Daily God Gems

In Genesis 37, we read about Joseph's dreams which alluded to a future when his 11 brothers would bow down to him and the second dream revealed that even his parents would bow down. Joseph told his family about the dreams and in verse 10, his Father rebuked him and said, ‭“What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Why did God give Joseph these dreams? After Joseph told his family about these dreams, it just caused him trouble with his jealous brothers. They threw him in a well and sold him into slavery. Yet this eventually led Joseph to be given the position as the head of Potipher's household. However, Joseph's good fortune would end with a lie from Potipher's wife and Joseph was sent to prison. He was, once again, in an undesirable situation. What kept Joseph from giving up in his circumstances? He knew that whatever bad situation he was in, that it wasn't the end of his story. He knew he had a calling and a prosperous future as was revealed to him in his dreams. He held on to the promises that God revealed to him. He kept his faith in God and that God would be with him through each difficult circumstance. And God was indeed with Joseph as we read in Genesis 39:20-21, "But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." God guided Joseph along the path towards his calling. It wasn't an easy path, but this challenging path led to a prosperous and rewarding outcome. We read in Psalms 105:16-22, "He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true. The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free. He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed, to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom." Joseph saw his calling come to fruition. God fulfilled the dreams He gave Joseph and Joseph's brothers did bow down to him in a time of widespread famine during which Joseph saved the people of Egypt and Canaan from starvation. Later, his brothers pleaded for his forgiveness and Joseph told them in Genesis 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." The lesson we learn from Joseph is that no matter what difficult circumstances we are enduring, it is not the end of our story. Therefore, we must keep our eyes fixed on the promised future which God has for each one of us. Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” So let us keep the faith and not lose heart as we face difficulties, hardship or suffering. Let us keep the proper perspective of the big picture that God has painted for us in His word and His promise to strengthen us, help us and uphold us by his righteous right hand as we read in Isaiah 41:10. And let us remember our Lord's promise in ‭Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Famine in the bible drove many people from one place to another. In Genesis 12, Abram moved due to famine in the land. In Genesis 26, Isaac traveled away from the famine. In Genesis 42-45, famine drove the brothers of Joseph to Egypt.. Then we see in the beginning of the book of Ruth that Naomi, her husband and 2 sons left Bethlehem due to famine and moved to Moab. In the instances of Abram and Isaac, they each became wealthy after their relocation and were greatly blessed with an abundance. In the example Joseph’s brothers, they were reconciled to Joseph in Egypt and blessed with land and provisions. What about Naomi? During her relocation, she lost her husband and both of her sons. How could anything good come out of such heartache and devastation? Our Lord is our Redeemer and he promises to turn any heartache to rejoicing. We read in ‭Jeremiah 31:13, "I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow." David shares in ‭Psalms 30:11, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy." And Jesus tells his disciples in ‭John 16:20, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy." The same applies to us today and it applied to Naomi. When Naomi heard that the famine had ended in her hometown of Bethlehem, she journeyed back and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, committed to joining her. Ruth was Naomi’s first blessing. She gleaned the fields to provide them both with food. And her companionship would have provided Naomi with great comfort. Ruth's humble nature and commitment to Naomi, drew the attention of the field's owner, Boaz who just happened to be a relative of Naomi. Boaz was Naomi’s second blessing as he would fulfill the role of a Kinsman-Redeemer to Ruth and marry her. Out of the union of Ruth and Boaz, came a son, Obed, who would be Naomi’s third blessing. We read in Ruth 4:14-17, "The women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David." Naomi’s sadness and mourning was indeed turned to wonderful joy! And that joy would carry on to millions of people as this union of Jew and Gentile carried on the lineage culminating in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior for all mankind. All of this began with a famine in the land. A famine which drove a small Jewish family from their home, from their friends, and from their livelihood to a foreign land of Gentiles. In which Naomi experienced another devastating famine with the loss of her husband and sons. But God turned all this hardship around and the blessings came one after another with Ruth, then Boaz and then a grandson who would be like a son to Naomi. When we face any kind of famine in our lives, we can draw encouragement, hope and strength from the example of Naomi’s journey. God was with her through it all. He guided her and those around her to bring about comfort, provisions, and family. And to bring the world Jesus who provides everything we need during our season of famine. Jesus tells us in ‭John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." So keep pressing through, keep persevering, keep seeking the "bread of life" and keep believing in Jesus through your famine, because there's great blessings and wonderful joy waiting on the other side of it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

