RAISE UP THE STANDARD!
"To Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious Presence without fault and with great joy - to the Only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24)
Morning Devotion: Feasting in His Presence - Read John 15:18-16:4
In the final hours before He went to the cross Jesus spent His time comforting His disciples. It is extraordinary to think that in the depths of extreme pain and suffering, Jesus continued to care about and meet the needs of others. Jesus, up to the very moment of death, exemplified the heart of a servant, laying down all concern for Himself He concentrated fully on the reason He had come and the work that He must finish. While He hung on the cross, dying for the sin of mankind, enduring the separation from the Father, He spoke seven times - all words of love for those He had come to save: 1) About the soldiers who were casting lots for His garments: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34a); 2) To the criminal who believed in Him while being crucified himself: "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise" (v. 43); 3) To His mother, Mary: "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple whom He loved, "Here is your mother" (John 19:26b, 27a); 4) Experiencing separation from the Father: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?', 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" 5) After suffering for hours: "I am thirsty" (John 19:28b); 6) Before He breathed His last breath: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46); 7) At the moment of death: "It is finished" (John 19:30)
In the depths of great sorrow and suffering Jesus continued His ministry and revealed to us the response He desires from His followers; the response of love. He has told us to expect persecution and trial, and has prepared us, by equipping us with His power so that we can remain stable and respond in any circumstance with His grace and peace. "If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me" (John 15:20b, 21). As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to take up our cross and follow Him, and this includes dying to self so we can live for Him. "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). The life we now live is not our own; He has freed us from the shackles of this world and redeemed our life from the grave, so we are no longer dead in our sins, but have been given new life so we can live for Him.
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me."
(Galatians 2:20a)
We can expect to be hated and persecuted by a world that does not know Christ, but we can also walk with confidence, and without fear, knowing that Jesus Christ has already prepared the way for us, paving it with His blood. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). We are ambassadors of Christ, His calling card to the world, and the way we respond to their ridicule and hatred may make all the difference in the world to them accepting or rejecting Christ. "...offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness" (Romans 6:13b). We have the option every day, with everything we do or say, of being vessels for God's holy purposes to draw the world to Him or being instruments of Satan's purposes and becoming an obstacle in their paths. How we respond in the midst of the fiery trial will reveal our true character - and the character we should desire to show to the world is Christ and Christ alone. "but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" (Romans 5:3-5). Jesus Christ went to the depths of the grave to save us from sin and death. With all the spiritual blessings we have received in Him, may we not question or argue, or be surprised, if He chooses to allow us to experience the depths of pain and suffering if it will provide an opportunity to rescue another soul from this world and set another captive free (reference Isaiah 58:6). Praise the Lord in the midst of lifes most difficult storms, and ask Him to open your eyes to look beyond your pain to see His promises being fulfilled for your life and in the lives of those He desires to reach. Ask Him for the grace to respond to those who speak viciously and with ignorance by speaking the truth in love!
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REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD!
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)
Afternoon Devotion: Filled with His Power - Read Matthew 27:57-61; Hebrews 4:1-16
Jesus' final words on the cross were, "It is finished." The work He had come to accomplish was now complete and He breathed His last breath and died. His body was taken down from the cross on Friday evening, the Day of Preparation before the Sabbath. The One Who, after completing His creative work, blessed the seventh day and made it holy, and Who later gave the Sabbath to Israel as a sign that she was His holy people, was now at rest, so that all people may come to experience His rest in His completed work on the cross. "...this will be a sign between Me and you...so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy" (Exodus 31:13, 16-17).
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work,
just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort
to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following
their example of disobedience."
(Hebrews 4:9-10)
The Lord had given the Sabbath as a day for mankind to experience "spiritual, mental, and physical restoration." "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Jesus had rebuked the teachers of the Law on more than one occasion for corrupting His Sabbath-rest. They had so multiplied the restrictions and requirements of the Sabbath Law that it had become an unbearable, and unattainable, burden for the people, rather than observing it in the manner that God intended. They had distorted the meaning behind the Sabbath so much so that they elevated their man-made regulations above the needs of the people. Jesus performed seven miracles on the Sabbath, which, in turn, incited the leaders to seek His death (reference Luke 4:31-37, 38; 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-4; John 5:8-11; 9:1-14). "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or destroy it?" (Luke 6:9). Jesus had expressed that the Lord's creative work may have been completed at Creation, but Him compassionate work on behalf of mankind continues without regard for special days or festivals. "My Father is always at work to this day, and I, too, am working" (John 5:17). Of course, Jesus, acknowledging His special relationship with the Father only added further evidence to the case the Pharisees would bring against Him to demand His death. They did not understand what the Sabbath truly meant. "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 12:7).
