God’s Love for Us & Our Pursuit of Him: A 21-Day Devotional€¦ · God’s Love for Us & Our Pursuit of Him: A 21-Day Devotional Introduction Our desire is for you to experience

God’s Love for Us & Our Pursuit of Him: A 21-Day Devotional

Introduction

Our desire is for you to experience the presence of God. This is a tool that we hope will help

you in this pursuit. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of

grace and truth.” The reality is that God wants to be with us. He always has. Beyond making

us, He wants to be with us… to dwell with us.

We will offer scripture from the Bible and attempt to frame and color in some areas within that

passage, and attempt to bring some life and emotion to it. At the end we will offer a prayer,

but all of this is just a beginning… a place to start. At some point, each of us will have to invest

the time it takes to build a relationship with God and learn to enjoy being together. Jesus is at

the door knocking. Our hope is that no matter what you have faced in 2020, in 2021 you will

want to open that door to God’s presence wider and find, in His company, a love for Him that’s

greater than you have ever known.

Blessings,

David

Lead Pastor

No Matter What

David Beiser

…there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. (Matthew

1:17)

Matthew starts his book with the Messiah’s genealogy. This is Jesus’ family tree. We may

speed read through this part of the book, but it’s really important to look at the people who are

part of it. Abraham seems like a good start…a man of faith, but he also had a problem lying

and sending his wife into the arms of two other kings. There’s Rahab, a prostitute, and Ruth, a

Moabite. She shouldn’t be in there at all. Marriages to foreigners were not allowed by Jewish

law. You think they would have hidden this one. David is good. He was a warrior. A man after

God’s heart, but he was also a murderer and an adulterer. There’s king Solomon, but Matthew

sees this as an opportunity to include Uriah, the man David murdered, and Uriah as a way to

identify Bathsheba without ever saying her name. She’s Uriah’s wife, Solomon’s mother and the

woman David committed adultery with. That’s interesting. We could go on, but I think you see

that Jesus’ family tree is filled with unsightly knots, unexpected grafts, and some really strange

and twisted branches.

Just don’t miss that none of these things kept Jesus from wanting to be with us. Our humanity,

our faults, and failures have never kept Jesus from identifying with us or wanting to be with us,

and when we get that…when we choose to be with Him like He wants to be with us, He will

create something beautiful out of us, even in the areas that we thought He could never

redeem.

Pray this: Jesus, thank You for loving me, for inviting me to be with you, for grafting me into

Your world. Thank You for accepting me with all of my failures and my faults and that none of

my sins have ever kept You from wanting to be with me. Please give me eyes to see the

extraordinary opportunity of being with You. I give You my calendar…my time and make You

my priority. So open my eyes to see who You are and how I can know You more and more. I

ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

What needs to change in your calendar if God is your priority?

Sequoyah Community Church, 2021 2

Rend Your Heart

Tiffany Chew, Elijah Davis, & Ken Shaw

About 2800 years ago, the nation of Judah and the surrounding countries were experiencing a

pandemic, a terrible locust plague. Joel speaks of four different kinds of locusts who were

devouring everything (see Joel 1). Years earlier, the evil queen Athaliah had been vanquished, a

godly high priest provided wise counsel to young King Joash, and there was a promise of

spiritual revival. But the people of Israel rebelled against the Lord, and because of that

rebellion, God allowed devastation into their lives and homes. The people of Israel were in

despair. The locusts had devoured all the food they had. Nothing was growing, and it seemed

like everything they tried to do failed. At that moment, the Lord says through the prophet Joel:

“Yet even now, return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

The people of Israel failed. Even after God’s cry to them, they still chose their own ways. “Yet

even now,” after turning their backs on God and disobeying him, His love offered another way.

Hear His heart in this, Sequoyah. He longs for us to come (back) to Him. His heart breaks for us.

He sees our mess and wants to take care of it, just like He did for Israel all those years ago.

When we fast, our hearts have to surrender to Christ. If not, then why fast? It’s not about

checking off our spiritual list or making resolutions to feel better about ourselves. Because that

just leads us into a place of suffering without growth. Our God is slow to anger and abounding

in mercy. What if this pandemic is also a call to repentance? A call to come back to our first

love. His arms are open, waiting for his children to come home.

Pray: Oh, Father, I need You. When weariness feels overwhelming, teach me to run to You.

Especially when heaviness weighs me down, I will cry out to You, God! You hear my cry. You

know my heart. Remind me that You’re a perfect father and I’m safe in Your presence. Teach

me how to come to You undone and imperfect. When I feel like giving up, give me the strength

to keep going. Show me the person You want me to be. Thank You, God, for choosing to love

me even though I’ve made a mess and turned my back on You so many times. Would You help

me to fast with an expectation of meeting You? I declare breakthrough in my life, and I declare

supernatural encounters with You, God. Give me fresh revelations of you. Increase my hunger

for more of you God! Nothing compares to you.

Church, go into this fast with brokenness (acknowledging our imperfect messy hearts). It’s in

our brokenness, He works best in us. Read Ps 66:17-20 as your prayer today.


Take a Step

Tabatha Beiser

Last November, I had to stop my life and quarantine solo in my tiny apartment for 14 days. I

was a little nervous about the time alone, but I also felt this sense that God was waiting for me

in it. In my normal, everyday routine, my mornings are pretty structured. I do the same things

everyday, in the same order, and I have a love/hate relationship with that. During my

self-isolation, I slept a little longer but still mostly stuck to that routine. After a few days I got

the sense I was missing something, so I moved my quiet time to the front room. I read my Bible,

sat in the morning light, and sipped on a spicy homemade chai. As I was about to wrap up, I felt

the Holy Spirit stop me and whisper:

“Are we done already? Spend some time with Me.”

It wasn’t demanding.

It wasn’t mean.

I didn’t feel forced or talked down to.