This life is not easy. Each of us face challenging and difficult times in our lives. We may be in a place of financial hardship, illness, loss of a loved one, a disaster, a heartache, stressful atmospheres, emotional despair, intense worry and so much more. When we find ourselves in a desperate situation or in a place of suffering, we may feel that God is not there. We may have prayed over and over asking God to step in and intervene, to save us, to heal a loved one, to resolve an issue. Yet we see no response, no resolution, no answer. We may feel abandoned in our darkest hour. And we may struggle to believe that God will never leave or forsake us. We wonder where He is. While we know the promises of God, what we feel at the moment battles against what we know is true. How do we remain standing in such a battle? How do we restore our hearts and minds? And most importantly, how do we restore our hope and faith in God? First, we need to --move forward and let go-- once we have placed our troubles in God's Hands. We let go and let God. There is a quote I heard recently that left a great impression upon me: "When I'm worried, I say a little prayer because it lets me give my worries away instead of letting them weigh me down. And I know God will take them from me." (From the movie, "An Easter Bloom") When we endlessly focus on asking for what we need or want, we are not letting ourselves rest in God. We read in ‭Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We receive the "peace of God" once we have presented our requests to him and let go. We have to trust God that He heard our prayer and will work out everything for the good, even when it doesn't seem like it to us. When we are in the Kingdom of God, we will be able to look back at the difficulties of our life and finally understand the whole picture. Until then, we just have to trust and persevere in God's promises. We read in Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Secondly, we need to stop focusing on what we don't have. We need to stop focusing on unanswered prayers. Instead, we need to focus on all the good that God has provided and give Him thanks. We can give thanks for the birds singing in the trees, the colorful flowers of spring, and all of His beautiful creation. We can give thanks for a roof over our head, food on our plate, clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, a devoted pet, good neighbors, family and friends, or a church family. We can give thanks for his mercies being new every morning and the positive areas of our health and abilities. We can give thanks for His holy word, our deliverance and salvation in Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the promise of a future with no more pain and no more tears, and the list goes on. We continue reading in Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of PEACE will be with you." Focusing our minds on the blessings of God and on the positive, results in another promise of God's peace dwelling within us. So when we give our requests over to God and then focus on the blessings, we can have peace, no matter our situation. Lastly, while we are waiting for prayers to be answered as God sees fit and in His perfect timing, we can ask Him for strength, courage, patience, peace and rest as we endure our time of distress. We can ask Him to teach us, guide us, give us wisdom and strengthen our faith during these times. Our loving Father promises to always be with us through difficulties. We read in ‭Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." So even if we don't see our prayers get answered from our perspective, we can be assured that God is with us and we will not be consumed. There is a poem which perfectly expresses this truth about our Lord's faithfulness to us. It is called "Footprints" "One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you. Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you." Our God is right where He has always been. Faithfully and lovingly by our side. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read that the Moabites and Ammonites were coming to wage war against Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. As soon as he was told of the impending attack, he turned to the Lord for help and proclaimed a fast for all Judah. He told God in verse 12, " We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." The Lord told told the people in verses 15-17 of 2 Chronicles 20, ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." God had already given them the victory before the battle began, so as a result, we see in verse 21 that "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” Jehoshaphat and the people had faith and confidence in the promised victory so instead of the army leading the charge into battle, the singers led the army into battle, singing & praising the Lord and giving thanks. Jehoshaphat provides us with an example we can apply in our own lives as we face an upcoming battle or even as we are in the midst of a battle. First, we need to seek God's help and draw near to him. Jehoshaphat and the people drew near to God in prayer and fasting. In verses 6-9, Jehoshaphat told God that they know he is the one who has the power and might. And they are coming to him for help in their time of distress. Jehoshaphat said, "You will hear us and save us." Second, we must place our faith and confidence in God's promises that he is the one who fights for us and delivers us from harm. Jehoshaphat told the people of Judah in verse 20, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” Third, we should enter battle with songs of praise. Because Jehoshaphat had faith that God had already given them the victory, he appointed the singers to lead them into battle and give praise of thanks. People usually celebrate and sing after obtaining victory, but as God’s children, we celebrate and sing before and during a battle because we have already won the battle in Christ!! As Apostle Paul tells us in ‭1 Corinthians 15:57-58, "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you." We can stand firm and let nothing move us because it is God who fights our battles. But we have to give them over to Him and live victoriously as we rest in His promises...the same promises the He gave Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah: "Do not be afraid or discouraged... For the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you... Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face (the enemy), and the Lord will be with you." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

We all are familiar with the story of the Exodus about the Israelites escaping Egypt. Our bible translations show Moses relaying God's demand to Pharaoh: "Let my people go!". However, I recently read an article explaining a more accurate translation of the Hebrew phrase as "send my people out". And let us not miss the rest of God's message to Pharaoh: "Send my people out so they may worship me." God wasn't only sending his people out of Egypt into a barren wilderness, He was sending them out to their calling: to worship Him as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Let us look at the attitude of the Israelites. They had cried out to God about their misery and He heard them and sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt. Yet, they doubted Moses as their deliverer and even stopped listening to Moses when their hardship increased under the Pharaoh. The Israelites were comfortable in the familiarity of their slavery. Even though it was a hard, restrictive life, they knew what to expect each day, they knew where to get provisions, they had the familiarity of their homes and the way of life that surrounded them. But now, a man named Moses told them that God was providing a path for them to leave their bondage in Egypt. They were probably hoping for just a better, easer life within Egypt...and not actually leave everything they knew. In the midst of their familiar surroundings and daily living, leaving Egypt had to be a hard concept to absorb. Many must have wondered why go into the unknown and many were probably fearful of the unknown. The miraculous 10 plagues against Egypt were just as much a benefit to the Israelites as it was to convincing the Pharaoh to send them out. Through the experience of being protected from each plague, the Israelites witnessed God's power which surely developed their faith that He would continue to provide and protect them after leaving Egypt. Even as the Israelites began their journey out of Egypt, they would continue to experience fear and uncertainty and desire to return to the familiar. We read in Exodus 14:11-12, ‭They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Are we living like the Israelites in Egypt? Is there something that God is calling you to step into but you are afraid to leave what is comfortable and familiar? When we are comfortable, we are afraid to step out of it. Is there something new that God is calling you to? Is there a habit, a mindset, an environment, or a social circle in our life which God is telling us to move away from? Is He calling you to visit a church? Is He calling you to reach out and get to know the people in your neighborhood? Is He calling you to share your testimony with others? Is He calling you to forgive someone and to let go of a wrong committed against you? Is He calling you to use a skill or talent to serve others? God had to literally "kick out" the Israelites out of their comfort zone into something new. Sometimes he uses unexpected changes in our day to day life to kick us out of our comfort zone so we will enter a new door and start the next chapter he has waiting for us. It can be intimidating, unsettling and fearful to enter into what seems to us as an unknown wilderness. However, it is not an unknown wilderness to God. He knows what is ahead for each of us and it is always going to be something great, something wonderful, something we cannot fathom. As God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Whenever we are stepping out to enter a new door, a new calling or a new chapter in our lives, we can be assured that God will be there to guide us... to guide us into his perfect plan for us. He will be there even when we find parts of our new chapter challenging or uncertain. So when we do find it difficult, we can't be like the Israelites and quit listening to God and give up. As our loving God tells us in ‭Isaiah 41:10, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Moses reminded the Israelites of similar encouraging words of God's promise to protect and guide them as they stood trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. We read in Exodus 14:13-14, "Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The Lord will do the same for us. We just need to seek him and ask him for wisdom, courage and faith to step into what He has waiting for us and remember that whatever He has for us is better than where we were. With that knowledge, we can have the courage to be "sent out" of our comfort zone into God's calling...into His perfect plans for hope and a future. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Over the weekend, on April 14th, Israel was attacked by Iran who sent a barrage of 103 ballistic missiles, 36 cruise missiles, and 185 drones. As Israel and the world braced for hours awaiting this arsenal as it made its way to it intended targets, millions around the world sent up their prayers and pleas to God for His protection over the nation and people of Israel. We watched and waited with faith that God heard our prayers and indeed He did. God empowered Israel and it's allies to intercept 99% of these missiles and drones. As one commentator shared, "No country has ever intercepted over 100 ballistic missiles in space within one hour. This attack was the largest combined drone, cruise missile and ballistic missile attack against a country in history." All praise and glory goes to our God for His protection and deliverance. In giving him our gratefulness and praise, David provides the perfect words in Psalms 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." God displayed His mighty hand of protection as he wrapped Israel with his shield. Such a display shows us that He keeps his promises to not only protect Israel, but also to protect us from the arrows of the evil one. He will not allow anything to destroy us or Israel. We are spiritually grafted into Israel as seeds of Abraham as we read in Galatians 3:29, so we can be confident that we share the same promises that God declares to Israel in Isaiah 41:8-14, [8] “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, [9] I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. [10] So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. [11] “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. [12] Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. [13] For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. [14] Do not be afraid, (you worm Jacob,) little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." We witnessed the truth of this passage over the weekend and we witnessed the power and effectiveness of our prayers for Israel. Let us continue to pray for Israel as the threat and surrounding conflict develops. Let us pray for their protection, for wisdom of the leaders of Israel and it's allies, for strength and encouragement for the citizens, military personnel and the hostages including the release of those hostages. Our prayers matter to God. Our prayers are heard. Our prayers are effectual. Let us overflow the golden bowls of prayers in heaven!