God had given the Sabbath-rest to His people Israel on their way out of Egypt. It became an official covenant obligation when the Law was given at Mount Sinai (the Ten Commandments; reference Exodus 20:8-11). "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" (v.8). They had been set apart for God's purposes and were to observe the Sabbath-rest as a weekly reminder that it is the Lord who sanctifies them and Who will provide for them. God's ultimate provision of the Sabbath-rest came through Jesus Christ, but not all of the Jewish people would believe in Him; therefore, they are the ones called to continue to observe the Sabbath-rest until their eyes are opened and they experience true rest in the salvation of Jesus Christ (reference Romans 11:25). "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).
When the Israelites were entering the land of Canaan they failed to trust in the Lord's promise that He would provide for them, even after having experienced the miracles of their exodus from Egypt. As a result of their doubt and unbelief, the Lord sentenced them to forty years of wandering in the wilderness so they would learn to depend upon Him. "So I declared an oath in My anger, 'They shall never enter My rest" (Psalm 95:11). The Lord established three Sabbath-rests for His people to observe: the weekly Sabbath, the Sabbath Year, and the Year of Jubilee (seven Sabbaths of seven years). Years later the Israelites would suffer the Lord's discipline again and experience seventy years of exile for failing to observe the Sabbath Year and giving the land it's required rest.
The Sabbath-rest was meant to provide an opportunity for the people of God to delight themselves in the Lord and in His Law. He has always faithfully provided for His people. When the Israelites were finally at rest they were free to focus on building the house for the Lord (reference 1 Kings 5:4). Today, Jesus has triumphed over the grave and has given us eternal rest and peace in Him. His work is finished and there is nothing left for us to do but rest in His completed work on the cross. We, too, are called to concentrate our strength and resources on building His kingdom, trusting that we are secure in Him and have nothing internally or externally to fear. We live in a time of Jubilee, where our Lord has cancelled our sin-debt and set us free from the slavery of sin and death. Let us not make the tragic mistake of following the example of Israel who missed their opportunity to enter the promised land, but rather follow the cross of Christ and receive our inheritance today. "Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it" (Hebrews 4:1).
Thank God for the rest that we now have because He suffered, bled and died on our behalf (see a repeat of the Day 34 devotional below for the victory He achieved for us over death!). May we not fall into Israel's repeated cycle of discipline because they failed to obey God's Word; but recognize the importance of daily spending time in the Word of God (and with the God of the Word) so we will not drift away, but rather draw closer to Him (reference Hebrews 4:12). We have been set free to build His kingdom, may we daily approach the throne of grace, where our Savior is now seated in constant intercession for us and delight in the privilege and opportunity we have been given to spend intimate time with Him, praying according to His will, so that many more people will experience the glorious rest and peace that comes from His salvation (reference Hebrews 4:14-16). 'Therefore, God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later He spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (v. 7).
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
But encourage one another daily, as long it is called Today,
so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end
the confidence we had at first."
(Hebrews 3:12-14)
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RESTORE PRAISE!
"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever, Amen!" (Revelation 7:12)
Evening Devotion: Focused on His Praise - Read Luke 1:67-79
This evening as we reflect on the extraordinary sacrifice that Christ made for us, the victory He achieved for us, and the gift He gave us, let us join Zechariah in his prophetic hymn of praise. What he was looking forward to, we have experienced and received. In Zechariah's song, called the Benedictus, or "Praise be," he sings the praises of the coming Lord who is our true Jubilee. Jesus Christ came to open prison doors and set the captives free. As in the year of Jubilee, Jesus has liberated the slaves, cancelled our sin debt, and invited us to claim our inheritance in Christ and experience true rest in Him (reference Leviticus 25:8-13; Isaiah 58:6-14). Praise the Lord, "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54b), Jesus Christ has conquered death and the grave, and we have been given new life in Him!
"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because He has come and has redeemed His people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David
(as He said through His holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-
to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve Him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
to give His people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
(Luke 1:68-79)
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Heavenly Father,
"My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
(Psalm 62:1-2)
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let Your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand."
(Psalm 16:9-11)
Thank You, Lord, for the rest we have found in You
from the moment we received Your salvation,
as well as each and every day as we learn to abide in You.
May we never fail to enter that rest, but fully
claim our inheritance in You as we meet You in
Your Word and in prayer with You each day.
Help me to never doubt Your Word
but grow to trust You more and more each day.
Thank You for the victory You have given Me.
All praise and glory and honor and strength
belong to only You.
