan A!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 13.
To fully understand Jesus’ call of discipleship, you need to understand why God made you in the first place. What is God’s Plan A, and do I have a part in it? As Isaiah comes to an end, the telos of God is clearly proclaimed in Isaiah 66:18-22:
“For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: … And they will declare My glory among the nations. Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the Lord. “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
From the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). He intentionally made a creation that would require His personal involvement and ultimate intervention, and He created stewards for it, image bearers who would reflect His glory by living under His rule (Genesis 1:26-30). This has always been God’s Plan A, and Jesus came to redeem humanity back as the trusted stewards of God’s creation – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Seize the moment and steward God’s creation until He makes all things new (Revelation 21-22). He has already begun His redemption so that you can fulfill His telos as His disciple (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
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.
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Isaiah 65
The God Who Wants to be Found!
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Isaiah 64
Get off the Treadmill!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, March 11.
Are you on the treadmill of works-based religion? Do you find yourself working harder trying to please God? Isaiah 64:6-7 establishes an essential truth to our absolute need for a savior:
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
Isaiah was referencing the Law from Leviticus 15:19-33, which speaks of the ritualistic cleansing necessary for a woman’s monthly cycle. Isaiah alluded to a natural reoccurring process that had to be atoned for to emphasize that we all are in constant need of purification. There is nothing any of us can do to keep ourselves right with God.
In fact, every attempt you make to cleanse yourself puts you in deeper need for God’s purification. That is why Jesus made the hard statement in Matthew 5:20, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was not saying, “Work harder!” Quite the opposite, Jesus was emphasizing to His listeners the impossibility of being righteous by one’s own efforts. You absolutely need a savior because every time you try save yourself through your own righteous acts, you put yourself in further debt to the grace of God – “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit
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Everyday Discipleship Wk 8
Everyday Discipleship with Real People
How to Do Spiritual Warfare!
Loving accountability from the first 7 sessions:
2) Use the S.O.A.P. Bible journaling technique: Y or N
3) Pray & meditate upon the Lord’s Prayer daily: Y or N
4) Memorize the assigned Bible verses, to include last week’s memory verse of Matthew 11:28-30: Y or N
5) Manage your calendar for the “Big Three” and for gathering with your church: Y or N
Review of major concepts:
+ Disciple = intentionally following Jesus’ way and teachings
+ Discipleship = intentional journey and life-long commitment to learn and manifest the fruit of who I am in Christ
+ The “Big Three” = transformative practices of Bible intake, prayer intimacy, and spiritual friendships
+ Church = intentional community of disciples who are called in love, gathered for love, and sent on mission
+ Walk by the Spirit = empowered lifestyle of focused surrender
+ Walk in the easy yoke of Jesus = covenant faithfulness
+ Disciple’s Desire = “Well done, good and faithful servant”
THE BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IS
A SUPERNATURAL ONE, SO LET’S LEARN
HOW TO DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
Let’s look at the big picture to start.
+ Colossians 1:13-14
+ Acts 10:38
+ Matthew 17:14-21
+ Mark 5:1-20
Four Steps to Effective Spiritual Warfare
Step 1: Know there is an enemy.
+ 1 Peter 5:8-9
+ Matthew 12:43-45
Step 2: Discern/test/examine the spirits.
+ 1 John 4:1-4
+ 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
+ 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Step 3: Take cover by submitting your life to God.
+ Memorize James 4:7.
+ Acts 19:13-20
Step 4: Stand firm in your faith – the victory!
+ Ephesians 6:10-20
+ 1 John 5:1-5
+ John 16:33
Action Items for this week:
2) Write a SOAP journal entry for either each chapter or each day. Bring your notebook to take notes.
3) Review this handout as you prepare to read your Bible every day. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you “become” conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
If you would like to watch this lesson on YouTube, click HERE.
If you would like to view the entire service including music, etc. click HERE.
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Hymn: Praise
Seize the Moment – Day 1453
Today’s worship song focus
Praise
Psalm 150:6 (NASB95)
“ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”
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:
Praise
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Isaiah 63
The Rest of God’s Hesed!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, March 8.
In Isaiah 63, after invoking the Divine Warrior imagery of the Messiah, Isaiah proclaimed the covenant faithfulness of God – His hesed. He made it very clear that it was not the people’s faithfulness that rescued them from Egyptian slavery and brought them into the Promised Land, the land of rest (Joshua 21:43-45). Rather, it was the covenantal love of God, His hesed, as proclaimed in Isaiah 63:7, “I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses [hesed] of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His compassion and according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses [hesed].” It was God’s hesed that persevered with the people of God and led them into His rest, as stated in verses 12-14:
Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble; as the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a glorious name.