Join me for this week’s devotional, “The ‘Good Kind’ of Anger”, in which we explore when anger is appropriate and how to appropriately express it.

Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it as we read in ‭John 3:17. He will judge mankind, but not before His Kingdom is established on earth. This judgment doesn't happen within this lifetime. Our loving Father is giving mankind, his children, this time on earth as human beings to learn, grow and develop a relationship with Him. During this lifetime, some will not know Jesus or ever understand that he exists. Some will know He exists, but choose to walk this life without Him and the Father. Others will deny and reject Him. But no matter what a person believes or does not believe at the time of their death, does not yet determine their eternity. That judgment comes after their resurrection. We read in John 5:28-29, “Do not be amazed at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out! Those who have done good will come to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil will come to a resurrection of judgment." What is meant by "a resurrection of judgment"? The Greek word used here is "krino", meaning "to separate, select, choose, to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong". It is not declaring a sentence of punishment. These people who have done evil are separated out and not granted immediate eternal life upon their resurrection like those who have received Jesus as their Savior. The “unsaved” people who are resurrected into judgment, still do not yet have their fate sealed. They are given another chance to finally know the love of Jesus, repent and receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Apostle Paul teaches that both the righteous and the wicked will be resurrected in ‭Acts 24:15. Would a loving Father who has children that behaved badly, or were distant from him, like the prodigal son, resurrect them just to condemn them to destruction? Rather, His plan is to offer the opportunity of salvation to all of the resurrected as we read in 2 Peter 3:9, ‭ "Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." So what about those who never came to know Jesus during this lifetime? Satan has blinded many in this world as Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. " Are the blind condemned? Jesus tells the Pharisees in John‬ ‭9:41‬ , “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." Here, Jesus tells us that the blind are not guilty of sin. Therefore they are not condemned to eternal death. They will have their opportunity to know Jesus and follow the ways of God when Jesus returns and eyes are opened. We read in ‭‭Isaiah 32:3, "Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen." And in ‭Revelation 1:7 we read, “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” There are also the billions who lived prior to the birth of Jesus. We read that they are not lost and forgotten. ‭Romans 3:25-26 "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just..." We have a loving Father who is just, who desires that none perish, but that all would come to repentance. In order for this to be so, there is a second chance for all those who are not believers, for all those who have been blinded by satan, and for all of those who have not heard the good news of the gospel. He offered multiple “second chances” to the Israelites and this was before the birth of Jesus and before the gift of the Holy Spirit. We read one such example in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” If our merciful Father offered the fallible Israelites opportunities like this, wouldn’t he also offer it to everyone else who has made mistakes? He has for each one of us. We all have made countless mistakes. Every time we come to him in repentance, he forgives us over and over again. So why should those, who do not have the help of the Holy Spirit, not have a second chance? And the same for those who have been given over to a depraved mind and blinded by satan? There are billions who do not and did not have the help of the Holy Spirit, understand the truth nor know the salvation of Jesus. Let us finish with these encouraging words of promise in Isaiah 32:1-4, "Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land. Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it. Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer will speak out plainly." Praise our merciful, loving, forgiving Father who is the God of “second chances”!

There might be times in our lives when we find ourselves under a dark cloud of depression or despair. It is a difficult place to be and can be extremely overwhelming. How can we overcome that darkness and return to the light? First, we must remember that our battle is against the forces of darkness. Only Satan is the author of such feelings of heaviness, discouragement and loss of hope. As we read in John 10:10, The enemy seeks to "steal, kill and destroy". The darkness doesn't want us to have the victory we are promised. ‭Apostle Paul teaches us in Ephesians 6:12-13, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Then Paul continues, in the next verse, with what we need to do to win this battle, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." But what if we feel too weak or beaten down to have the strength or mental capacity to put on the armor? Then we need to FIRST, change our focus from the overwhelming darkness to the overcoming LIGHT, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus tells us in ‭John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” To follow that light, we can simply open up the Scriptures and read the word of God. The book of Psalms is filled with wonderful words of joy, hope, strength and encouragement. Christ, the light of the world, is in every word from Genesis to Revelation. We read in Revelation 19:13, "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." Next, we must place our TRUST in the Lord to lift us up out of the darkness, to give us strength and to protect us. The Lord reassures us in Isaiah 41:10, "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." David wrote in Psalms 42:5, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." And we read in Isaiah 40:31, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’ In addition to focusing on the light and placing our trust in the Lord, we need to choose to have JOY. We read in Nehemiah 8:10, "The JOY of the Lord is your strength." What is that "joy of the Lord"? It is the joy we possess in knowing that, in Christ, we are overcomers and we are victorious! We read in ‭1 John 4:4, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." That is where we can draw joy and strength with confidence! Next, we need to be THANKFUL. Being thankful moves our focus from the darkness to the gifts, grace and goodness of God. ‭David writes in Psalms 107:15-16, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron." Thankfulness turns around our whole mindset to the positive. It directs our mind towards the Lord, reminding us of all He provides and has provided. And reminds us that He is our solution, our rescuer, our Rock, our salvation, and our victory. Lastly, we must PRAY when darkness is attempting to overtake us. David continues in ‭Psalms 107:19-20, "they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave." So when we find ourselves under a dark cloud of depression or despair, let us keep fighting the good fight and not give up. Reach for the word of God, trust in the Lord, choose joy, find things to be thankful for and send up prayers. Fight through the darkness to reach the Light, our Savior Jesus Christ, who promises to always strengthen us and lift us up with His victorious right hand. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