I heard in that whisper a longing for connection, and I felt something shift in my heart. It wasn’t

a dramatic moment; there just was no excuse not to. I had nowhere to be and nowhere to go. I

realized in that moment I had gotten routine even in my quiet time and had a box to check

every morning, not a relationship to cultivate.

My routine had turned everything into business as usual with the most unusual, kind, and

mesmerizing Being alive. And God had so much to say. He was just waiting for me to take a step

toward Him. The minutes turned into hours. The conversations turned into counseling. I

realized I had been missing out by not giving Him more room and initiating more in our

relationship. His presence was just right there and I had been passing it up on the daily.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). It requires an action step on our

end. It’s almost like making an appointment to see your doctor and not entering the room

when your name’s called. You have to walk in that room to be seen. In the same way,

oftentimes we have to enter His presence for Him to meet with us. I think we overthink that.

We have our nice, comfortable routines. We have our agendas, opinions, and ideas of how God

should work, but maybe we’re missing out on some of the best parts of relationship with Him in

choosing to stay comfortable.


Maybe He wants more for us. I love how the Passion translation says it: “Move your heart

closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you.” Not all at once. Not in any

specific measurement. Could be an inch, could be a mile. Just move your heart closer, and He’ll

meet you even closer.

Pray: God, I make space for You. I take a step toward You today, even in this prayer, because I

want to be close to You. I claim this promise You have in Your Word, that as I take that step and

move closer to You, You’re moving even closer to me. I want all that You have for me, and I

want to make our relationship a priority. Thank you for being patient with me and for Your love.

Thank You for always waiting for me.

Action: If you have a place you typically pray or read your Bible, change it up. Drive

somewhere new or use another room.


Are You Listening?

Cori Windham

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village

where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the

Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was

preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to You that my sister just

sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My

dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth

being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke

10:38-42)

This is the story of two sisters: Martha and Mary. Two sisters who make two very different

decisions when Jesus is on the scene. Martha is busy making Jesus a tasty 5-course meal, while

Mary decides that if Jesus is in the house, she’s going to hang out with Him and listen to Him.

Martha distracted, Mary focused.

If I’m honest, I’m probably more like Martha. There are a lot of days I find myself consumed

with what I need to do for Jesus. If Jesus physically showed up at my door, I’d run around trying

to clean, put out the best dishes, cook (or get the best takeout). In reality, I may not cook for

Jesus, but you can bet that I have spent enough time pouring over how I can perform for Him in

my prayer times. It’s amazing how easily it becomes how I can “do” for Him rather than just

taking time to “be” with Him.

I think Martha gets a bad rap. Preparing a meal wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder

what could have happened in her life if Martha would’ve put down her apron long enough to

listen to Jesus’ words that day. It’s not bad to want to please God. When it distracts from what

God is doing in that moment, it’s time to stop and reevaluate.

What has been distracting you? Write down all of your distractions on a piece of paper. Now

put that in a drawer. Next, find a quiet(er) place where you can put on some background

worship music or sit in silence and ask Jesus what He wants to say to you. Write down anything

you hear Him saying.

Prayer: Jesus, remove anything that is distracting me from You. I surrender it all to You now. I

choose to sit at Your feet and listen to what You want to speak to me.


More than a Feeling

Ralonda Cunningham

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the

same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." ... And the Lord--who is the

Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2

Corinthians 3:18)

Something about the glory of God and that Jesus joy!! The joy of the Lord is truly my strength.

God’s presence does not come upon us just to make us feel good. The Spirit of God comes to

destroy yokes! To make life changes. It is the source of my confidence, the reason for my smile

when I’m happy, and the reason I’m smiling when I’m not.

Samson is often referred to for his God-given strength. But did you hear what I just said? His

strength was GOD given. I’m telling you, we can break down any obstacle in our lives through

the presence of the Holy Ghost! He fills us with supernatural power.

As a planner, I’ve had many interesting moments navigating the unknown and my emotions

during this corona situation. But being in His presence always gets me back into focus and stops

all distractions dead in their tracks. There are times when I literally shut out everything just to

bask in God’s presence. It’s in His presence that we receive healing (physical and emotional),

peace, victory, miracles, direction, and so much more. And… you can get into His presence

wherever you are because when you pray, God’s presence is already there.

Pray: Lord, I need Your presence! Breathe Your Spirit on me from the top of my head to the

souls of my feet. Help my heart, body, and soul yield completely to You and Your will for my life.

Give me Your strength and Your power so that I can spread the love of Your presence to others.

Thank You for Your love and life-changing presence.

Action: What are you speaking? Speak life! Speak to those insecurities, speak to that fear,

speak to your failures (that are really lessons), speak to all your disappointments. Tell them and

yourself that your God is more powerful than they are, all added together! Thank God for His

grace. Raise your head up and walk like the amazing soul God created, like the wonderful being

that you are.


Angels Will Come

David Beiser

Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him. (Matthew 4:11)

I want to be with God. I want that for you. I want you to take advantage of every opportunity

you can to be with Him...to make Jesus your priority...to read His word (Take advantage of our

daily reading plan. It doesn’t matter if you start late; start now.). Memorize His word, worship,

pray…to be with Him. I pray that for you because I know it doesn’t always come easy.

Matthew 3 tells us that Jesus was baptized. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens

opened, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus, and you could hear God the Father’s voice

saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Jesus…the fully man

Jesus…the “like us in all things” Jesus was immersed in God’s presence and then comes

Matthew 4.

In Matthew 4, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to fast...in a wasteland, with horrific

heat during the day and cold at night. Everywhere He looked there was a desperation for

something that couldn’t be found. Mark adds wild animals to this story. That’s nice. Sounds like

one of those TV ads where they try and add one more thing to close the deal. Let’s just say it

was horrible. Then, when Jesus was on the last day of this 40-day fast...when He was most

vulnerable and needy...at the home stretch...the devil comes to tempt Jesus…3 times. I hate

the devil. I do. He tries to get Jesus to doubt who He is, depend on Himself and avoid the path

His Father called Him to. But Jesus knew who He was. He knew who He depended on. His faith

and worship of His father never wavered. When it’s all said and done Jesus says, “Away from

me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only” and the devil left

Him (see James 4:7).

