We remain on the mountainside as Jesus teaches His disciples and the crowd. Teachings within this chapter include not judging others, prayer, the golden rule, the narrow gate, the tree and its fruit, true disciples and building on a solid foundation. Let’s get into these.

Verse one instructs us not to judge others. It informs us that if we choose to judge others, God will judge us in the same way that we judge them. I know you’ve heard the old song, “Sweep around your own front door before you try to come and sweep around mine”. That’s basically what verses three through five are saying. How can you judge someone when you yourself have your own faults and issues that need your attention?

Verses seven and eight encourages believers to keep pursing God. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Keep on because those who keep on eventually receive, find, and encounter open doors. We all know the golden rule as we were taught it as children. Jesus did not instruct us to treat people how they treat us. He did not instruct us to treat people how we feel they deserve to be treated. He instructed us to treat others how we desire to be treated (verse 12). And that, my friend, takes the Holy Spirit and His transformative power working within us.

The “road to Heaven” is narrow and difficult; So much so that few people ever find it (verses 13 and 14). These verses are referring to our journey of faith with God. It is not one of popularity or selfishness. Instead, it can is uncommon, lonely, and selfless. We forsake ourselves to be transformed into His image so that we are effective in serving the people within His Kingdom. This journey calls for people that are truly dedicated to God not for the gifts and blessings, but for the betterment of others as well as oneself. It takes us surrendering our wills to God and taking up His will. True disciples do the will of God and are the only ones who will enter into Heaven as declared in verse 21. We must not only know the Word of God; we must also obey the Word of God. This ensures that when the rain comes and the winds blow, we will remain steadfast and unmovable because our foundations will be on solid rock, God.

I went out of order to a certain extent in this reflection, but some of these teaching tied into each other. The last reflective point in this chapter is the tree and its fruit. In verse 15, Jesus teaches us to beware of false prophets that are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. He tells us that we will be able to distinguish them by the way they act. If someone has a relationship with and serves God, they should manifest it via their lifestyles not just their words. I can’t say that I have a relationship with and serve God, but I live any kind of way, do not display His love, cannot be unified, etc. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

I am currently attending Dr. William Knox’s “The Gathering of the Remnant” in Wrens, GA. This is a kingdom movement for those who are still remaining in God, seeking God, desiring more of God, standing for God despite circumstances, etc. Lastnight, the program was titled, “The Altar Experience”. Friend, I will be honest. When I was told this program was from 9pm to 3am, I was feeling some type of way. I remembered attending “shut ins” with my mother as a child/teen, but of course, I would go to sleep during the service. So I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect or if I would be able to stay awake. Friendddddd, I stayed awake! God poured His glory out on us in that place all night long! There were powerhouses on the program that poured into us, prayed over us, spoke life into us, corrected us, delivered words from God, etc. The experience was definitely life-changing for me. I prayed, worshipped, cried, praised, released the old, spent some time on the floor, ascended to new dimensions. I will never be the same!!

Can I be transparent with you? I hadn’t completely released all of me to God. I was afraid to; I was treating Him how I treat people. You know how we do. Our trust issues from past experiences make us evaluate people for a length of time before we become vulnerable, and we seldomly reach the point of being completely vulnerable. Or is that just me? I was afraid that if I gave all of myself to Him, He would leave me hanging like such and such did. I was afraid that if I gave all of myself to Him, I wouldn’t have anything left for myself. But do you know that God requires all of us? Do you know that God can’t be God until we allow Him to be? He was not going to force me to give all of myself to Him. It had to be my decision. So I made the decision during The Altar Experience to give Him all of me.

In my past, I attempted to use people, substances, and material possessions to fill a void that I felt within my heart. Prior to recommitting my life back to God, I realized that and decided to allow the only One that can fill that void to fill it. But until lastnight, I had only given up what I desired to give up. There have been times when God striped things and people from my hands leaving me no choice but to give them up. But lastnight, that shifted. I released everyone and everything at that altar. I am His! Totally and completely His. When I say that I mean I will no longer hold back parts of myself knowing that only God can heal me, transform me, empower me, love me, care for me, see me! I will no longer allow my thought processes or feelings to impact my submission and surrender to Him. Whatever He desires to do, I am here for it without complaints, overthinking, or a lack of faith/trust.