We all face fears throughout our lives and it is okay to have fears. There are many examples of spiritual giants in the bible who faced fears and courageously walked through them. Today, we are going to glean wisdom from the example of Esther. Esther was an orphaned Jew living in Persia being raised by her cousin, Mordecai. Growing up, she could have never imagined that she would one day be queen and save her people, the Jews, from annihilation. But this did not come without facing several fears. The most pivotal fear she faced occurs when Haman, the highest official under the king, issued a decree to destroy the Jews. Upon learning of Haman’s orders, Mordecai urges Esther to beg the king for mercy and plead for her people. Esther replies with her fear of approaching the king without being summoned because that meant certain death unless the king extended his scepter to spare her life. Esther had a choice: risk her life by approaching the king or place it safe. Mordecai warned her that if she didn’t make the choice to step up, deliverance for the Jews would come from another place, but her and her family would perish. What did Esther do? With the looming annihilation facing their people, Esther knew she had to step out in faith. She had to step out from hiding her Jewish heritage and step out from being fearful. But before facing her fear and moving foward to approach the king, Esther turned to God and leaned on Him for guidance, strength and wisdom during 3 days of fasting. Turning to God with full confidence in his promises is the KEY to facing our fears. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." That is exactly what Esther did. She was afraid, but with faith in the promises of God, she walked forward into the unknown. Because of her faith in God, she had courage to walk through the door in front of her. We all have fears we face, but faith provides us with the courage to work through it. We can draw encouragement and confidence from ‭the Lord’s words in Isaiah 41:10. Here, He tells us, "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." We ARE going to face fears as we journey through this life, and WHEN we do, we can remember Esther's example and turn to God BEFORE we take on that fear...THEN we can walk courageously through that fear because we have faith in the One who promises to never fail us. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

We read in ‭Hebrews 4:12, "the word of God is alive and active. ‭Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Here, Apostle Paul teaches us that the Word is not dead, it's not old, it's not irrelevant. It is alive. It is active. It penetrates us. It judges our thoughts and attitudes. It is moving in our lives, it is actively working in our lives and it is actively speaking to us. How can the Word be alive and active in such a way? It is thousands of years old. How can it still be relevant and active in our lives today? John 1 reveals how. We read in verses 1-3, ‭"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." ‭and we continue in verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus IS the Word. Jesus is not dead. Jesus is resurrected and he is alive. Jesus, the word, is alive and active which is why scripture tells us that the written word is alive and active!! The Word IS Jesus. We read in ‭Revelation 19:13, "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." The Greek translation of "word", which we have read in Hebrews 4, John 1 and Revelation 19, is "logos" which means "the Divine word". Isn't it amazing to know that within the written words of the bible is the power of Jesus? The life of Jesus? The light of Jesus? Jesus is in every jot and tittle of word from Genesis to Revelation. He was there in the beginning. It brings a whole new perspective to David's words in ‭Psalms 119:105, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Jesus, the light of the world, is THE LIGHT on our path. So when we need encouragement, guidance, wisdom, comfort, peace and truth, we need to run to the Word...and when we run to the Word, we are also running to Jesus. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Two months after the Israelites escaped Egypt, they began to grumble against Moses and Aaron. We read in Exodus 16:3, "The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.'" Here, the Israelites were free from the oppression of Egypt and they were traveling through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, to a land flowing with milk and honey where they would be free to worship God and live in freedom. Yet, they were dissatisfied and already ungrateful for the path to freedom God opened up for them. In spite of this, "the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you." This wouldn't be the last time the Israelites complained. Two years later, they began to complain again. This time they complained about the manna which God provided them as their daily sustenance. ‭ ‭We read in Numbers 11:4-6, "The rabble (disorderly crowd) with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, 'If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"" Even after all that they had suffered under the hand of Pharaoh, they preferred to return to endless hardship so they could have their immediate heart's desire. We all have spent time in the desert where life is challenging and circumstances are difficult. During those times, we may find ourselves looking back to former days when we had a bigger bank account, or a nicer house, or a better job, or a particular relationship, or better health, or the vigor of youth. We may miss those days and find ourselves desiring those days, because we believe that if we were back in those situations, we would be more happy and satisfied with our life today. That's exactly how the Israelites felt. But they forgot the difficult circumstances they had under Pharaoh. We also tend to forget the whole picture when we look back, longing for the past. We were probably dissatisfied with some area in our life then, just as we are now. How do we avoid falling into that trap of longing for the former days? Let us read the words of Apostle Paul in ‭Philippians 4:11-13, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength." Even though Paul had been stoned, flogged, jailed, insulted and was an old man by this time, he focused on being content and relied on Christ for strength to persevere. That ability to have contentment in any situation is only possible if we are thankful for the present day. Paul teaches in ‭1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." We can be rejoiceful and thankful, because no matter our circumstances, God has our best interests at heart as we read in Romans 8:28, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Knowing that God is beside us and will work everything out, we can be thankful that we're not alone and lost in our circumstances. The Israelites were not only ungrateful in the present, but they also lost sight of the prosperous future which God had waiting for them. They lost sight of the Promised Land. God has a Promised future for us in His Kingdom where we will live with him in eternity where there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more struggle, no more oppression, no more death. Apostle Paul wrote about looking forward to this promise in Philippians 3:13​-14, “one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” When we are focused on the future, we cannot be desiring the past. Consider why the windshield of a car is so big, yet the rear view mirror is so small. Our focus needs to be in front of us, not looking behind us. Lastly, we need to remember our purpose while we are traveling through our individual deserts as Paul shared in ‭Acts 20:24, "I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." We can take our challenges in life and use them towards the glory of God as we lean on Him and are victorious in Him no matter our situation. As we do so, we can share our testimonies, share the reason why we can possess joy in any circumstance and the reason behind our faith of a bright future. Let us look at the stark difference between the Israelites in the wilderness and those of unwavering faith whom Paul wrote about in Hebrews 11:13-16 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." As we make our way through the wilderness of life towards the city God has prepared for us, let us remember to be content and grateful for the manna God provides in our current circumstances, let us keep our eyes focused on the future Promised Land and let us remember our purpose to testify the good news. When we do, we will no longer be looking in the rear view mirror of life. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:41, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." We may have read this scripture many times, but if we look into the historical context in which Jesus was speaking, it opens up a deeper understanding. In the days of Jesus, the Romans had already conquered the vast majority of the Mediterranean world and would establish more than 50,000 miles of Roman roads. The main objective of these roads was to unite their conquered territories. As this infrastructure was primarily developed for their military movement, there was a Roman law established that enabled any Roman soldier to order a civilian to stop what they were doing and carry the soldier’s load for one Roman mile. Once the civilian reached the one mile mark, they would set the pack down and be done with it. They had completed what was required by law. Now that we have the historical context, let us read Matthew 5:41 again. "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." With our expanded understanding, how can we apply this teaching by Jesus into our own lives? Solomon teaches us in Proverbs 25:21-22, "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you." Imagine the surprise of an adversary, or a stranger, a neighbor, or any acquaintance, when you give the unexpected just like a civilian offering to go a second Roman mile. It stops the person in their tracks, it causes them to do a double take...they take notice of you. This offers an opportunity to be a witness for Christ. By shining that light, by using that opportunity to share the love, peace and truth of Jesus, we open the door to Christ for that individual. The first mile is obligatory or expected, but the extra mile is where our light shines... where the doors of opportunity open, where we can make a greater impact, where we can make a bigger difference or leave an impression as a representative of Jesus. Even Jesus walked the second mile. He didn't just come in the flesh to teach, to heal, to gain disciples and be an example, but he walked the second mile, carrying our baggage of sin to the cross and died for us. ‭Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:6-8, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." We have endless opportunities to go that second mile daily... to do more than is required or expected. We can apply this principle from Jesus with everyone with whom we come into contact by offering a cheerful smile an a heartfelt interest in their well-being. We can apply it to how we maintain our home which is God’s gift to us. We can apply it with an employer, a co-worker, or a customer. We can apply it with a cashier, a waitress, or a receptionist. We can apply it with those who have suffered a loss by continuing to check in on them on a regular basis long after everyone else has moved on. The second mile is where our actions, words, efforts and presence makes the difference and can make the greatest impact on someone else. So let us always strive past the expected first mile and shine our light and glorify God as we go the unexpected second mile. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Isaiah 40:31 is full of hope and assurance. In fact it begins with hope. "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The Hebrew word here is "Qavah" which means “to wait, look for, hope, expect”. What are waiting for, hoping for, expecting? In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord tells us "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Here, he tells us he has good plans for us. To give us a future and a hope. Apostle Paul tells us about this future and hope in Romans 8:22-25, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Because of this hope, we can rest. We can rest in the promises of God, that we are his children and that our future is guaranteed through possession of the Holy Spirit as we read in ‭Ephesians 1:3-5 and 13-14 v 3-5, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will... v 13-14, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." With our hope and expectation anchored solely in these promises of the Lord, our strength is renewed, we can soar on wings like eagles, we can run and not grow weary and we can walk and not be faint. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Are you in a season of waiting for God to fulfill a need, answer a request or provide you with direction or an open door? We all have experienced these seasons and sometimes it can feel like there is silence or no action taking place by God as we wait for a response. However, He is always diligently working and caring for our welfare while we are waiting. David assures us of this in ‭Psalms‬ ‭121:3‭-‬4, "...he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." And in verse 8, David tells us, "the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." We are never deserted in our seasons of waiting. We may not see anything happening in the immediate world around us, but behind the scenes, God is orchestrating events, people and circumstances to bring about His plan for each one of us and working everything out to our benefit, needs and requests. So what can we do while we wait? First and foremost, we need to remember what God has done for us in the past. And remember past answered prayers. It is reassuring and encouraging to look at God's fulfilled promises...even for others like Abraham, Moses, Hannah, Esther, Daniel, and so many others. He never abandoned them nor did he fail on his promises to them. And He will not abandon us either. Along those same lines, we need to focus on what He has already blessed us with and not on what we are waiting for. We need to turn the focus around and give Him thanks and praise. When David was becoming discouraged in his waiting, he changed his course of thought and gave God praise as we read in Psalms‬ ‭42:11‬, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Next, we need to put daily effort into not being anxious or fearful during our waiting. As human beings, this is always a challenge to overcome. We have to remember that we have no control anyway, but thankfully God does and it's in His all-knowing, all-powerful hands instead of our fallible hands. God will not fail us and He always holds us in His loving hands. Jesus reminds us in ‭Luke‬ ‭12:6‭-‬7‬, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." We also need to remember to have patience during a season of waiting. God is the master of timing and has a perfect track record. We, on the other hand, can't see the whole picture and we tend to be hasty with our idea of a solution and when it should happen. The Lord reminds us in ‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:9‬, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." And in verse 12, the Lord guarantees us that HIS way always has a positive outcome.. "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace." Our loving Father hears every prayer. We just need to wait patiently as David shares in ‭Psalms‬ ‭40:1‬, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Lastly, our time of waiting can be turned into a fruitful time as we use it to draw close to God...to lean on him for strength, patience, and encouragement. We can do this by setting time aside each day to be with God in prayer, in bible study, or in worship and praise. By doing so, our faith is strengthened, our patience is increased, our focus is clearer, and our mindset is more positive. Then we can be at peace knowing that God is always diligently working and caring for our welfare during our season of waiting. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

