"Let His Enemies Be Scattered"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, come rule and reign in my life and every moment of my day. ...

“Let God arise,

Let His enemies be scattered;

Let those also who hate Him flee before Him” (Psalm 68:1).

 Yesterday morning I sat at the low bar at the Waffle House and listened to the customers and servers conversations.  I also received texts and phone calls, my wife did as well, from people who are struggling in life.  People who’s lives and family members are under attack mentally, spiritually, and financially. Who say they do not know what they are going to do. Who say they feel like just giving up and walking away.  I turn on the news and the hate, animosity, and personal attacks from our government leaders and their supporters and both side of the aisle only fuels people fears and anxieties.  The aggression and terror of the leaders and rulersof Russia towards the Ukraine, China towards Taiwan,  the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the list goes on of governe=ments and armies around the world seems endless.

 Lord, arise in the hearts of all who are fearful and worried about their lives, about their families.  Lord arise in the hearts of the government officials and their followers who do not know or live out their call to use their position to reflect a God of mercy and love. But those people, institutions and things in this world that are causing fear and worry in people are not the enemy.  Our government officials and their radical followers are not our true enemy.  Those men and their governments and their armies of that are attacking the peace of the world are not our true enemies

 “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

 So we cry out to You God to arise, to scatter Your spiritual enemies, to contend with those who contend with us and all who trust in You (Isaiah 49:25). Send forth Your word to heal (Psalm 107:20). Send forth Your Spirit to strengthen (Zechariah 4:6). Send forth Your angels to fight (Psalm 103:20). Reveal the truth that many more are they who are with us than they who are with the spiritual enemies against us (2 Kings 6:16).

 As Your scatter Your enemies, let faith and hope and love arise in the hearts of Your people (1 Corinthians 13:13). Let Your perfect love cast out all fear (1 John 4:18). And let the world see that You are a God who leaves no one behind (Hebrews 13:5).

 In this broken and fallen world, death has entered through sin and now death has spread to all men, because all have sinned (Romans 5:12). And in the freedom of will that an authentic relationship of love requires, some will always choose to advance death over life, darkness over light, and good over evil (John 3:19). So even as we pray and believe, some may die; but they will not die alone (Matthew 28:20). Some may suffer; but they will not suffer in vain (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). For even their blood, even their suffering, will be seed for the great harvest of souls to come (Acts 8:1-8; Matthew 13:39).

 So we cry out, O God protect them and save them. And at the same time, we cry out, O God let their lives or their deaths, let their salvation or their suffering have immeasurable meaning and unfathomable value in bringing many souls to repentance and many sons to glory (2 Peter 3:9; Hebrews 2:10). Give them grace to be saved, courage to stand, and assurance of Your love and Your presence through whatever they endure (Romans 8:28). We pray this for them and we pray the same for us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, I pray this morning you join me in crying out to the God and trust in Him to arise and scatter His enemies, as He redeems all things on behalf of all these He loves, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

"Walk Worthy Of The Lord"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me up with Your Spirit, as I lift up Your name through my life today (Ephesians 5:18). ...

“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10).

Last night I drove my wife Nancy to her Aunt Di’s house.  He Aunt Di is nearing the moment of her passing from this earth into glory, and the family gathered in her home around her bed to say their goodbyes.  Aunt Di led a life as an amazing woman of God. She was a school teacher, raised her family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren all in a loving Christian home.  She had walked with the Lord a long time, completed her course with grace, and is nearing her end of the race she was called to run.  She brought forth much good fruit in her life.

Reflecting on the Holy moment of last night and my life today, it stirred in my heart to ask God to give me grace as well to “walk worthy of the Lord”.  I want to be “fully pleasing” to You Jesus and “bear good fruit in every good work.”

I don’t want to limp along or be dragged along in this walk. I don’t want to get side-tracked or distracted. I don’t want to get tripped up or just stumble through it. I don’t want to walk without a purpose or a direction. I want to walk along with You, in step with You, following “in (Your) steps” on the journey You have for my life today (1 Peter 2:21).

Jesus, You’ve taught me along the journey, that this is not a “walk” I can do in my strength or my wisdom; not in my goodness or self-righteousness. It’s all by Your grace. Apart from You, I can do thing (John 15:5). And I thank You that I never have to be apart from You and that by Your grace empowering my desires and my choices, I can do all things all things through You -- through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Your part is to empower me. My part is to say, “Yes, Lord!” and walk with You.

