READ/HEAR: Zechariah 9-13

The prophet refers to a fountain that will cleanse from sin and uncleanness. That fountain is the blood of Jesus. It is the theme of this old hymn written by William Cowper in the 1700s:

There is a fountain filled with blood
  Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains:

READ/HEAR: Zechariah 4-8

The prophet saw a flying scroll upon which was written and indictment against thieves and liars. It went into the houses and lives of the offenders and began wreaking havoc as a penalty.

People who conduct their lives without fear or regard for the Lord bring into their homes a due punishment. Often they don’t even realize that they are suffering for their sin.

The remedy?  Christ Jesus, of course. Unto Christians is given a message of hope. We are ambassadors for Christ bringing the Gospel to those who are destroying their lives through sin and rebellion against God. We are ministers of reconciliation who facilitate healing for the sin-sick soul.

READ/HEAR: Zechariah 1-3

To Zechariah were given vivid and descriptive visions of God’s operations on the earth and its future.

One of the interesting facets of his enlightenment was the vision of a horseman and a band of horses behind him that were assigned to patrol the earth for God. They reported on the condition of the earth and the state of its inhabitants. The angel who rode the horse then gave a message to the prophet to “Cry out” for the Lord.

Prophets have a duty to declare God’s message to the earth’s inhabitants. These messages supersede the media news reports or administrative communications and philosophies of earthly rulers.

When God’s spokesmen speak, we should listen and pay heed.

READ/HEAR: Haggai 1,2

God told Haggai that He would shake everything in the end times.

God can cause shaking however He wishes … earthquake, storm, high winds etc. … but I envision Him taking things in His hands and shaking them. They are still IN HIS HANDS.

Moses Vegh, my spiritual mentor, used to say, “There’s only one thing worse than falling into the hands of a fearful God … falling OUT of His hands.”

As we endure His shaking, we should take heart that He still has His hands ON us. We are safe. We will be better because of it.

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