I don’t know where you are in your pursuit of God, but there are times when we’re hungry,

hurting, and all of it has gone on way too long. It seems like heaven is far away and all you hear

is the howl of the desert you’re in, and the wolves that are chasing after you. That is when you

choose to pursue Him still….when you choose not to give up and trust Him more. This is that

moment in Jesus’ life and He is reminding us that there’s a reward in being relentless. It’s in

those moments we will discover God’s promise to restore, to heal, to deliver, and to save. Our

test will bring a testimony. Our pursuit will produce endurance, and His angels will come.

Pray: Father, I need You. I love You. I confess that there are times when it seems so hard to

find You and I feel so lost that I forget You are present. I need You to help me hear Your words


louder than the devil’s lies, to know You care about me even when I don’t feel it, to know You

are all that You say You are -- even when I can’t see You -- and to trust You when all I can hear

are my doubts. I want to walk in Your presence no matter what I walk through or where You

send me. It’s all about You in my life. It always has been, and it will always be. Holy Spirit, be the

center of my life. Father, I’m hungry for You, and I’m praying for this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Action: Make the space to listen for what God would say to you. Ask the Holy Spirit where He

is leading you to pray now.


Past Sea Level

Jonay Lopez & William Natividad

This fast—and this new year for that matter—God is calling us to an even deeper level with

Him. It’s not a coincidence that we have been seeing so much breakthrough in Sequoyah, and

He is doing new and incredible things in peoples’ lives. “Do you not perceive it?” as Isaiah

(43:19) would say. And so, we come to the next step this fast: going past sea level.

What does this mean? In praying and fasting, we come closer to the Father, both to hear His

voice and speak with Him. Like Moses, who went up the mountain at Sinai (Ex. 24). He fasted

forty days and forty nights, without any food or water. He talked to God face to face. During a

fast, we take intentional steps, seeking change, growth, hearing from God, going even deeper.

This is the fasting God wants us to do. Jesus even says that God will reward us when we fast

with the right heart and intentionality.

You probably already know fasting means you sacrifice filling yourself with food, television,

social media, etc. Instead, you fill yourself with what God wants to give you in His presence. It is

important for us as believers to walk in a life immersed in prayer. It is in prayer where we can

meet God and where we can find the breakthrough and answers we’re looking for. Fill yourself

up with prayer! He wants to meet you and to take you to a deeper place of knowing His voice; a

deeper place of walking in His love, peace, joy, righteousness, and truth. Just like He did with

Moses, God wants to lead you up past sea level.

Prayer isn’t complicated. It’s something that anyone can learn how to do. Take the Psalms for

example. These are the prayers of real people; we get to read conversations that they had with

God, what they poured out to God from their heart. Psalm 102 begins like this: “Hear my

prayer, O Lord! And let my cry for help come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the

day of my distress; incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me quickly.” You can

hear the person’s desperation and earnestness here. They cried out to God for help in their

need. They didn’t go to God and say a superficial, Sunday-school prayer. No, our Father is there

to listen to the real, the raw, the complicated, and the messy.

Be encouraged and challenged to take the next step in your walk with God during this fast. Use

scripture like the Psalms to help you pray when you can’t find the words. There's a

breakthrough waiting on the other side when you go past sea level. Choose a prayer meeting

to join this week at myscc.co (events page).


Refreshing Is Near

Lisa Jines

Being a mom this past year has been no joke. There were so many instances where I haven’t

had the words to describe the immense pressure, anxiety, fears, and the most overused word

of the year: uncertainty. My ordination ceremony was a prime example. It was set for my actual

birthday in April, during our church district’s annual meetings. A month before it was set to

happen, COVID hit, and no one knew what to expect. Then the ceremony was postponed three

times. By the third, I was emotionally exhausted; technically I was ordained, but the corporate

spiritual expectation was paramount to the process. We needed the presence of God to hover

over us and be witness to this huge moment. The service did eventually happen right at

Sequoyah with a handful of people there to bear witness - even my parents (via zoom, of

course). It’s a day that marked me, and I’ll never forget it.

I know this is just one example of delay, but what about everyday life?

When maybe you lost your job 6 months ago, the stimulus check last spring is a memory, and

somehow you have to facilitate school for your 5th grader, and they do not do long division like

you learned it. Not to mention cleaning and cooking. Daily things that you already had feel

magnified under the pressure of quarantine. There have been plenty of days over the last

several months where dealing with three kids (5 and under), two different schools,

development changes, special needs therapy, neverending laundry, and being a wife took

everything I had. Being an actual person outside of all those things felt remote.

Fear of infection goes beyond COVID. Infections like negative thinking, depression, anger, and

bitterness can easily invade our system, debilitating our spirits. We start to believe we can’t

even reach out to God. We need a reset. We need a time of refreshing. Acts 3:20-21 says, “that

times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ

appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things

about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

How can we seek times of refreshing when it feels like we’re in a hamster wheel?

Stop. Find a corner in your home, even if it’s a closet and take a few breaths. Your kids, job,

kitchen can wait 5 minutes. Remember you are a child of God, a daughter/son of The King. Read

this verse (Zeph 3:17) over yourself and change “you” to “me”: The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you;in his love he will no longer

rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”


He is with you. He’s never left you and no season has ever shocked God. He wants you to draw

close to Him, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. Rejoice in the small times. Rejoice in

the times of refreshing.