“For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

So here in these first moments of my morning and then throughout the moments of my day, and on through all the moments of my life, keep filling me with “the knowledge of (Your) will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Keep giving me both the desire and the power to do what pleases You -- as best as I can and all by Your grace, this day and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My family, as you begin your day, bring to mind a saint that has touched your life. That man or woman, who like my wife’s Aunt Di, lived a life and was a living example of “walking worthy of the Lord.”  I pray the thought of that person will inspire you as it did me this morning, to ask the Holy Spirit tobe empowered by God's grace to "walk worthy of the Lord" today, doing what pleases Him and lifting up His name in honor through your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

"Temple Stones"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek to start my day centered in You -- grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...

“When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, (Jesus) said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down’” (Luke 21:5-6). 

Every temple that doesn’t make room for Jesus will come down. Even the beautiful things, even the religious things. 

“Not one stone” will stand that doesn’t acknowledge You as “the “Chief Cornerstone”:

“Coming to Him as to a Living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

‘Behold, I lay in Zion

A Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious,

And He who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 

‘The Stone which the builders rejected

Has become the Chief Cornerstone,’

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:4-10).

Our hearts are the temple of the Lord Jesus. So with what stones are you constructing the temple of your heart? Stones of pride, position, popularity, selfishness, materialism, and others which will be torn down and not one left standing on another?  When the time comes that all things that can be shaken will be shaken, and that time will come, What will remain of the temple you are building?  Jesus, You are our Chief Cornerstone. So when the time of shacking comes. and only those things which cannot be shaken remains, those who’s temple was built on faith and hope in You Jesus,  will remain firm in You -- our Rock and Cornerstone, as King of kings and Lord of lords, forever abiding in the temple of our hearts. For those whose faith is grounded in You -- steadfast and unshakeable -- “(we) are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in (us)” (1 Corinthians 3:16). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, everyday, including today you lay stones on the temple of your heart.  What stones will you lay today?  I pray you may be steadfast and unshakeable in your faith and lay stones grounded in the One who is your Chief Cornerstone in the temple of your heart, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends! 

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

"We Are On A Journey"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

“When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly. The next day Paul went with us to visit James; and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard it, they praised God!” (Acts 21:17-20)

Step by step, season by season, all along our journey, we praise God for all You do in our lives and through the ministry You entrust to each of us. All glory, honor, and praise belong to You. And we thank You that we get to be a part of all You’re doing in our days!

Sometimes the battles are intense and the challenges almost overwhelming. But it’s all in Your plan to help us learn to love, to grow in grace, to surrender more of our will to more of Your will, as our ways become more like Your ways. “For this is the will of God, (our) sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). 

And this is the way of God, to teach us through the moments of real time to experience what’s it really like to truly trust in You and depend upon You for every breath, every provision, and every expression of Your nature through our lives in our world. “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).

We’re to “grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” through all we endure and overcome, through all we celebrate and embrace, “until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-16). “Christ in (us), the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

My wife Nancy and I are beginning a new journey ourselves in our ministry as we transition out of  leading a legacy, and like Paul concentrate on making disciples with our boots on in the ground house to house in our neighborhoods. We also are reconnecting with old friends, connecting with new, and we are excited to see what all God will do!  May we receive and may we impart, as we grow in grace right from the start of our journey.  We have arrived where God is calling us, and at the same time we are still on the journey where He leads us, in Jesus’ name.

My family, I pray you may intentionally seek out and then step out in faith to be strategically positioned in the place and with the people the Holy Spirit has aligned in your life for this season of God's glory through you and your ministry, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

"Everlasting God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise in my heart by Your Spirit, as I wait here a moment in Your Presence before I arise and go into my day. ...

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary,

and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

I begin a new week that will contain new challenges and events. To prepare for this I turn my heart and mind towards the unchanging, everlasting God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You’re everlasting in mercy and everlasting in love. You’re everlasting in faithfulness and fulfillment of every promise of Your Word. You’re everlasting in an eternity that has no beginning and no end in ways that unsearchable and beyond our understanding. And at the same time, You’re everlasting in every moment of our day and every detail of our lives.

You’re everlasting, but we’re not. Though spirit and soul will live for eternity, these physical bodies that carry us through our days on this earth will not. They grow faint; they get weary; they become exhausted.