Friend, only God can do what you are desiring. People cannot. Substances cannot. Material possessions cannot. He is a healer, way maker, provider, redeemer, savior, shelter, hiding place. He is joy, peace, love, wisdom, knowledge. He has your best interest at heart. He knows you better than you know yourself. This is a call to you to submit to God and surrender to His will completely, withholding nothing!

In chapter six, Jesus continues to teach the disciples as well as the crowd that has gathered around them. The teachings within this chapter include giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, and money/possessions. Jesus teaches us to do our good deeds in private instead of in public as a means of showing off. Unfortunately, we are a part of a social media crazed generation that loves attention, accolades, acknowledgments, platforms, and credit for their deeds. You see people daily with their phone up to a homeless person’s face while giving them money or food. What is the reward in that? Is a few likes and a pat on the back worth displaying someone’s most vulnerable condition? God is not pleased with those types of antics although they portray the purpose of “helping someone”. God is also not please with the people who desire those same praises for the work that they do “for Him”. Jesus clearly tells us in verse four to give our gifts in private as God sees everything, and He will give the reward for our good deeds. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take God’s reward over man’s reward every single time.

Jesus continues to teach telling the people to pray and fast privately as well. Do you get the picture yet? Performances for men are not pleasing to God. Now this does not mean that you are not supposed to pray in public. If you are asked to pray for someone, during a service, etc., please do so. This verse is referring to praying in public with the wrong heart posture and impure motives (i.e. to sound intelligent, gain attention, as a showcase). The same applies to fasting. Unless you have asked someone to join you in fasting, it should be a private moment. If you are fasting, it would not be wise to go sit in the break room with everyone else knowing that they are going to ask you why you aren’t eating. Making social media posts about your fast is not wise either. Commit to being more private.

In verses 14 and 15, Jesus teaches regarding forgiveness. We must forgive to be forgiven; and if we refuse to forgive someone, God will refuse to forgive us. That is self explanatory so allow it to sink in. Those verses also tie into chapter five where Jesus tells us to leave our sacrifice at the altar and go settle our oughts. Forgiveness is essential when walking with God.

The last teachings of this chapter addresses money and possessions. We all want more money and more materialistic possessions. But why don’t we want the One who is able to give us anything we can think of or ask for? Why don’t we want more of God? The One who knows our needs before we even ask. The One who cares for us. All of the materialistic things are temporal. When you die, someone else will enjoy your money and possessions. Why would someone desire to gain wealth and possessions but die and go to hell? Friend, store your treasures up in heaven to ensure when you take your last breath, you will receive the greatest reward… eternal life. Instead of our thoughts being consumed by our needs and desires, God desires for us to have faith in Him that He will provide for us. As believers, we should not worry about things. Verse 33 is one of my favorite verses. If we seek God and His Kingdom above everything and everyone else and live righteously, God will give us everything we need. So I encourage you to focus on Him, my friend. He will take care of you.

This chapter opens up revealing that Jesus had went up the mountainside. His disciples were gathered around Him as well as the crowds of people. Jesus began to teach what we know as The Sermon on the Mount. This is one sermon with multiple points; it extends throughout chapters five through seven. To open this sermon, Jesus taught about the supreme blessings of man (beatitudes). In short, God blesses those: who are poor in spirit and realize their need for Him, who mourn, who are humble, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, whose hearts are pure, who work for peace, and who are persecuted for doing right. Out of all of those, how many can you identify as characteristics within you?

In verses 13 through 16, Jesus emphasized that we are the salt and light: salt of the earth and light of the world. We are “preservers” just as the salt that sits on your shelf. We prevent decay. We are seasoned to enhance lives within our goodness through Christ. We are to exhibit good deeds that shine so bright that everyone comes to our Heavenly Father.

