READ/HEAR: Zephaniah 1-3

Through Zephaniah God declared that He would restore pure speech from pure lips and a pure heart. If we are to use our tongue and speech to praise Him and be His witnesses, it’s only reasonable that we communicate with the integrity of a pure heart.

A pure heart is an undivided heart, one whose motive is to glorify and serve God rather than self or mammon.

Another impure speech form is one that has a predominant tone of bitterness. Hebrews warns that a bitter tone has the capability of defiling all who hear it.

God’s grace, His Word, and His refining Holy Spirit can purify our heart and our speech that we may utter expressions that are an offering of righteousness.

READ/HEAR: Habakkuk 1-3

Habakkuk 3:17-19 contains a golden verse all Christians should know …

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;

Our faithwalk is more secure when we know this truth  … regardless of what trial comes our way, we are to trust the Lord and rejoice in His victory.

“To rejoice is a choice.”

READ/HEAR: Nahum 1-3

To Nahum was given the task of declaring God’s indictment against the great city of Ninevah. From his prophecy, we understand that it was a city that held many souls who resisted and schemed against God. The contemporary U.S. cities seem to qualify for this description … New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles.

It’s apparent that the Lord has a finger on the pulse of cities and will judge them for their sin. In his mercy, He raises up great churches and evangelistic endeavors to be a witness to them, to offer salvation to their inhabitants.

It’s important to be aligned with a strong local church to be a part of God’s plan of redemption for cities.

READ/HEAR: Micah 4-7

In my opinion, the glorious description of the days to come spoken of in Micah can only happen in the millennial reign of Christ. With His throne centered in Jerusalem, Christ Jesus will teach His ways and grant a miraculous existence to His people. We have much to look forward to.

READ/HEAR: Micah 1-3

Micah 2:1 explains how people can have a malicious plan and have the freedom and power to perform it.

“Beware, for disaster is coming to those who plan wickedness, who lie on their beds plotting evil. When morning shines on them, they carry out their plans simply because they have the power to do so.”

Just because people do evil things does NOT mean they will get away with it. God has granted to each person a free will. Obviously He wants them to choose Him and do what is right, but they don’t always do it. Once they have enacted their plan they will reap the consequences of their actions. Ultimately He wants them to learn that “Crime does not pay … the wages of sin is death.” This is exactly why everyone needs Jesus. He forgives the sin confessed to Him and lives within accepting hearts, empowering them to righteousness.

READ/HEAR: Obadiah; Jonah 1-4

Jonah ran from God’s call upon his life. The Lord, however, dogged him down and found him in the bottom of a ship. When he acknowledged to all that he was indeed running from God and responsible for the trouble they were in, they threw him into the sea.

God had prepared more trouble in the form of a giant fish. How convenient. It kept getting worse … UNTIL … Jonah came to his senses, renewed his vow to God, and was immediately exploded towards a step of obedience to fulfill his destiny.

Trouble is an earmark of God’s dealings with those running from His calling upon their lives. The sooner they get the message and submit to His call, the sooner their bed of trouble will expel them.

“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than me.” Ps. 61:2

READ/HEAR: Amos 8,9

To Amos was given God’s promise to restore His blessing to His people. [Amos 9:11,12] Through Christ the descendants of Edom ( Gentiles who are called by My name ) will be included in the Lord’s restoration effort. David’s tabernacle, the place where he had communion with the Lord), will be restored.  James, the leader of the New Testament church in Jerusalem, gave the meaning of this verse in Acts 15 when he said, “The rest of mankind [will] seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by my name.”

We are drawn by God’s Spirit into a worship and intimate relationship with Him that is like what David had. That’s one big reason why the Psalms resonate with the Christian as a script for daily devotion. We actually use David’s words to express our love and praise to God.

Amos spoke of it nearly 800 years before Christ was born.

READ/HEAR: Amos 5-7

LSU pursued a football trophy. Money managers pursue profitable stock picks. Hackers pursue private technology information. Gym rats pursue a healthy, beautiful body. Hungry babies pursue mother’s milk. TV networks pursue ratings. Cops pursue bad guys. Most people have a constant pursuit in life.

As Amos delivered his message to the people of Judah, the southern kingdom, he identified a noble pursuit … GOOD. In verse 15 of chapter 5, he espouses hating evil and loving, pursuing what’s good and right.

When we wake up each morning we set the tone for our day. Establishing the quest for what’s good and right pleases the Lord. Putting Christ first in every decision will aptly fulfill this goal. As the Psalmist said, “Lead us in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake.”

Pursue GOOD today.

READ/HEAR: Joel 3; Amos 1-4

God used Amos to indict different people groups and city-states that sinned against him. That was his job as an Old Testament prophet. God obviously watches behavior and deals with them accordingly.

Current events reveal people-group tendencies, but we are not in a position to judge them. Only God can do that. We are to pray and evangelize, fulfilling The Great Commission.

Jesus instructed us to pray for our enemies and do good to them. We are conduits of His love and His Gospel, not His judgement or His vengeance.

READ/HEAR: Joel 1,2

Joel’s message to Judah was, “God has devastated the land because of our sin. We now need to seek Him to survive. God tells us, ‘Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins.'”

God wanted repentance from the heart, not religious flagellation to show outward compliance. This is what He always wants … a work from the inside out.

When and because there is true repentance, the promise of God’s Holy Spirit to come and bring refreshing and new birth is available. Peter quoted Joel when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jerusalem in Acts 2. That visitation has changed the world and marked the beginning of the New Testament church.

Amazing things happen when we repent and seek God.