Warriors Arise: December 27, 2020
Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity
Many Christians can quote Jeremiah 29:11 but the promise doesn't end there. Let's start in verse 11:
Do you believe God thinks good thoughts toward you? Some people grew up knowing God's amazing love toward them but that wasn't the case for me. I have no idea why I thought it, but I used to think that if I sinned God would squish me like a bug on a windshield. It wasn't until I was reading completely through the Bible in my late twenties that I realize through His Word how much God really loved me. As I read, He would remind me of situations in my past, issues I dealt with, and sins I had committed. He did not remind me of these things to condemn me nor to devalue who I was. He revealed to me that even when I struggled with an issue, emotions got our of line, or I chose to sin over loving Him, that He still loved me. Through His Word, He revealed how much value He places on me. He sent His Son to be my sacrifice so I could be in relationship with God. When I was younger I didn't know God thought of me in a positive way. I thought He remembered all my sins and was hanging them over my head, at any one point He would be done with me. When I read the Bible, in its entirety, I saw how God redeemed His people over and over again. I saw how He took care of His people even then they were being discipled by being sent into exile. He always brought them back. Not one time in the Bible does God abandon His people. Even when they are in exile, He goes with them. He makes a way for them to prosper in a foreign country. God thinks good thought of you! Believe it! Silence yourself before Him and listen to what He says about you.
Do you believe God has a plan for your future and it is a good one? I used to think life always had to be hard. I would say, "My life will always be hard." I didn't realize I was cursing God's plans for me. I was suffocating the life God was preparing for me. Sure, I would need to be able to take out the enemy whenever he reared his ugly head but life didn't ALWAYS have to be hard. Each time the enemy tried to create havoc in my life, assailing me with all kinds of difficulties, I had to learn that was not God. God was not causing all my hardships. God gave me the Holy Spirit to guide me out of the lies the enemy was telling me and Christ in me to overcome the enemy. I am an overcomer because of God's love.
Do you believe God has given you hope? Hope is challenged in the midst of disaster, trauma, and the unexplainable. Hope is killed by fear. We keep hope in the midst of devastation by remembering what God has done for us in the past. When we remember what God has done we stir up hope for what we need now. We know what God has done to get us out of turmoil and treacherous times; He will do again when we call on His name.
Next, in verse 12, God tells us exactly what to do to get out of the darkness that surrounds us. Just like David did in 1 Samuel 30, we turn to the Lord and He strengthens us. We go and position ourselves to pray to the Father whose love is demonstrated in every situation we face. He promises to listen to us when we go and pray to Him.
Then God continues to give us the answers to direct us out of the darkness we are in. He says when we will seek Him with all our heart, He will be found by us in verse 13. God wants to be found because He doesn't want us wandering in the dark. God has plans and He wants to see us live in the future He dreamed we would have. We are to search for God and we will find Him. We are not to give up but to search, train our ears to hear His voice, our eyes to see His whereabouts. He is here with us. He declares in verse 14 that He will be found by us.
Finally in verse 14, God promises He will bring us back from captivity. So many people have felt held captive by the orders their governors have issued throughout this pandemic. People are unable to do their jobs, businesses are closing, and the shutdowns are challenging the American dream. Can we dream? God says He is bringing us back from captivity. He will restore what has been stolen from us. God will cause us to dream again
Father, I ask for You to come and minister to each person who is being challenged to believe You care about them. I ask for You to meet with them, restore hope to each one. I pray for You to speak to each one, directing them in what they need to do. I ask for You to steer each one out of this darkness and into the light of the future You have for them. I ask for You to set the captives free. I pray for hope to be restored and each one to see how You are demonstrating Your love to them. I pray for each one to seek You and find You. I am asking for each one to go and pray to You. I pray their ears would be open to hear what You say they need to do to get to the future You have for them. Come and minister life to Your people. Come and set us free from captivity. I ask for the coronavirus to die in the Name of Jesus. I declare healing to those who are infected by the virus. I pray for those who have already lost someone to feel Your arms wrap around them and receive Your love. I pray for the captivity America is in because of the fraud in the 2020 election to be removed as the truth about the election is revealed. I pray the justice system will do what they are commissioned to do. They are to judge the constitutional application of the law. I pray for the legislative branch to step in and protect the people of America. I pray they would not allow the voice of America to be silenced by the lies and deception of the enemy and those who have aligned themselves with the wiles of the devil. I pray for You to intervene on behalf of Your people. I pray Your people will seek You and not give up. I pray hope to be restored and futures to be set aright according to Your plan for each one in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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