The next verses go into teachings regarding the law, anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge and love for enemies. I desire to extract just a few points from those verses. If you have an issue with someone or you know someone has an issue with you, you are to lay your sacrifice to God on the altar and go make amends with the person. After you make amends, you come back and present your sacrifice to God (verses 23 and 24). A lot of us do not desire to reconcile with others for various reasons. Personally, God has instructed me to go and ask for forgiveness from people that wronged me. Yes, you read that right. Doing so actually brought freedom for me. Reconciliation is for YOUR freedom. Be the more mature person every time you get a chance to. It is not easy, but it is worth it. Do not allow pettiness and drama to prevent God from accepting your sacrifices until Him. You may ask me, what sacrifices? Our sacrifices are not animals on an altar. They include anything that you will give to God: your time, your money, your service to others, your praise, your worship, your prayers. Verse 39 instructs us not to seek revenge. Friend, let God avenge you instead of setting out to “get your get back”. In conclusion, verses 44 and 45 Jesus instructed us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. You cannot achieve this type of maturity and love via living by your flesh. Love is a portion of the fruit of the Spirit. You must have the Holy Spirit within you to love someone you know is against you. Imagine seeing your enemy and God tells you to give a hug. Will you be disobedient because of your feelings? Or will you be obedient and exhibit God’s love?

This chapter is so full of reflective points so let’s get into it. We ended chapter three with Jesus being baptized and the Spirit of God descending upon Him. Chapter four verse one tells us that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights while in the wilderness. {Sidenote: Fasting is a Biblical practice. So just as Jesus fasted, we should fast as well. One of the main reasons for fasting is to bring your flesh into submission to the Spirit of God that dwells within you. Think of it this way, whatever you feed the most will live the most.} At some point during that 40 days and 40 nights time frame, the devil came to Jesus to fulfill his assignment…to tempt Jesus.

I want you to imagine how Jesus felt physically and mentally after fasting for that length of time while living in the harsh conditions of the wilderness. Then here comes the tempter. The devil knew Jesus’s environment as well as the fact that Jesus had been fasting. He attempted to use the Word of God against Jesus during the tempting, but Jesus fought back with the Word of God. Eventually, the devil was defeated and fled from Jesus. Friend, at your weakest moment, the tempter is going to seek you out with the assignment to kill, steal, or destroy. He knows details about you, your past, your conditions, your shortcomings, your family history, etc. He knows your weaknesses as well. This is why it is important for you to study your Bible and know the Word of God. You must be able to use His words against the devil. And since you know the devil used the Word of God while tempting Jesus, you also know that reciting the Word of God does not equate to possessing the Spirit of God or having a relationship with God. So do not be deceived by those who quote the Bible but do not live it.

After the devil fled, Jesus began to preach and heal the sick publicly. His message was simple, “Repent of your sins and turn to God”. His message remains simple even in today’s times. We should shrive to live a life that is turned away from the world and to God. This takes you making a decision every single day and even multiple times a day. This takes a true relationship with God not just a Sunday service type of relationship. This takes a loving your neighbor after they’ve wronged you type of decision. Yeah, this takes not only knowing Him but possessing His Spirit.

As this chapter unfolds, Jesus began to select His disciples. Two fishermen and brothers, Simon (also known as Peter) and Andrew, were the first two disciples. James and John were the next two. Verses 21 and 22 refer to James and John; they stood out to me so let’s talk about them. These two were sitting in a boat with their father repairing their nets as they were fishermen as well. When Jesus called them to come, they immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind. These men did not ask Jesus where they were going, what they needed in order to follow Him, could they bring anyone with them, how long they would be gone, etc. The scriptures do not even mention that they knew who Jesus was. They blindly left everything and everyone behind to follow Him. That is the example of how we should be as well: immediately obedient without any questions asked and willing to forsake it all for Him. What are you willing to leave behind for the sake of following Jesus?

To wrap this chapter up, we read that Jesus continues to preach and heal the sick while traveling from place to place. By this time, large crowds of people are following Him everywhere He goes. Questions, is the Light of Jesus shining so bright through you that people desire to follow you to Him?

The verse that stood out the most to me in this chapter was 14. Jesus had come to John and requested that he baptize Him. John initially refused by saying he should be the one being baptized by Jesus. Let’s talk about John!

Imagine the Son of God in His great majesty requesting for you to baptize Him. I am sure that John didn’t feel as if he was worthy enough to baptize Jesus. But as Jesus explained to him, John had to baptize Him as it was a part of the fulfillment of God’s righteousness. In other words, this moment was the fulfillment of prophesy. With that revelation, John agreed to baptize Jesus. And we read in verse 16 that when Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit of God descended from the open heavens like a dove and settled on Jesus.