With a Friend

Valonna Fowler

There’s a difference in how we talk with friends and acquaintances. Between close friends,

there are shared experiences, understood baggage, and verbal shorthand that speed up the

conversations. You don’t have to start from the beginning because there’s a good chance they

already know the story or they were even there for it. They are the ones that can see past the

poker face. They can take one look at your eyes or your body language, and they know

something’s going on. They ask questions like mirrors to refine our vision and character. They

quote you to you to drive home a point and even induce a laugh.

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a

friend…. (Exodus 33:11)

Exodus is a God-adventure story about a nation (Israel) — and a person (Moses). By the time

we get to chapter 33, Moses has already spent decades keeping company with God. Their

relationship began with a bang, the bush that flamed but didn’t burn out. With God, Moses has

literally crossed borders, told kings what’s up, watched plagues fall and seas part. They’ve got

history. And after all that time, God sees Moses as a friend, and Moses wants to know God

more.

Do you remember the first time you met your best friend? Or the first conversation where you

said something risky? I can’t tell you when I got saved, but I can say this: early on, I found

myself sitting on my bed and chatting with Jesus. No one taught me to do it, and I wasn’t

praying... exactly. I was describing interactions at school, spouting creative ideas in my head,

and wondering what He thought about it all. We were hanging out, and it felt natural.

In a very real way, we can be besties with God. Think about how incredible it is that the Creator

of ev-er-y-thang should offer any human His friendship… but He does. On our part, it takes

breaking the ice, asking the Lord’s input on something “small.” It means believing He cares

enough to offer input about where we might move this year or go for a walk that day. It

requires having a conversation. After 40+ years, Moses was still setting aside quality time with

God. We can too, even by starting with two minutes.

Pray: Jesus, I know You offer me friendship. I want that. I want to share the big and the small

stuff with You. I want to practice talking with You like a close friend. I want to lose track of

time in Your presence because the conversation is rich and varied. I want to learn Your stories


and tell You mine. One day, we’ll reminisce about “that one time” when we laughed until we

cried. And I always want to want to know You more than I already do.

Action: Tell God something on your mind today (it can be anything!). Wait for Him to respond

(set a timer if you’re antsy), and see where the conversation goes.


The Nearness of His Presence

Ian Day

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near;

men tell of your wonderful deeds. (Ps. 75:1)

My father taught me from a very early age to be thankful and always acknowledge a good deed.

Now thankfulness is a reflex action. I distinctly remember the phrase he used: “Even a dog

wags his tail.” I’ve since passed that core value on to my children, who I am happy to say have

all adopted this reflex too. When thankfulness becomes a reflex action though, we can just say

the words without expressing the heart sentiment, and thanksgiving becomes an empty

statement. To be truly thankful, we need to both express it and engage our thoughts and heart

so that we can truly get in touch with it.

Thanksgiving, like that found in the Psalms, is one of the best kept secrets related to prayer and

the nearness of God. It is the gateway to praise, and praise as we know, lives in the courts of

our God. When it comes to prayer, thankfulness is one of those key ‘heart-transforming’

activities that can readily change our outlook from any emotion or feeling into one that can

easily align with the amazingness of God. It is also transformative because the linkage between

thanksgiving and praise is such a natural one that it is sometimes impossible to tell when one

ends and the other begins.

Action steps: Set aside some time to intentionally and systematically express thanks and appreciation to God.

Do not be in a hurry just to get through this step but take the time and allow genuine gratitude

to come forward as you express your thankfulness. You can use the following points to guide

you:

Gratitude:

Tell Him what you are grateful for. Thank Him for those things.

Recognition:

Where have you recognized His leading and moving? Possibly in someone else’s life or your own. Often acknowledging moments when you have seen Him move leads to spontaneous

thankfulness.

Admiration:

What aspects of God’s qualities do you admire/aspire to?

Recital/Testimony:


Recount (tell the story out loud) an occasion where He was unmistakably amazing. Take your

time to explain the details, then thank Him for how He moved.

I am praying that as you thank Him, His presence will surround you. Know that He is closer than you think!


There Is More

Caleb & Jessica Cheng

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw

that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see

this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” (Exodus 3:2-3)

Moses’ life-changing encounter with God marked his life forever. Although this encounter

changed his life, he also realized he couldn’t live on that one encounter for the rest of his life.

Again and again, Moses went to meet with God, to seek Him for fresh revelation and renewed

strength. In Moses’ dissatisfaction for settling for one encounter, he came closer to the heart of

God. Sequoyah, some of you have already been radically transformed by the power of God.

One encounter (years or days ago) changed your life, and you’ll never be the same again.

Where are you now? Have you settled for that one encounter with God? Are you satisfied with

your relationship with God?

I can remember waking up to go to prayer meetings, and the Lord met me there. During one

specific encounter, I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of love, and tears started to

flow down my face. This moment brought me to a place where I was no longer satisfied with

just one encounter. I continued going to prayer meetings morning after morning because I

wanted to experience His presence. I wanted more!

I tell you this because there is more for you in your walk with God. Don’t be satisfied with just

one touch from God. Just like that bush didn’t burn away, God’s fresh fire is waiting for you

every single day. This week, I challenge you to expect to meet God in a real way every time

you come into His presence.

Pray: Oh Lord, would You forgive me for being satisfied and stagnant in my relationship with

You? Open my eyes to see that there are deep wells of healing and power that You long to pour

over my life. Stir a passion and hunger in my heart, God, so that I want nothing else but to be

with You. Holy Spirit, we want to see You move in Sequoyah this year as never before! I invite

Your presence into my heart right now. Have Your way in this moment.


Carry His Presence

David Beiser

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in

her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. (Luke 1:41)

I love this! When Mary, the mother of Jesus, showed up, the baby (this was John the Baptist) in

Elisabeth’s womb jumped and was filled with the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit. This wasn’t

because Mary entered the room. It was because Jesus did. Even in the womb when Jesus

showed up…when His presence enters a room, positive change happens in us. The word for

“jumped” here is about more than movement. It’s an expression of joy.