In the book of Genesis, we witness the fascinating life of Jacob. His journey in life was full of twists and turns, drama and excitement... all of which are necessary for a really good suspense movie! However, no part of Jacob's life was a surprise to God as He already knew him full well in his mother's womb... just like He does with all of us, as we read in Psalms 139. This is why God chose him, from the womb, to be the father of the 12 Tribes because he knew Jacob had the inherent tenacity to fulfill his calling and purpose. While still in the womb, the Lord told his mother, Rebekah in ‭Genesis‬ ‭25:23‬, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” According to tradition, the firstborn received the blessings and inheritance, however God appointed that the second born, Jacob, would receive the rights of the firstborn. God had plans for tenacious Jacob. We witness the determination of Jacob throughout his life, starting before he was even born, • he wrestled with Esau in the womb, • he grasped his brother's heel as they were being born, • he obtained the birthright from his less committed brother Esau, • he pursued the blessing of the firstborn from his father Isaac, • he pursued Rachel as his wife even after being tricked into marrying her sister Leah, • and at a pivotal point, he wrestled with the Lord and demanded to be blessed. When the Lord blessed him, he also changed Jacob's name to Israel because he EARNED it. He EARNED the meaning of the name Israel because he struggled with God and with man and had OVERCOME as the Lord told him in Genesis 32:28. Jacob overcame all of the struggles in his life because he was determined to see his inheritance through. He knew what God had promised him and he clung to it and fought for it with commitment and faith. And because of his determination, the descendants of his 12 sons became the nation of Israel and the line of Judah brought us Jesus Christ, our Savior. God desires us to have that same determination, persistence and boldness to pursue our inheritance we have waiting for us in His Kingdom. In Hebrews 11, Apostle Paul shares with us the faith of those who went before us, including Jacob, who knew what God promised and endured challenges to win the race. Paul tells us in Hebrews 12: 1-2, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." In ‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:12‬, Paul encourages us to.. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..." God desires that we fight the good fight and hold on tight and NOT shrink back. As Paul tells us in ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬, "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." God doesn't want his children to be passive about our calling, our purpose or our inheritance. He tells us to come boldly to His throne. Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Hebrews 4:14-16 to hold firmly to what we believe AND to come boldly to the throne of our glorious God. So let us follow the example of Jacob's determination. Let us wrestle, grasp, pursue, demand, and fix our eyes on our inheritance of eternal life with our Lord Jesus. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