Don’t we feel as if we are not worthy to possess the Spirit of such a majestic God. Don’t we feel as John did at times when God desires to use us to fulfill His will in our lives or to use us as His vessels to impact others. At some point, we must realize and accept that as long as we possess and are led by the Holy Spirit, strive to be more like Jesus, ensure that we continue to nourish our relationship with Him, and lead holy/upright lifestyles, we are worthy to be His vessels. Dedicating our entire being to God shows our commitment to Him. This portion ties into verses seven and eight when John told the Pharisees and Sadducees to prove that they had repented and turned to God in the way that they lived. Confessing a change versus living a change is a great difference. People should see God through the way you live. You should have fruit that is found to be good on inspection. Don’t get me wrong. You won’t always get things right, but you are made perfect by the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. Accept that God loves you and desires to be close to you. Accept that He desires that closeness despite what you’ve done in your past, any mistakes you’ve made, and your feelings of unworthiness. Accept His love and forgiveness. Live your life for the One that bought yours when He sent His only Son to Calvary. You are worthy!

Jesus was born in Bethlehem to His mother, Mary, and step-father, Joseph. (I smile every time I think of Joseph being Jesus’ “step-father”.) When He was born, wise men followed a star to Jerusalem looking for Him so that they could offer Him gifts and worship Him. When King Herod heard that the wise men were looking for Jesus to worship Him, he became very upset and began plotting against Jesus. He instructed the wise men to report back to him after they found Jesus so that he could go and “worship” Him too. But instead, after they found Him, offered their gifts to Him, and worshipped Him, they returned back to their own country. Why? Because God warned them in a dream not to report back to King Herod. The wise men followed God’s instructions without hesitation. We should be more like the wise men. We should trust that God is able to see all things and that He truly does have our best interest at heart.

After the wise men departed, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt as King Herod was seeking to find and kill Jesus. It is here that we see King Herod’s true intentions and why God had instructed the wise men to not return back to him. The king had attempted to use deception and manipulation towards the wise men to fulfill his hidden agenda. But God was ages ahead of him. Just as He was when He sent the angel to Joseph. THAT SAME NIGHT, Joseph obeyed what the angel had told him. He didn’t delay or attempt to reason as we do at times. Sometimes God’s instructions do not make sense, but we must respond as if our lives depend upon our obedience.

King Herod died, and the angel of the Lord came to Jospeh again telling him to return. Learn how to WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS. We don’t know how long Jesus and his family were in Egypt. We just know that Joseph was obedient and the angel of the Lord came back to provide further instructions just as it had said. King Herod’s son proceeded him to the thrown, so, once again, the angel of the Lord provided instructions to Joseph. The family ended up going Nazareth and living there instead of returning back home. After you wait for the instructions, listen to them attentively and obey them completely.

Hey friend! This month, in addition to any words that God gives me, we will be studying the book of Matthew. Yesterday, as I was writing a reflection on the chapter that I read, I felt the nudge to post my reflection as a blog post so here we are. I pray that you will read each chapter and dissect it for yourself prior to reading the reflection posted here. Feel free to engage in the comments!

^{Chapter one starts off listing the ancestors of Jesus. You can read through His lineage at your leisure. There are four mothers that are mentioned in the ancestral lineup: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. The footnote in my Bible reports that these women were associated with sex scandals but are honored as the Messiah’s ancestral mothers. The inclusion of these women should provide hope for women who feel ashamed of their past or are outcast because of their origins. In Christ, God cleanses all our shame and brings us into His family. Isn’t that beautiful? This footnote healed a portion of my heart as I know shame all too well, and my background includes things that are not worth bragging about. But Jesus loves me and invited me to be a part of His family just as these women were invited in. And just as He loves you and invites you into His family.}