Here’s the deal: Jesus always brings positive movement in our lives when we are with Him. The

Holy Spirit will bring joy when we spend time with Him. Earlier in this story, Mary welcomed

what the Holy Spirit wanted to do when the angel came to her. She was in a place where that

encounter could happen. She had to be willing to receive what the Holy Spirit wanted to do.

That’s why she said, “Be it unto me according to your word.”

And let me add one more wrinkle here: When Mary came to Elisabeth, she was under extreme

pressure. People were assuming that her pregnancy was illegitimate. In other words, spending

time with God and inviting what the Holy Spirit wants to do in you will not always be

convenient. It may cost you something, but what happens in you…the relationship you will

discover with God…and what God will do through you…the relationship others will discover

with God because you carry His presence…will bring positive change and joy in you and them.

You are choosing to do that now as you read this. Let God build the relationship He wants with

you and then carry that presence into the lives of every room you enter.

Pray: Holy Spirit, I want You and all You want to bring into my life. I want the relationship with

You that You have always wanted with me. Help me contend for more of You. To be someone

who actively and consistently creates an atmosphere You want to be a part of. Give me a

hunger for being with You, hearing from You, and following You. I want You in every room of

my life, every part of my heart, every area of my mind. I want to worship You as the passion of

my life. I’m asking that You allow me to carry Your presence wherever I go, every room I enter,

and bring the positive change, momentum, and joy that only You can bring.

Who is God calling you to carry His presence to today? Take the time to pause in your prayer

time and listen for a name. Then pray for that opportunity to share who Jesus is with them.


Every Moment

Desiree Harris

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into

heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of

the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:7-10)

In psalm 139, David explains God’s perfect knowledge of man and gives us powerful insight into

God’s presence. There is nowhere we can escape it -- not heaven, not hell, not even the depths

of the sea! Let that sink in. There is nowhere in the entire world that you could ever escape

from God’s presence. If you’re stuck in your house for coronavirus lockdowns, God is there. If

you haven’t been to church in the past 12 months, God is still with you. Everywhere you go,

God’s presence is there!

These words are powerful if we take them to heart. They are also true regardless of if you are

the most righteous person or feel you have fallen too far. Whether you feel His presence or

not. If you feel distant from God, let me encourage you. When I was 21, I suffered from bipolar

disorder and depersonalization to the point that I wasn’t even sure I was a real person

anymore! I felt distant from God, earth, and all humanity. I also experienced isolation and

lockdowns before corona -- in a psych ward. But by faith, I chose to believe that God was with

me like He was with David. So I wrote my own songs (psalms) 24/7… and never felt His

presence once! Not even after writing 50 songs in three weeks. I often wondered if I was doing

faith wrong, but I kept trying to believe, and eventually something amazing happened. God

healed me and restored me to a sound mind! I didn’t know how, but my prayers were

answered. That was 4 years ago, and I’m still healed. No meds, just God. To this day, that psych

ward is one of my most intimate memories with God, because I never felt Him once, but He was

there orchestrating the biggest miracle of my life.

Pray: Dear God, I want to believe that You are omnipresent (everywhere), and there is nowhere

I could go to be apart from Your presence. Even when I don’t feel You or You seem so far away,

help me to believe by faith that You are still there. When I do feel You near, help me not to take

Your presence for granted. Open my eyes to see You in every moment. Not just the highlights,

but the lowest places too and everywhere in between. God, forgive me for the times I accused

You of being absent or not caring. Help me see how You were right there beside me, and how

you are with me now. Help me to believe that You love me, that You want to be with me, and

that You are leading and upholding me.


Action: The monk Brother Lawrence wrote about practicing the presence of God. Try it out.

Count how many times you think of God in one hour. When that frequency increases, you can

do the same thing with 30 minutes, then 10. By noting how often you think of Him, you

automatically become more aware of His presence in your life.


Ready to Move

Valonna Fowler

Sometimes it’s so easy. The worship team is playing “your” song, the prayer is fiery, and that

woooooord from the preacher is flat-out anointed. That’s on Sunday. It’s easy when there are

people around to help find a slice of God’s Presence. Then Monday comes, and it’s just… not

easy.

Several years ago, I started to notice a difference between the services I attended… and my

own God time at home. I wasn’t satisfied with the second because the first was just that good. So I did something outrageous and biblical: I told God I wanted access to awesome, intimate,

healing, lively encounters with Him wherever we met. Regardless of when or where that might

be. All the while, I kept going to services, then reminding Him, “I want access to that wherever

I go, God.”

I was that kid who kept asking for snacks. I became ravenous for His presence. One night, I

remember playing “Wordless” by Lauren Daigle on repeat (my roommates surely loved me). As

I focused on singing the lyrics like prayer and letting the sound of slamming kitchen cabinets

fade low… the light inside my bedroom seemed to turn golden, and the air felt easier to

breathe. He was there -- just as there as a church service.

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it

the “tent of meeting.” (Exodus 33:7)

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your

midst? (1 Cor 3:16)

If the year of our Lord 2020 taught us anything, it was that the church is not a building. God’s

presence is not confined within walls, which means neither are our encounters with Him. Don’t

get me wrong: I’m all about corporate worship and hearing amens and physically laying hands

on people then seeing them freed and healed. But God doesn’t require that to heal or free

anybody, and that means there is no zoom waiting room (can I get an amen?). Access is already

granted. That’s actually a bit of a relief. We are His temple, and He is here.

Pray: Holy Spirit, I have trouble understanding how You are everywhere and You live inside me.

I’m still learning how to trust that. But I know I want to expect to experience You wherever I

am. Your word says it’s possible, and I want everything You have for me. I’m asking You to


teach me how to focus all of me on You, to know You more fully, and share Your presence with

others.