In the same way, it is Jesus who leads us into the rest of God’s hesed. As Paul declared in Colossians 1:13-14, “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.” When we are in Christ, we enter the rest of Jesus’ covenant obedience to the Father, who bestowed upon Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:5-13). Find rest by taking on the easy yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30; Galatians 5:1).
Seize the moment and diligently enter His rest by walking by the Spirit (Hebrews 4:10-11; Galatians 5:16-25).
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.
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Isaiah 62
The Importance of Self-Identity!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 7.
Self-identity shapes how you view the world and relate to it. So much of your personal agency is determined by your self-concept. God knows this, which is why Paul proclaimed in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” In Christ, you are not who you used to be, the Spirit is transforming you into His likeness through the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2). In Isaiah 62:1-4, God promised to give His chosen city a new name:
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate. … It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.
God has promised His people an unbreakable covenant, declaring His delight in choosing Jerusalem as His bride, the bosom of His eternal kingdom (Revelation 21:2-7). Receiving a new name is part of God’s redemptive work, as Jesus promised in Revelation 3:12, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name” (cf. Revelation 2:17).
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.
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Isaiah 61
Stewards of the Spirit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 6.
Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. In Luke 4:17-21, we watch Jesus enter a Jewish synagogue:
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
In quoting Isaiah 61:1-2a, Jesus was declaring the fulfillment of the whole prophecy, in which God promised in verses 6-8, “But you will be called the priests of the Lord; you will be spoken of as ministers of our God. … [to] make an everlasting covenant with them.” This is why Christ came – to establish the New Covenant between God and humanity, of which He is the only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15). As disciples of Jesus, we are stewards of the same Spirit promised in Isaiah 61 and fulfilled in 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Seize the moment and live victoriously as a steward of the Spirit. The same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:21-22) and led Him into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-13), empowers your Christian life today (1 John 4:4).
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.
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Isaiah 60
Point to the Final Redemption!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, March 5.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than the forgiveness of your sins; it is the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, which culminates in the redemption of all things. Paul declared this about Jesus in Colossians 1:20, “through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” God foretold this in Isaiah 60:18-22:
Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon wane; for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over. Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. The smallest one will become a clan, and the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.
This imagery concludes the Bible in Revelation 21-22, with a glimpse of the New Heaven and New Earth. At the appointed time, Jesus came to declare the Kingdom of God (Galatians 4:4-5), and He will hasten its completion in the Father’s prescribed time (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7). Until then, you are called to be a Spirit-empowered witness of the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:8).
Seize the moment and point to the final redemption, demonstrating how God has rescued you through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48).
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.
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Isaiah 59
The Offspring of the Messiah!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, March 4.
Children say the darndest things. Often, it is just that children will simply parrot what they’ve heard a parent say, which sounds funny when they don’t really know the meaning of the words they are repeating. In the best of situations, a child will repeat something wise, upon which an awestruck adult will quote the Scripture, “Out of the mouth of babes” (Matthew 21:16, KJV). In the same way, you will know a child of God by how their speech reflects the One to whom they spend time listening. Isaiah 59:21 described the children of the coming Messiah, “‘As for Me, this is My covenant with them,’ says the Lord: ‘My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,’ says the Lord, ‘from now and forever.’”
To be an offspring of the Messiah, you must receive His Word as from God, just as John announced about the coming of Jesus in John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” When you receive His Word, you are born again when the Spirit comes upon you, as Paul stated in Romans 8:15-16, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Seize the moment and spend time with Jesus, meditating upon His teachings, so that when the Spirit brings them to your mind, you know what they mean and use them accurately (John 14:26; 16:13-15; 17:7-8).
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.
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Heart of a Child
Heart of a Child
- Are you currently up to 2 Corinthians 9? Y or N
- Are you using the S.O.A.P technique? Y or N
- Pray and meditate on the Lord’s prayer? Y or N
- Did you memorize Matthew 11:28-30? Y or N
- Did you work with Jesus (not for Him),do everything for His glory, and truly abide with Him? Y or N
Today’s scripture was one of those that “jumped out” at me during this current challenge. The disciples have been with Jesus now for over two years. They had heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles and had even seen thing happen in their own time of ministry. But this scripture points out just how ‘human’ the disciples were…and it can also be found in Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48.
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”
I don’t know about you, but ‘adulting’ can be tough sometimes and I would love to be like a little child with no responsibilities. To be able to be carefree, play games and enjoy life. I remember playing with my boys when they were kids, and now being able to repeat that with my grandkids.
Playing games like “Peek-a-boo” (tell ‘dad joke’ here)
Or “Hide-n-seek”, not the one where you tell them to go hide, and then ‘forget’ to go seek them…but where they are able to use their creative thought processes to find a spot to hide where you would least expect to find them.