^{After the ancestral lineup, we are taken into the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was a virgin and was engaged to Joseph who was a righteous man. She became pregnant via the power of God’s Spirit, and he planned to divorce her when he found out she was pregnant which was rightfully so since she was supposed to be a virgin. Joseph did not want to humiliate Mary or cause her death so he planned to divorce her secretly. (In those times, engagement was a permanent relationship which required a legal process to be ended. Also, Mary could have been stoned to death due to cultural standards.) An angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream telling him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife due to the child being conceived via the Holy Spirit. The angel of the Lord also told him that the child was a boy, and His name was Jesus. Joseph married Mary. When the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus. Whew! That seems like a lot of drama that surrounded the conception and birth of our Lord and Savior. I love that Jesus’ background was a little rugged because it is more relatable to mine. I love that Joseph loved God. I love that he displayed such respect for Mary when he decided to divorce her privately. I love that God sent an angel to comfort Joseph and provide clarity to him during his time of distress. I love that Joseph followed the angel’s instructions and trusted the process. I love that he took on the role of father to a Son that was not naturally his.}

^{The question, “What will they say or think?” had to have been what was on Joseph’s and Mary’s minds when they were both made aware that they had been selected as Jesus’ earthly parents. I am sure that you’ve had a few of these moments as well. And while your moments may not be related to the birth of a child, I am sure that they were related to major events in your life. It is important to know and recall what God says and thinks about you instead of what people say and think about you. Your past does not define who you are. God will use every portion of your past, shame included, as a means to show His glory. If you have not yet repented for your sins, do so today, and God will forgive you. If you have already repented for your sins, God has already forgiven you. Now it is time for you to forgive yourself. Join God’s family.}

Tonight I went to a service in honor of the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. This service was the first of its kind in my area, and I must say that it was a very nice one. During the service, everyone was allotted the opportunity to light a candle in remembrance of the loved ones whom we lost to violence. We were instructed to blow our candles out after the completion of the prayer. But prior to the prayer, a song with similar verbiage to “if you don’t see the change, keep praying” was sang. I gazed into the flame and thought to myself, “Life is as a vapor”. Each of the murder victims had families and were just living their lives prior to the horrible crimes that ended them. This became a very sobering moment for me. While I have been so caught up in the frustrations regarding the people around me, I have also been missing out on what God was attempting to do within me and through me. To be transparent, there are things that God has been revealing to me, and I have been responding to these revelations incorrectly. As I stared into that flame, God reminded me that the closer I walk with Him, the more He will reveal to me. And I must be able to respond appropriately when He reveals certain things. Getting caught up in the insignificant things of the world only waste time, energy, and efforts. All of which should be dedicated to advancing the Kingdom of God while we are yet living for we do not know when our lives will come to an end. Let’s talk about the vapor!

James chapter four verse 14 reads, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (NKJV). Imagine missing out on the things of God and from God due to being caught up in things that are minute. If life is referred to as a vapor, we must acknowledge the significance of each moment within it. It shouldn’t be filled with pleasing our flesh or serving ourselves. Instead it should be led by the Spirit of God as we commit to loving and caring for others. It shouldn’t be consumed with fear, doubt, or reliance on our own strength, abilities, and plans. Instead it should be filled with faith and trust in God; for He is sovereign. We should be living with God’s purpose for our lives in the forefront of our hearts. We should be striving to live righteously and holy with the assurance that when we take our final breath, we will see the King of Kings instead of lifting up our eyes in hell. We should be living in humility. We should be living in gratitude. We should be living in complete reliance on God. Your materialistic items are insignificant. Your social status is insignificant. Your social media fame is insignificant. The grudges that you are holding onto are insignificant. In considering life to be a vapor, we must also consider the lives of the people that we are holding grudges against. They could be gone tomorrow as well so make things right before it’s too late. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t completely your fault. What matters is that you realize that it’s an issue, and you should do your best to correct it. Life is as a vapor so resist allowing “what ifs” to consume your mind.

Consider King Solomon’s advice mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter three verses 12 and 13 which reads, “So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God”. In this passage of scriptures, Solomon was teaching regarding there being a certain timing for everything. He reiterated that we do not know everything that God has planned for us. So instead of focusing on the timing of things, we should focus on enjoying the moment. And this is not referencing to partaking in sin as the means to enjoy your life. This is referencing to enjoying the moments that we tend to neglect in this fast-paced, social media fueled world that we live in.