Action: Close your eyes and say, “Holy Spirit, come.” Play and worship along with “Fill the

Room” from Maverick City Music.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je8we3ZUiZc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je8we3ZUiZc

A Greater Legacy

David Beiser

The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of

the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters

who had the gift of prophecy. (Acts 21:8-9)

Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, but on his way he chooses to stay with Phillip. That’s

interesting. He knows what’s ahead, and it’s not good. Why Phillip? In Acts 6, Phillip was one of

seven men chosen to serve as a deacon. He got the job because he was well respected, full of

the Holy Spirit and wisdom. When that church faced persecution, Phillip had to leave the city,

but that allowed the good news about Jesus to go beyond the city of Jerusalem. That’s how

Phillip became known as an evangelist. God used him to lead a revival in the city of Samaria.

When others came to help, Phillip was still listening and heard God tell him to walk down a

certain road (for an indefinite time) where he met a leader in the Ethiopian government (see

Acts 8). He led that man to Jesus. That government leader probably became the first missionary

to Ethiopia. So the deacon who served the church became a revivalist who changed a city and

then became an evangelist who influenced a nation. That’s a pedigree.

We don’t hear anything more about him until Acts 21. Luke speaks to his past with titles like

“one of the seven” and “evangelist,” but what captures me is verse 9. Verse 9 isn’t about

Phillp’s past. It’s about his future. It’s about his daughters. It’s about loving his family enough to

invest what he knew of God into them. That’s how His daughters learned to hear God and live

their lives in a way that would please God. Phillip was more concerned with his legacy than his

pedigree.

In my journey, I can be consumed with what I want and what I’m doing. Even in my relationship

with God, I can be so focused on me that I miss the chance to lead others closer to Him. And it

happens in the simple everyday moments. Am I inviting Sandi to pray with me? Am I taking the

time to worship with Elise? When God does the amazing in me, do I let anyone else know? If

my relationship with God gets stronger with other Jesus followers, am I encouraging my family

and my friends to be part of the church community or a group? I want my life to be lived for

Jesus, and I want His life in me to influence the people around me. That’s what Paul needed to

see and hear at this point in His life. That’s why he was able to say at the end of his stay that he

was willing to give anything for Jesus. He was living for a greater legacy.

Pray: Jesus, let me live with a hunger for You that influences the people You place around

me...that makes them want to know a hunger for You. I want to help people see and hear You


and I’m asking that it would begin in my own marriage, my own family, and my own friendships,

until they want to share who You are...until they carry the fragrance of Your presence wherever

they go. I pray for those in my family who don’t know You, and I’m believing that those who do

will want you more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Action: Choose a family member to pray with today. Even if it’s for 2 minutes, take that step.


Let the Children Come

Lisa Jines

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

It can feel like a daunting task to teach children about the presence of God. How are we as

parents expected to boil The God of THE UNIVERSE down to bite-size for kids? I have a secret

for you: you don’t. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that God is always bigger and more able than

we give Him credit for. I’m not saying you sit your 4 year old down to watch The Passion of The

Christ, but I’m saying leave room for God to move in your kids’ lives.

I know you’re thinking, “Pastor Lisa, this is great and all, but how do I teach my kids about the

presence of God?” Answer: by showing them you diving into His presence. I know it can feel

difficult when you’re not even sure anything is “getting in there.” With two special needs kids

and a toddler, there are times it really feels discouraging. But God is bigger than our

discouragements and sees my kids for who He created them to be.

Recently I got all the kids ready for bed. At the last minute, I pulled them into the front room

for a ‘dance party’ to their favorite worship music (especially Isaac’s) from Bible Adventure for

Kids by YouVersion. You can find the videos on YouTube. Something that I’d never seen before

happened. As best he could, Isaac was following along with the motions. He has never followed

a video and attended to an outside force like that (he usually needs help). His sister was trying

her best to jump along, and his brother was just happy there was music and dancing. I sat back

astonished as Isaac watched the screen for what to do next, and I realized God is bigger than

any special needs diagnosis. He’s bigger than our circumstances; bigger than the limits we

place in front of Him. In that moment, I was blessed to see my kids as their true selves, who

they are on the inside, joyfully worshiping in their own way to The King of Kings.

Pray: God, help me want to spend time with You. Show me how to enjoy You and how to

demonstrate that. Show me how my loved ones enjoy You too, because I want them to be

their true selves with You. Help me take the limits off of how a family altar time looks, and let

that soak into our home.

It’s easy to make this complicated, and I don’t have all the answers (God has those), but I’ve

learned…

● Pay attention to what makes your kids eyes light up. If your kids are very young or

unable to speak, it’s not as simple as “Mom, I like that song.” Look and see what makes


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Iu55tS3zIxlu6lXH-pzSamXGIHSKiOa

them excited, and roll with it. I can’t tell you how many times we repeat the same song,

but so what?

● They are watching everything you do. If you get excited about reading your Bible, they’ll

want to copy that. If they see you dancing around to worship music, they will too.

● We have at least 6 different storybook/kids bibles in our house that we rotate for our

kids. We’ve also read the Bible at bedtime their entire lives. If this is new to you, start

now. A great devotional that blends science and faith is Indescribable by Louie Giglio

(ages 5-11). Our standby is The Bible App for Kids by YouVersion (ages 0-7). Slugs and

Bugs by Randal Goodgame (through RightNow Media and other streaming platforms) is

a great way for your kids to learn the Bible through music.


His Kingdom or Mine

Cori Windham

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to

you. (Matthew 6:33)

If you and I are going to seek first the kingdom of God as this verse implores us to do, we need

to make it a priority to be in the presence of the King. In context, Jesus is speaking about not

doing things to build up ourselves. So often we want to feel like we’ve earned our way to Jesus,

or we get self-sufficient, leaning on self instead of Him. But in Matthew 6, He’s saying that way

of living isn’t part of His kingdom. He wants us to make seeking Him a priority -- not an

afterthought. He’s saying, “Come to Me where you can experience what My kingdom is like,

where you will experience peace and joy.” These things mark time spent with the King. That’s

when His kingdom begins to shape our hearts and our lives. Without Him at center stage, we

continue to live like it’s our own kingdom, where we’re in control, not Jesus.