But even then, You invite us to draw near to You, to open up to You, to wait on You a little while. And as we wait, as we worship, as we lift up our hearts and allow our spirits to arise into the intimate communion of Your Presence, You renew us and refresh us. You lift us up on eagles’ wings and fill us up with spiritual life.

Then we’re ready to run again. To run and not be weary, to walk and not grow faint. Until it’s time to come wait on You again and allow us to be strengthened again in the deep embrace of Your Presence. Thank You for this gift and grace of Your everlasting Presence, our everlasting God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My family, may you be refreshed and renewed, ready to run again, as you wait on the Lord in the deep abiding Presence of our everlasting God, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

"Prayer Over Our Children"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and Savior, Good Shepherd of my soul, I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...

 My wife is a traffic guard for Rainbow  Pre-K school. She directs parents dropping off their children in the car line.  Madison City Schools started back yesterday.  Since it is a pre-Kindergarten school, yesterday was the first day ever for most of the children dropped off.  My wife came home yesterday and told me stories of mothers and fathers crying in their cars, taking pictures in front of the school sign, and long hugs with their children as they dropped them off into this new season of their life. So this morning, my heart turns to You Jesus on behalf of all our children going back to school – Pre-K or kindergarten, elementary or college, public or private, vocational or spiritual, at home or abroad. And as I listen for the leading of Your Spirit on how to pray, this Story of Your heart for our children comes to mind:

 “(Jesus) called a child, whom He put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes Me. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.... Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of My Father in heaven.... So it is the will of your Father in heaven that not one of these little ones should be lost” (Matthew 18:2-14).

 For many “little ones,” this is the first day of school to start off this school year. Some have already begun; others will begin soon; yet, all are always learning, always vulnerable, and always in need of our prayers and Your angels.

 Thank You for these “ministering spirits” who are Your guardian angels sent forth at Your command and watch over our children and Yours -- not just when they're little, but all the days of their lives. "Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14) "Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out His plans, listening for each of His commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve Him and do His will!" (Psalm 103:20-21)

 Father, we entrust our children to You -- to Your word and Your will, Your protection and Your purposes, Your guidance and Your guardians, Your care and Your compassion, Your heart and Your hands. We entrust them to Your Holy Spirit in Your heavenly school, as they go back to school, secure in the Spirit. You love them even more than we do and even more than we ever could.

 So we know You'll watch over them -- sending forth Your word and Your warriors -- in ways we can't and never could. "The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him" and carefully watching over all those entrusted to Him (Psalm 103:13).

 We trust in You to protect their immune systems from covid and their minds from confusion, their spirits from criticism and their bodies from abuse, their hearts from rejection and their thoughts from fear. We trust You to be with them through the challenges, as they mature in character.

 Fill them with Your Spirit and anoint them for learning. Remind them of who they are in You and who You are in them, as they grow “in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with man” in the model of Jesus (Luke 2:52). Then bring them home again, safe and sound, secure in Your Spirit and growing in the confidence of their true identity in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may your heart be steady as we entrust our children and the children of our communities in the heart and hands of our Father who loves them more than we every could, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE      

 

"Who's Yo Daddy?"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way to Heaven; and You’ve made Your way into my heart and life by Your Holy Spirit, who reminds me every morning and throughout the moments of my day that I am a child of God. ...

 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of Adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we in fact suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:14-17).

 Simple but profound and forever true -- Your Spirit bearing witness with my spirit that I am saved, I am forgiven, I am free. I am a child of God.

 Every now and I then, I just need to take a moment, take my morning time here in the silence of surrender before You, here in my morning communion of prayer with You, to remember my identity. Secured and assured by Your Spirit that You are with me, that You are for me, that You have given me Your Spirit of Adoption to know and not doubt that I am a child of God.

 I’m an heir of Heaven, as a joint heir with Christ. And my inheritance is my identity, that God himself is my Father -- a Father who never leaves me nor forsakes me; a Father who loves me and looks out for me; a Father who even takes whatever sufferings I endure on my journey through this sliver of time I have in this world on this side of Heaven, to make me more like Jesus every day in the glory of His identity.

 As Your Word goes on to say in the next verse: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” (v. 18).

 Yes, Lord. My Father God, I am Your child. Lord Jesus, I am Your joint heir, even as I am also Your disciple and servant. Holy Spirit of the Living God, I am living in constant communion with You as You abide in me and bear witness to me of who I am in Christ.