In the victorious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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**Devotion From Day 34:
Afternoon Devotion: Filled With His Power - Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the foundation of our belief. The power of the resurrection given to us through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit has raised us from spiritual death unto a glorious new life in Christ. It is through the power of the resurrected life that we are able (and compelled) to proclaim the message of life to a spiritually dead world. "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Between His crucifixion on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the grave, Jesus Christ faced the last great enemy of our souls, death (reference 1 Corinthians 15:26). In order to achieve for us the life He has for us, Jesus had to shut the mouth of the grave. "I will ransom you from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death..." (Hosea 13:14a). The great swallower of human souls would be swallowed up forever through the work of Jesus Christ who was willing to die for all mankind and face the monster who is never satisfied (reference Isaiah 25:8). "Death and Destruction are never satisfied..." (Proverbs 27:20).
"Death has been swallowed up in victory.
'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?' "
(1 Corinthians 15:54b, 55)
When Jesus appeared to the disciples they had been hiding away, behind locked doors, for fear of death. Jesus knocked down the enemy that was holding them captive and keeping them paralyzed, and therefore unable to do the work that they were being called to do. "...so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14b, 15). The key to unlocking the door that has us trapped in a place of fear and death and opening the way to for us to experience confidence and life is belief. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). The devil can only influence people to sin and as a result of their response cause them to fall under sin's penalty which is death. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ holds the keys of death and Hades and has complete authority and control of their dominion (reference Revelation 1:18).
"...but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,
who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel."
(2 Timothy 1:10)
Jesus Christ is alive, for ever, and He has conquered death on our behalf; He will completely destroy death when He returns to defeat all His enemies at the great white throne judgment when death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). It was sin that placed us under death's power, but it is Christ's sacrificial work on the cross that set us free from it's shackles. Today, we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us;" and Who gave His life up for us so we would no longer be the food that satisfies the appetite of the grave (Romans 8:37). Jesus defeated death for us, so we have no reason to be defeated by sin. Our sin took Jesus to the depths of the grave to face that greedy monster death and we should not allow ourselves to be swallowed up again by living a life of sin. We have been given all the power we need to flee from temptation and sin (reference 1 Timothy 6:11-16). Satan is only taunting us to trap us and get us to fall in that pit again. Let us not feed that fleshly appetite that will, in turn, only lead to feeding the insatiable appetite of that monster called death. Jesus has already conquered sin and death for us - that is not a war we have to fight. We need to wield our mighty sword of the Spirit and walk in the newness of life that we have been given, instead of giving in to the old life that we were so accustomed to living.
We are faced with death all day long; the culture of sin, immorality, and corruption that pervades today, is a culture of death that seeks only to create victims to satisfy the appetite of the great monster, death. The grave, however, is never satisfied (reference Proverbs 30:15-16). Jesus is the only one who could, and who did, pay the ransom price to redeem us from the grave. Let us, therefore, focus our attention of feeding our own spiritual appetites with the Word of God so we can be nourished and strengthened to carry the message of life to another poor, hungry soul that is destined for the grave. We never have to fear death as long as we believe in the One who has given us life! May we take the keys we've been given and unlock the door to lead someone else who is trapped in fear to believe in Jesus Christ, so they too can experience new life (reference Matthew 16:19)!
Evening Devotion: Focused on His Praise - Read Psalm 49
Praise God that we have no reason to fear death. As believers, our eternal destination is secure and we can live our lives with confidence and joy. As we look forward to that glorious day when there will be no more pain and death (reference Revelation 21:4), let us make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel message with others who are living without hope and are fearful of death. We all have to face death at some point in our life. It is a glorious privilege to have the opportunity to choose life now while we still have the time. If we are truly pro-life we would not stand in the way, or stop proclaiming His Word, so that others might experience the life we have been given in Jesus Christ. Our life is not our own, may we make every effort to honor the extraordinary sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave for us, and not hold Him in contempt; instead, may we accept His gift with gratitude and humility, and live our lives in obedience, willing to lay down our lives so that others may hear and believe the message that completely changed our lives.
"Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
both low and high, rich and poor alike:
My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the utterance from my heart will give understanding...
Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me...
No man can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for him -
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough -
that he should live on forever and not see decay.
But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
he is like the beasts that perish.
Like sheep they are destined for the grave,
and death will feed on them...
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
He will surely take me to Himself."
(Psalm 49:1-3, 5-9, 12, 14a, 15)
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The entire CRUCIFIED journey will be available
online in a few days. To access the first 10 days of this journey
go to www.trumpetandtorch.org and
click on the Year of Jubilee seal on the home page.
When the Jubilee page opens up simply go to the
calendar to your right and scroll down to
March/April and click on CRUCIFIED.
Click on the CRUCIFIED image in the center of
your screen to access the pdf and download
and print out the journey.
Additional prayer and fasting journeys are available
online at www.trumpetandtorch.org
under the "HOW TO FAST" button at the
top of the website home page.
If this is your first time participating in a 40-day fast
it is recommended that you begin with
"EAT at the Table of the King"
This journey can be downloaded and printed out
under the How To Fast button
or accessed online in the Temple at LOGIN.
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