I have a few questions before we wrap this post up. When was the last time you took yourself on a date and just enjoyed the moment without entertaining your phone? When was the last time you sat on your porch and observed nature at work? When was the last time you watched the sun set? When was the last time you had a moment to yourself in complete silence? When was the last time you laughed until you had tears coming from your eyes? When was the last time you cleared your schedule for the day and lounged around your house in your pajamas? These are the type of moments that we deem as insignificant and tend to pass up on. But it is in these moments that we can truly enjoy the fullness of living. I want to encourage you to release your cares of the world at Jesus’ feet, walk in your God-given purpose, and don’t allow distractions to steal your focus. Be humble. Love. Serve. And live! For life is as a vapor!

Read, dissect, and meditate on the above mentioned scriptures.

When you order an item online, you are given an expected date of delivery. Depending upon the shipper’s location, the weather conditions, the time of the year, and the delivery service, the expected date of delivery can change. I recently experienced this with an order I’d placed on Amazon. I chose that particular item because with my prime membership, it was expected to be delivered on the next day. Well, when the next day came, I received an email stating there was a delay, and my expected delivery date had changed. To be honest, I was upset. I am sure you’ve experienced a delay in an expected delivery date as well so let’s talk about it!

Patience can be defined as “the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed” or “the ability to accept delay, suffering, or annoyance without complaining or becoming angry” (definitions quoted from the Cambridge Dictionary). Considering those definitions, in the moment I received that email, I did not exhibit patience. I was irritated and ready to cancel my prime membership for the 100th time this year. I expressed all of my frustrations with the person I had ordered the item for. The response was, “it is okay; someone bought something locally that’s already prepared so we will utilize your item for an upcoming day”. The response was so profound to me for two reasons: it called out my need for increased patience and it showed that God always provides. Let’s expound upon those two points.

Patience is characterized as a portion of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22). That fact lets us know that we must allow the Holy Spirit within us to produce this characteristic. My response to the delay in the expected delivery date was out of my flesh and of a carnal nature. I wanted my package on the initial expected delivery date and not a minute later. And that’s exactly how a lot of us are when it comes to the promises that God has revealed to us. We don’t want to wait. We can’t tolerate delay. We become anxious, upset, and ready to cancel our commitment to God when the expected delivery date is unclear or when we feel as if it should’ve arrived by now. We all need the Holy Spirit to work within us to produce more patience. We have to learn how to wait on God without complaining or becoming discouraged. One thing about God is, He doesn’t operate in earthly timing; He is eternal (2 Peter 3:8)!

The second point is God always provides in His timing (Isaiah 60:22). God is not a liar (Numbers 23:19). What He speaks WILL come to pass (Isaiah 55:11). He doesn’t need for us to check the expected delivery date; we should instead remain hopeful while anticipating the arrival. God looks after His own words ensuring they produce what they were sent out to accomplish. We get so caught up in minding God’s timing that we miss the lessons and enjoyment of the present moment. Do you believe that God is going to deliver “your package”? Do you trust that He is going to show up for you? I pray that your answers were yes to both, but if not, you should focus on solidifying your faith and trust in Him. Let me provide you with some biblical encouragement. In Genesis chapter 22 verses nine through 14, you can read about Abraham. God tested Abraham’s faith when He told him to go and kill his son as a sacrificial offering. Abraham was obedient to God. He made an altar, placed Isaac on the altar, and picked up a knife to kill him. When he raised the knife, an angel of the Lord called his name and instructed him not to kill the boy. When Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught in a thicket and sacrificed it instead of his son. Verse 14 tells us that Abraham called the place Yahweh-Yireh which means “the Lord will provide”. Just as God provided a ram for Abraham, He provided for the person that I ordered the item for and will provide for you as well.

Know that your package is on its way, and it will according to God’s perfect timing. You must remain patient though. If you allow the Holy Spirit to work within you, increased patience as well as the other fruit of the Spirit will manifest. Waiting patiently on God’s timing is essential during this current season. Focus on maintaining and building upon a strong relational foundation with God. And lastly, submit to the preparation process that God takes you through so that you will be able to steward your delivery well.

Read, dissect and meditate on the above mentioned verses!