Adam and Eve were the first ones to play Hide and Seek…not a good outcome. But God came up with a plan to seek and save that which was lost.
So for today, I would like for each of you to find the ‘inner child’ inside each and every one of us and become the child of God we are called to be. Let’s look at the scriptures on how we have our own version of ‘Hide and Seek’:
- Hide His Word (Psalm 119:11)
- Hide to seek (Matthew 6:6)
- Seek to find (Matthew 6:33)
1. Hide His Word
Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.”
Much like when you save money back in a safe place to be able to buy a big ticket item, the same is true when we mediate and memorize God’s Word.
Psalm 78:4: “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.”
How will they know unless we tell them???
2. Hide to Seek
Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Find a place to get away from the distractions of this life.
Jesus did it, so you need to also!!! (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16)
Turn off the music, the phone, any distraction.
There is a time for the music/worship, but you also need the “BE STILL” time.
ILLUS: Intentional Time: Sabbatical: Katie Kinnaird
TBH….this is a difficult one for me.
3. Seek to Find
Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Other translations…”Seek FIRST..”
The worlds says there is a proper order for things…. First things first!
*This idiom is used to tell someone that more important things should be done before less important things.
With God, we are told to keep Him first, seek Him and we are promised that we will find Him.
Matthew 7:7-8: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
This is in no way a one and done thing
We have to daily be working on this, especially for us slow learners!
John 14:21: “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
To watch the video for this message, click HERE.
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Hymn: First Things First
Seize the Moment – Day 1446
Today’s worship song focus :
First Things First
Revelation 2:4-5a (NASB95)
and repent and do the deeds you did at first;”
The brotherly trio of Caleb, Jordan and Josh Ward make up the group “Consumed by Fire”. They grew up traveling with their father who was an evangelist, serving others through church planting and medical missions. After their father had a catastrophic stroke, the boys took a hiatus to care for him. Following his passing in the spring of 2022, they reemerged with a fresh passion and commitment to the calling of their ministry through song. Jordan said this song “spearheaded the creation of a new direction for us… We’re saying, ‘Lord, we want what You want.’”
First thing’s first I seek Your will Not my own
Surrender all my wants to you Keep the first thing first
We need to wake up and take the words of this song as a prayer for our own lives. By returning our hearts to our first love, Jesus, we are then moved to love others in the way that He loves us!
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:
First Things First
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Isaiah 58
Fast to Break the Yoke of Slavery!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, March 1.
As I read Isaiah 58:6-11, I find myself contemplating the invitation to fast during Lent, which is an annual rhythm of preparation for Holy Week, which many Christians around the world participate:
Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? … Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.” If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
Throughout this 40-day period, the church has historically participated in the spiritual discipline of fasting as a means of focusing oneself on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Good Friday) and His resurrection from the dead (Easter). When I consider the invitation to join with the larger church body in this ancient practice, I seek wisdom from Jesus, who said in Luke 5:34-35, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” These are those days as we await the return of Jesus Christ, who has ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He is interceding for us (Romans 8:34). Until His return, we fast to remind ourselves that there is nothing of this world that can satisfy our needs; we are fulfilled in Christ alone!
Seize the moment and find your satisfaction in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30), which shatters all other yokes that seek to enslave you (Galatians 5:1).
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.
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Isaiah 57
Lowly of Spirit and Contrite of Heart!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, February 29. Happy Leap Day!
“I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. … Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.” But the wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Seize the moment and come to God lowly of spirit and contrite of heart (Psalm 51:17). Jesus promises to guard your heart and mind with His peace that goes beyond anything this world can offer you (Philippians 4:6-9).
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.
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Isaiah 56
Salvation is for Everyone!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, February 28.
From the beginning, God desired for all the nations to be saved and to know His loving embrace. God expressed His heart to save all the peoples in Isaiah 56:6-7:
Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
This passage is quoted by Jesus when He cleared the temple in Matthew 21:12-13, and, as if to put an exclamation point on the context of His quote, in verse 14, Matthew highlighted, “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” That which was formerly excluded from the people of God has now been invited to come and find salvation in Christ. Jesus’ heart to include the foreigner and the outcast into the fellowship of God, and to heal the blind and the broken as a sign of sabbath rest was one of the reasons they sought to kill Him, as seen in Luke 4:24-30. Jesus took a crowd who was lauding him and stirred them up to the point of trying to kill him, simply by spotlighting that God had always desired to save even those outside of Israel. Furthermore, Paul, who went through a similar experience in Acts 21:21-22, emphasized this truth in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”(cf. 2 Peter 3:9).
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.
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