Most of us have had those sleepless nights with endless thoughts running through our head. Or maybe we are consumed with distracting thoughts as we go about our day. How many times do we find those thoughts to be exhausting, defeating or fruitless? How do we overcome and quiet those thoughts which seem to overtake us? Jesus shows us how in ‭Mark‬ ‭4. Here, Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and starting in verse 37, we read, "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." When we are drowning in waves of despair, worry, uncertainty, grief, sadness, fear, doubt, anger, addiction, sin or any other unproductive thought, Jesus has given us the power to command "Peace! Be still!". In the original Greek, this phrase is translated as "Quiet! Muzzle it!" Jesus has given us authority and power through the Holy Spirit to declare that same command upon any fruitless, distracting thought consuming our minds. Isn't that powerful?! Jesus tells us in ‭Luke‬ ‭10:19‬, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." And we really are overcoming the enemy when we are trampling any fruitless thought. As we read in ‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬, our struggle is against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This is why God has provided us with His armor and tells us to put it on so we can stand firm and Paul tells us in Ephesians‬ ‭6:16‬, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." The enemy strives to do whatever he can to distract us from the peace, hope, truth and joy that God has for us. The enemy believes that if he can distract us enough, then we will forget God's promises and the fulfillment which only God can provide... thus causing us to turn to worldly sources of temporary relief and sometimes resulting in harmful consequences. Apostle Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3‭-‬5‬, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it OBEDIENT to Christ." Not only can we declare our authority over fruitless thoughts, but we can squeeze them out by flooding our minds with the word of God. We can do this by repeating a scripture to ourselves or reading His word or singing a worship song filled with His truth. And when we do so, we need to be laser-focused, not allowing any other distracting thought to enter in. By flooding our thoughts with the word of God, we are planting seeds of hope, faith, peace, and joy. And this leaves no room for fruitless thoughts. It is vital that we leave no room for those weeds nor allow the consuming cares of this world to overcome us. Jesus tells us why in his parable of the sower in Mark 4:19 where he tells us that "the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." So let us take up the authority and power given us, command those fruitless thoughts to be quiet and flood our minds with the truth and promises of God's word... and by doing so, we WILL take EVERY thought CAPTIVE and OBEDIENT to Christ. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

‭Apostle Paul teaches us in Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." He continues on in verses 13-17 to describe the armor of God which we are to put on so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. One element of this armor is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". The Holy Spirit, that is within us, enables us and guides us to use the word of God in our spiritual battles. Jesus used the word in his battles throughout his ministry...in confrontations, debates and accusations against him. In Matthew 4:1-11, we read about his greatest battle. Here, Jesus is being challenged in the wilderness by Satan who attempted to coerce him. However, Jesus rebutted and knocked down every attempt by Satan with God’s word. Jesus gave us his example of victoriously using the word as a weapon to stand against and overcome the devil’s schemes. What are additional ways that we can implement the word as a weapon in our spiritual battles? We can declare the word in our battles. Just as Jesus used the word against Satan, we can declare it against sickness, threats, darkness, depression, discouragement and any other evil that we battle. How do we do that? We open the bible and read the truth and declare it...such as: ‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" And ‭Psalms‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭ "You, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high." And ‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." If we don't know where to go in the bible, we can use a concordance or a topical bible that lists hundreds of topics...each followed by supporting scriptures. As we seek God’s word, we can pray and ask for guidance to the passages that fit our need... and the Holy Spirit will lead us. The next way to implement the word in battle is to be grounded in it. The word has the power to strengthen and empower us for battle as we stand firm on its foundation. And when we do so, we cannot be moved by circumstances or battles. Jesus teaches us in ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24‭-‬25‬, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Lastly, the word provides strategy to support us in our spiritual battles. This strategy comes through the wisdom and knowledge we glean from God's Word. King Solomon shares in ‭Proverbs‬ ‭24:14‬, "Wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short." And he shares more insight in ‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:24‬, "Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth." Without the wisdom and knowledge found in the word, we would become like those who are of the world, wandering aimlessly with no strategy or hope to win spiritual battles. The “word of God” is a multifaceted weapon which is why it is the sword of the Spirit. It has the power to knock down every lie, every evil scheme, every fear, and every dark principality as we declare its truth. It has power to strengthen and empower as we stand firm on its foundation. And it has the power to help us develop strategies to overcome our spiritual battles as we seek the wisdom and knowledge it provides. So let us take up the sword of the Spirit and implement the word of God by declaring its truth, standing firm in it and always seeking its wisdom and knowledge. When we do so, we will be able to stand our ground and be victorious in Jesus Christ. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

In the pursuit of bible study, there are a plethora of resources available... there are commentaries, books written by pastors or other inspired leaders, bible study groups, bible courses, sermons, videos, devotionals and more. All of these are definitely useful and inspiring towards growing in knowledge of the bible...but whether a person is just starting to get to know the bible or they are a seasoned student of the bible, the number of resources can become overwhelming and even distracting. Have you considered stripping everything else away and just sitting with God's word in your hands? Those man-made resources are great, but we need to make sure that we don't lean on them so strongly that we are no longer leaving room for the Lord to teach us HIS word which HE wrote and inspired. We read this truth in ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‭-‬17‬, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The bible is THE root source of our learning. God provides His word to equip us. It is our personal users manual for our life. And since it is GOD’S ’s word, it is a complete and perfect teaching...lacking nothing. Secondly, we also need to leave room, or opportunity, for the Spirit to lead us, guide us, and teach us as we read God's word. We read about this power of the Holy Spirit in I John 2:27, "You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true." As we read passages in the bible, we may feel that we don't quite understand what is being communicated in the word, but we need to have patience as the Holy Spirit will reveal a greater understanding as we grow spiritually. The next time ww read a particular passage that we have read dozens of times, we may have an "aha" moment and see something completely new. It is amazing how the Spirit works and how the scripture really is alive and active as Apostle Paul tells us in ‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬. Our Heavenly Father has definitely inspired many supplemental resources of learning which are supported by His infallible word. And there is nothing wrong with utilizing those resources or joining a bible study group or listening to inspired speakers. But let us take time EACH DAY to turn off the noise of all the outside resources and sit with our great teacher as we read His word and open ourselves to being led by the Holy Spirit. The Lord tells us in ‭Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." As we follow His lead, we will discover more, develop a closer connection to the Holy Spirit and grow closer to our Heavenly Father and the Word who was with God from the beginning before creation, our Savior, Jesus Christ. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

In Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus shares the signs of the End Times and warns to "Watch out that no one deceives you." In the midst of the darkness that is enveloping this world, this is a warning we need to heed. Jesus tells us in ‭Mark‬ ‭13:22‭-‬23‬, "false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!" Jesus teaches us how to recognize those who are false teachers in ‭Matthew‬ ‭7:15‭-‬20, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." Apostle Paul also dealt with false teachers attempting to deceive God's people as we see in Galatians‬ ‭1:6‭-‬7, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." How do we guard ourselves from being deceived, swayed or thrown into confusion? First, we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind as Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37. We do this by placing the Lord first in our lives, glorifying Him and giving Him thanks for everything... giving him the credit for all that we are and all that we have and all that we will become. King David, a man after God's own heart, placed the Lord first and gave Him all the glory. Let us read David's words in ‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭29:11‭-‬13‬, "Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." What a wonderful example of giving all honor, glory and thanks to our Lord! Second, we must retain the knowledge of God by reading His word daily. By keeping His truth in the forefront of our mind, we are able to recognize false teachings and differentiate between the good and the evil and between truth and lies. Apostle Paul teaches in ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‬, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." And Jesus tells us in ‭‭John‬ ‭8:31‭-32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Through the knowledge of His word, we can recognize what is against God, what is contrary to His word, what is not of God, what is truth and what is a lie. Lastly, we must always seek God's guidance through prayer. In ‭Matthew‬ ‭7:7‭, Jesus tells us: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." We need to pause daily, turn off the noise of this world and sit with God. He promises to teach us and reveal his truth to us through His word. But we have to ask through our prayers for that wisdom and knowledge. When we do, the Holy Spirit will guide us through the Scriptures and lead us to what we seek. Jesus tells us about this guidance from the Holy Spirit in John‬ ‭14:26‬, "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." What a wonderful gift that Jesus left us after he ascended into heaven! He provided us with a built-in teacher who is with us at all times. In 1 John‬ ‭2, Apostle John warns about the end times and the anti-christ and urges the people to remain faithful to what they have been taught. He continues in verses 26-27, "I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie." So let us heed the advice of Jesus who warns us to watch out, to be on guard that no one deceives us. Let us not give any opportunity to deception and lies. We can keep that door of falsehood closed by loving God and putting Him first in our lives, remaining in the word to keep it in the forefront of our minds and praying for wisdom, knowledge and guidance through the Holy Spirit daily. If we remain diligent in this way, we will not be deceived. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

In Luke 18:1-8, we read about the parable of the persistent widow who repeatedly approached the judge for justice. He attempted to put her off each time she came to him with her plea, but he finally gave into her persistence and ensured that she received her request. In verse 7, Jesus tells us, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?" We must continue to give God our requests repeatedly while still having confidence that He hears us. We may not get the answer we expected or in the time frame we desired, but we need to remember that His ways are higher than ours and His understanding is beyond our comprehension. Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. And he continues with a promise in verse 12, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." We can be confident that God has our best interests at heart and no matter how things look to us, God knows what is best and already knows the end from the beginning. And we know at the end of ALL things, we will overcome and we will be with him. That's a guarantee! Just as He told the Israelites, He promises these very same words to us that we find in ‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‭-‬12 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ...you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Sometimes, we don't know what to pray or even how to express ourselves in prayer. But Jesus left us with a helper, the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8:26, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." So even when we are lost for words, the Holy Spirit will fill in the blanks as we approach the throne of God with our needs. We just need to take that step to approach God as He often works in response to our prayers. James says ‘you do not have because you do not ask’ (4:2) And we read in John 16:23 " …Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." While God is always fully aware of our needs, He desires us to come to Him as his children, to seek him out, to look to him for our rescue and give up trying to do it all on our own. As Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” As we turn to our Heavenly Father with our needs and requests, – Let us remember the persistent widow and repeatedly bring our needs to our Heavenly Father. – Let us remember that we don't have to know the right words to say. We can approach Him with the simple words, "please help me" and the Holy Spirit will intercede with the rest of the words we can't find. – And finally, let us remember that He has our best interests at heart. Our prayers may be answered in unexpected ways and within an unexpected time-frame, but they will be answered and the answers will be exactly what we need. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

John, as a baby in the womb of Elizabeth, leaped at the presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary. As we read in Luke‬ ‭1:41‭-‬44‬, "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby LEAPED in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb LEAPED FOR JOY." David also leaped with joy for Jesus. He shares this in Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart LEAPS FOR JOY, and with my song I praise him." Do we leap for joy at the presence of Jesus in our lives? He is with us everyday through everything, through the good and bad. We are reassured of this in Joshua 1:9 "the Lord is with you wherever you go". Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20 "surely I am with you always" and in Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Knowing this, we can leap for joy. He is ever present. His compassion never fail. His mercies are new every morning. He is our helper. He holds our hand. He is the source of all true joy. So in the craziness of life, we need to remember to slow down, recognize his presence, recognize the blessings he has provided and soak ourselves in his loving presence. And when we do, we can leap for joy that we are never alone. We are never abandoned. He is beside us through thick and thin. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

The conception and birth of Jesus is a miraculous gift in itself, but did you realize how many chess pieces God put in place in order for this blessed event to occur? First, let us look at the miracle of the Israelites. Their existence begins with God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in heaven as we read in Genesis 22:17. The seed of that promise was planted with the miraculous pregnancy of Sarah who was late in her years. After the birth of Isaac, then his son Jacob, the 12 Tribes of Israel came to be and that brings us to the miraculous life of Joseph. God brought him into a position of leadership to save his family from a famine. That family of 70 people flourished in Egypt and multiplied into the millions even while in slavery...which was actually a blessing because it prevented the Israelites from being assimilated into the pagan cultures in the surrounding nations. Thus, they remained a tight knit, faithful community. The miraculous existence of the Israelites continue with the life of Moses who was saved as an infant from sure death and, as an adult, followed God's lead to bring the Israelites out of slavery towards the Promised Land. After the Tribes of Israel settled in the Promised Land, we see the next set of miracles as the genealogy of Jesus develops. God allowed a famine to occur in Bethlehem in Judah. This led Naomi, her husband and 2 sons, all who were Israelites, to go live in Moab where her sons married Moabite, Gentile women. Upon losing her husband and 2 sons, Naomi returns to Bethlehem after the famine ended. This leads us to her daughter-in-law Ruth who remains at her side and later marries Boaz, a relative of Naomi. As a result of this union of Boaz, an Israelite, and Ruth, a Gentile, they give birth to Obed, the father of Jesse, who then is the father of the future King David. And from David's lineage, comes our Savior, Jesus as we read in ‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‭-‬7‬, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." The zeal of the Lord Almighty did, indeed, accomplish this. The miracles I shared today are only a few of the many which lead to the miraculous birth of Jesus. In addition, Ruth was only 1 of the 4 Gentile women who are in the genealogy of Jesus. The miracle of Jesus's genealogy is a wonderful gift to all mankind. Why is this such a grand miracle? Because through his mixed genealogy, Jesus is not only a Savior to one specific people. He is the Savior for all people, Jews and Gentiles, as is evident from his lineage. As a result, we are spiritually grafted together as we read fully in Romans 11 which ends in the perfect praise to our Father who has perfectly planned everything, even before creation. ‭Romans‬ ‭11:33‬, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." So when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember all of the miracles which our Heavenly Father set up which brought about the miraculous little baby in the manger, a gift for ALL mankind. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John‬ ‭3:16‬) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com