In my own strength, I am a person who struggles with worry. If there’s something to worry

about, I can find it in any situation. During those worry moments, I’ve had to learn to step into

God’s presence intentionally, asking Him to exchange my fretting for His perspective, peace,

and faith. In your kingdom, it might be pride, depression, comparison, or anger. What do you

need to surrender today to the King?

Pray: Jesus, I surrender _____________ (name that specific thing) to You. I surrender my own

kingdom. I invite Your kingdom and righteousness into my life. Come and reign in my heart,

life, thoughts, and choices. Help me prioritize You, Your presence, and Your kingdom first. I

receive Your peace, strength, joy, peace, and a greater trust in who You are.

Action: Stay in this moment with Him, with your arms open in a posture to receive what only

He can provide.


Back to Basics

Hope & Marvin Jordan

If there’s anything we’ve learned from just a few months of marriage, it’s that we both don’t

know too much. As funny as that sounds, it’s been really humbling for us both. Despite knowing

each other since we were 5, we’ve consistently had to “go back to basics” in our faith and

relationship skills in order to build something we both ultimately want: something healthy and

thriving.

2020 held a lot of “new” moments for you, I’m sure. What hit that you didn’t expect? Who

came in or left? What did you think you knew how to do, only to find you better start from

scratch? God has a funny way of bringing us back to the start throughout our whole lives.

We’ve both seen over and over again that it’s okay not to know what’s next or how to do it.

What’s important is which Source you’re plugged into along the way.

We want to encourage you today with something that may sound overly simple but is oh-so

true: As long as you seek God first in every situation, decision, crossroads, & obstacle, the

road may not be easy but it’ll be EMPOWERED.

Matthew 6:33 promises us that if we go after Him in every part of our lives (yes, every part), He

will do His part in supplying all we may need or ask. That means, in the arguments, the

parenting, the financial needs or planning, the habits and the hobbies, and even in the time

spent on the entertainment, He asks you to ASK HIM first with the whos, whats, and whys.

Maybe it looks like

● grabbing your spouse at night and saying a 2-3 sentence prayer (hey, you have to start

somewhere, right?)

● hitting refresh & starting a new fast or

● intentionally picking out who you’re going to speak life over TODAY (trust us, it takes

intention) or

● even opening that 365 for the first time & diving into a verse or two.

It’s not too late to renew, reset, and apply what God’s intended for us all along.

Pray: Father, we put our relationship under Your covering. Teach us to look at each other like

You do, and teach us how to treat each other that way too.


Moving in the Middle

Kristina Sacks

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the

women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to

the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

(Exodus 15:20-21)

Miriam and the Israelites were in the middle. Between being delivered out of Egypt and into the

Promised Land. God had just parted an ocean, ushered His people through, and swallowed up

their enemies with that same sea. And yet, they had miles to go before they possessed that

Promised Land, the fulfillment of God’s promise to His people. They were no longer slaves in

Egypt, but they weren’t free quite yet. Here in the middle, Miriam grabs her friends and a

tambourine to worship. She moved with purpose and intention into the presence of God. They

knew that they weren’t done; they knew that in some ways, they had just begun. But rather

than counting the days until they set foot in the Promised Land, they gathered their energy and

danced. They worshipped their hearts out, right there in the in-between.

As I write this, I am in my own in-between, feeling hinged in the middle as I wait for a promise

fulfilled. I suspect you might find yourself in a similar space. In this place, I find that moving into

God’s presence is my best way to worship. My mind spins with questions, and my heart is heavy

with waiting, so I take a walk around the neighborhood or the backyard. Somehow my steps

help open my spirit to greet God’s presence, drawing me close to Him. When fear grips my gut,

I lift my arms or move my feet, which also raises my gaze to Him and draws me into His arms.

When I feel stuck within myself, I do best when I move. There, He dismantles lies with Truth,

calming the swirling thoughts. Moving gets me out of myself and into His presence.

You don’t have to dance. Using movement to respond to God is for everyone. Here are a few

ideas:

● Walk: Around your bedroom, backyard, or neighborhood.

● Lift: Your heart follows your focus. Lift your arms. If you can’t lift your arms, lift your

eyes.

● Lie down: I know. Lying down sounds like the opposite of moving. But when we lie

down, we put our bodies in the position of surrender, readying our hearts to meet with

Him.


Pray: God, help me worship You in the middle. In the middle of my fight, in the middle of my

wait, in the middle of my journey, give me eyes to see how You’re moving. Give me the grace

to move toward You like Miriam did.


Waiting

David Beiser

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the

plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as

he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. (John 4:4-6)

If you read the rest of this story, you’ll see that she comes in the middle of the day...the heat of

the day. That is a clue, a reflection of who she is and where she’s coming from. Jesus was there

before her. That’s what He always does. He’s always been where we are going before we get

there… waiting… no matter what we come to Him with. This well kind of testifies to that idea.

This is Jacob’s well. Centuries earlier, God came here to meet with Jacob at a strategic time in

his life. He’s also been waiting to meet with you before you started reading this.

In the story, Jesus comes to this moment tired. He’s had to do some house cleaning for His

father at the temple. He had to walk through an intense conversation with a religious leader

named Nicodemas. Then He baptized people in the Jordan. Now He’s sitting at this well…

resting. His disciples had gone to town to get some food. That’s when this woman shows up.

We have to remember that culturally, as a woman, Jesus wasn’t supposed to talk to her. Add to

the fact that she doesn’t have a stellar reputation. She was alone and rejected because she had

made a series of bad choices, and those choices separated her from the world she was a part

of. It would be totally understandable if He wanted to shut down and let the moment pass, but

Jesus was being intentional. This was the reason he came to Samaria. There were other ways to

get where He was going, but He came to this well on purpose. This was how He could enter this

woman’s world and be with her. The conversation began when Jesus asked for some water.