What is Hanukkah about? Beginning in 168 bc, during the period between the old and new Testaments, the Greeks, led by the evil King Antiochus, were hellenizing the empire including the Jewish culture. They forbade the Jews from worshipping the one true God, observing the Sabbath along with any Jewish Feasts and rituals. And they forbade the possession of the Torah, which consists of the first 5 books of the bible. The Greeks also desecrated the temple with pig blood and broth, erected a statue of the pagan Zeus and made an abomination by sacrificing a pig. The majority of the Jewish population fell in line with the Greeks by assimilating into the hellenistic culture. A Jewish priest even allowed the Greeks into the temple to desecrate it! But there was one small group of Jews who stood their ground, led by Mattathias Maccabee and his sons. They struggled against the Greeks and the Jews who fell away into the Hellenistic culture. The Maccabees were greatly outnumbered in their battle, but Mattathias' son, Judas Maccabee, was gifted with great wisdom in battle strategy and they defeated the Greeks. Upon their victory, they returned to the temple in Jerusalem to find it a shambles and unclean for worship. They cleansed the temple, removed the profanity of Zeus and rededicated it to God. One of God's requirements for the temple was to keep the menorah lit at all times. However, they could only find one flask of oil that was suitable. That one flask would only keep the menorah lit for one day, but miraculously, it kept the menorah lit for 8 full days. Thus, they instituted Hanukkah as a celebration to commemorate this miracle. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication. We read in John 10:22 that Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah. It was fitting for him to do so as a Jew. As Christians, what can we glean from the origins of Hanukkah? First, we must guard ourselves from compromising and being assimilated into the upside down culture of this world where it calls evil good and good evil. To guard ourselves, we need to hold tight to the truth of God's word and remember that we are God's temple as we read in ‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16‬, "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?" As God's temple we must guard ourselves from being desecrated by consistently examining ourselves in relation to God's word and remove from our lives any habit, activity, thought, or lifestyle that is not within the will of God. It is a lifelong process in which we rededicate ourselves to the ways and will of God. Apostle Paul teaches in ‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." The next point we can glean from Hanukkah is to fight wth faith like the Maccabees even when we're outnumbered. We must put on the whole armor of God and fight the good fight of faith and always be on guard because the spirit of the anti-christ is permeating this world just as the evil King Antiochus permeated the world of the Jews. We read in ‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:11‭-‬12‬, "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." Let us be warriors for the Lord. We ARE his foot soldiers on earth. And Apostle Paul shares more wisdom in ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:3‭-‬4‬, "Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs (or the ways of this world), but rather tries to please his commanding officer (Jesus Christ)." Next, just as we learned that the menorah was to always remain lit in the temple, we must always keep the light of the Spirit lit within us. ‭Apostle Paul teaches in Galatians‬ ‭5:25‬ and 16, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." ‭"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." ‭And Paul reminds us in Ephesians‬ ‭4:30‭-‬32‬, "do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." As we keep that holy light lit within us, we must also let it shine for others to see. Jesus teaches in ‭Matthew‬ ‭5:14‭-‬16‬, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." One last take away from Hanukkah is that the Hanukkah Menorah, known as the Hanukiah, has a 9th candle called the shamash which means "servant, helper, or minister". This servant candle is set higher on the Hanukiah and is used to light the other 8 candles. This candle symbolizes Christ who is the "Light of the world" and lights each one of us through the Holy Spirit. This has significant meaning to not only Christians, but also to Messianic Jews who believe in Jesus. Hanukkah is full of spiritual richness and is relevant holiday for our lives today as we draw closer to end times. It is a foreshadow of what is yet to come picturing the battle we do face and have yet to face, the anti-christ, the desecration of the temple and the desolation of abomination. Hanukkah also reminds us that no matter how dark this world becomes, Christ is the light in us and he has overcome the darkness as we read in ‭John‬ ‭1:4‭-‬5‬, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." So let us be encouraged and emboldened in the power of the Holy Spirit as we reflect on the lessons of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. Our Savior has overcome the darkness by his great, unquenchable light. And He has given us this same powerful light through the Holy Spirit. So with that Spirit, let us go forth and fight the good fight of faith...for he has already guaranteed our victory.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why does he allow suffering, tragedy, disease, evil? Adam and Eve fell in the garden. They chose the tree of knowledge of good and evil to pursue their own knowledge and wisdom rather than God's. This allowed Satan to rule over this earth bringing evil, disease, darkness which mankind has had to battle ever since. But God has not abandoned us or this world to the evil darkness of Satan. We read in John‬ ‭3:16‭-‬17‬ that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." And through Jesus, God has given us everything we need to overcome and be victorious. As we read in ‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:3‬-4, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ‭Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." In addition, Jesus tells us in ‭John‬ ‭14:16‭-‬18 that he would not leave us as orphans, but that he would "ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth…(and) you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." Not only does God provide what we need to overcome the bad things in this life, but he also promises to always support us and to never leave us as we read in ‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬, "do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." As we experience struggles in this life, let us remember that Jesus suffered sadness, disappointment and pain...he was ridiculed, judged, mocked, flogged, and crucified. He didn't escape suffering. We are no better deserving than Christ. Why should we have an easy, trouble-free life? The good news is that Christ has overcome the darkness. He tells us in John‬ ‭16:33‬, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Because Jesus has overcome the world, there is a time is coming when there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more death. Jesus will reign on earth and that old serpent will be banished for all eternity along with all the current suffering, tragedy, disease and evil. And access to the tree of life will be restored. Let us finish with the promises found in Revelation‬ ‭22 (verses 1‭-‬6) "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” ‭(verse 20‬) "(Our Lord) who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ AMEN. COME. LORD JESUS.” xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com