That’s when she realized that He knows her. He knew what she’d done and why she was there

alone, but He never said any of this to embarrass her. He talked about her past, but never

called her “sinner.” He never told her to repent, but as they talked, she began to understand

who Jesus is, too. He was a stranger, a “Jew,” then a “sir,” then a “prophet,” until she finally

sees Him for who He is and why He was at the well. He was and is the “Messiah.”

She came to this moment thirsty… and hurting, rejected and afraid, but when she realized

Jesus was the Messiah who knew and loved her, she forgot about her thirst, left her water pot,

and went to the community that rejected her, telling them about the God who loves them. I

don’t know what today is like for you, but Jesus does. He knows what your needs are. He

understands rejection, hurt, and loss. He knows what it’s like for us to face days where we


wonder how we are going to pull off living through it… and He’s been waiting… always

waiting… to be what we’ve wanted and needed before we ever got here.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for waiting for me to realize that I need You. I don’t know why You

care, why You love me, why You wait for me, but You do. Thank You. Thank You that when I

come to You empty and needy, You fill me with what only You have the ability to give. I ask You

to occupy me. To fill every part of my mind…. every part of my heart… every part of my soul…

every part of my physical body. Overflow in my life. I want Your Spirit to be uncontainable in

me. Remind me that You are familiar with everything that I’m walking through, and I can trust

you to satisfy what I’m thirsty for, heal the places I’m broken. When I don’t get it, help me to be

honest and let You deal with my questions, so I can change. I don’t want to resist You. I want to

learn to follow well. And, Lord, help me to be faithful to this moment… not to leave You

waiting, but to be here with You consistently, faithfully. I love you, Jesus. Amen.

Application: For the woman at the well, waiting with Jesus was an active thing. It was a

conversation. Don’t be afraid to ask God questions. He’s big enough to handle them. Ask for His

help. He already knows your needs and wants to meet those needs with His supply. Cry out for

His grace. He already knows where you struggle. Just be honest and let your waiting with Jesus

be a chance to engage in a real dialogue with the God who loves you, wants to be with you, and

is willing to go out of His way to help.


Make Me a Dweller

David Beiser

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to

take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12)

In 1995, on the backend of a mission trip to eastern Europe, Sandi and I went to Rome. Trip of a

lifetime. We rode a scooter around the city with friends, ate real Italian food surrounded by

strolling musicians, saw ancient sites, visited the St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. It

was amazing… extraordinary, but then our walk became more serious when we came to the

Mamertine Prison.

This prison is one of the likely places where Paul wrote the letter to the Philippian church. It’s

hard to find. Hidden away. Not something most people talk about or look for, I guess. We

stepped inside, and someone greeted us then led us down a circular staircase. That day, the

prison cell was well lit and clean. The walls were bright white, and a desk was against one wall.

We began to read the brochure they gave us when we walked in. It told us that there were no

stairs when Paul was here. He was lowered by ropes through a hole into the cell. The only light

was a candle. A bucket was his bathroom, and when it rained, the room would flood, so there

was no way to stay dry.

Paul didn’t talk about this room much. We have glimpses. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul asked for his

heavy coat. Not just a coat… a heavy one. Which means he was really cold and didn’t have a

way not to be cold until someone brought what he asked for. At best, it took weeks to receive

it. In chapter 4, Paul told Timothy that no one was standing with him. Loneliness is a different

kind of weight. Not the one you want. It just wears on you and makes everything you feel

worse. We know there was more, but Paul didn’t talk much about it.

What you do hear Paul say from this cold and lonely Roman prison was that knowing (ongoing,

deepening relationship) Jesus Christ was what mattered most to Him. He talked about rejoicing

in the Lord… always. He told us to think about what’s true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable,

excellent, praiseworthy, or doing all things through Christ who gave him strength.

When you read all this, you start to see the secret to his life was his Source. It was never about

visiting God. Paul knew how to dwell with the Lord; it was his lifestyle. An everyday, all the

time, “all in” kind of relationship. Like when you get up in the morning, or when you’re in an

argument with someone, or you’re struggling with temptation, or wrestling with depression,

your go-to move is looking for God… to be with God… to ask God for help. It’s when you


come to the end of a day, and you realize you only made it was because the Holy Spirit helped

you to. This is what a dweller does.

Paul was a dweller, and he became a dweller because he had one goal. He was willing to press

on, press in, strain toward, grab hold of whatever he needed to reach it. Nothing was worth

more than knowing Jesus. I’m not there. I want to be. I am focused but not this focused. I am

determined, but I have a long way to go. I complain about lightweight challenges or distractions

on my calendar. What I do know, what I have learned from Paul, is that my life pursuit of Jesus

has to be my priority. It can’t end with this 21-day fast or these devotions. I hope that all of this

helps create the desire for more of God and pushes us deeper, but moving past day 21 requires

that we discover the goal… the priority of Jesus and fix our eyes on Him. That’s what will take

us past today. That’s how we become dwellers.

Pray: God, I want my life to be a pursuit of You. I want You to be the one thing, the goal of my

life. I want to be faithful to all You’ve called me to, but my priority has to be You. Help me to

make daily decisions and steps to be with You. Make me consistent. Make me persistent. Make

me a woman/man after Your heart. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Action: What does your Monday calendar look like? Where will you invest time with God? Put it

in your calendar and when other things come up, let people know that you have an

appointment. Make fasting a lifestyle, maybe a day or meal on a given day. Write it down. The

point is to make deliberate choices to move forward, to take that next step in your pursuit of

God.


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God’s Love for Us & Our Pursuit of Him: A 21-Day Devotional€¦ · God’s Love for Us & Our Pursuit of Him: A 21-Day Devotional Introduction Our desire is for you to experience