 Nothing I ever encounter and overcome, nothing I suffer through on my journey through this broken and fallen world, will ever separate me from Your love (v. 38-39). “No, in all these things (I am) more than victorious through Him who loves (me)!” (v. 37)

 Thank You for reminding me of Your written Word and sending it into my spirit by Your spoken word this morning -- simple, profound, and forever true. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may you be reminded by the Spirit of your identity as a child of God, forgiven and free, secured and assured of His forever love for you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE     

"Change In Your Life Does Not "Just Happen"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, for Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:3); and the sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). ...

As I read these words and now sit meditating and waiting, what comes to my heart -- into my spirit and intto mind, in the communication of Your Heart to my heart, Your Spirit to my spirit -- is this:

“Draw near to Me. Pursue Me. Press in to Me. Position yourself to hear Me and trust Me and obey Me, as I put My thoughts in your mind and My desires in your heart. This is how I change you into My image and transform you with My mind renewing your mind.” ...

Yes, Lord. I know every word I ever believe I’m hearing in my heart must be tested against the Word of God as my Plumb Line and Standard (1 Thessalonians 5:21). And this written Word immediately comes to mind to confirm Your spoken word:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

And this:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert...” (1 Peter 5:6-8).

The transforming and renewing of my mind does not “just happen.” The peace Jesus offers over my life “that passes all understanding” over the anxieties and chaos in my life I do not receive without being present with You to receive it. Your Word tells me that “Entering into the “Kingdom of God” and receiving all the blessings and grace you offer me in all things and areas of my life does not happen unless I “Seek You first.”

So this morning by the leading of Your Spirit and in the power of Your grace, I do choose to intentionally position myself to hear You and trust You and obey You. I do choose to humble myself before You in prayer, to press in to You in worship, to allow You to change my nature into Your nature, my character into Your character, and transform me by the renewing of my mind. I do choose to be positioned to be changed by the Presence of God.

Let this be my discipline in obedience and submission to Your discipleship. In this way, may You make me more like You each day (Romans 8:29). For as You are, so are we to be in our world (1 John 4:17). Lord, let it be so in me and in the heart of every soul who is called by Your name -- day by day, step by step, morning by morning, “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My family, I pray you may intentionally position yourself to be changed by the Presence of God, to be conformed into His image and participate in His nature, from glory to glory, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

 Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE    

"What Is Your Image of Yourself?"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...

“Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.’ Gideon answered him, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.’ Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.’ He responded, ‘But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ The Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them’” (Judges 6:11-16).

You saw something in Gideon he didn’t see in himself. And You knew answers to his questions he didn’t know.

 What Gideon needed to see and to know was that You knew him better than he knew himself; and that You were with him wherever he was, wherever You would send him, despite whatever questions he had, however weary he had become, however lacking his faith had become.

 The key words: “But I will be with you” (v. 16). And You were.

 Gideon was able to “Go in this might of (his)” because You empowered him by Your Presence to “Go in this might of (Yours)” (v. 14).

 Though he was full of fear and lack of faith at first, even questioning Your promises and purposes, he still chose to trust You and obey You (v. 27). By the power of Your grace, emboldened by Your Presence, Gideon was able to confront the sins of his generations and his nation, the spiritual sickness and idolatry of his culture and his clan (v. 25-32).

 It wasn’t until after his first encounter that Gideon realized he had had a “face to face” encounter with the Living God. The “angel of the Lord” was none other than the Presence of the Lord -- a “Christophany” encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ, just has You also appeared in this way to Hagar, Abraham, Jacob, Manoah, and Joshua (Genesis 16:7; 22:15; 32:30; Judges 2:1; 13:13; Joshua 5:14).

 “Then Gideon perceived that it was the Angel of the Lord, and Gideon said, ‘Help me, Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you; do not fear; you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, ‘The Lord Is Peace’” (v. 22-24).

 There’s peace in Your Presence because You are our Peace (Ephesians 2:14). There’s courage and confidence, security and faith in Your Presence because You are the Source of all we need, when we need it, whether we recognize it at first or not. You are the Lord God Almighty, our All Sufficient-God (Genesis 17:1-2). You are our “All in All” (Ephesians 1:23).

 You see us in ways we don’t see ourselves and do things through our lives we could never do on our own. In You we find our identity and fulfill our destiny -- all for Your glory and all by Your grace. You give us eyes to see ourselves with God’s sight, in Jesus’ name.

 My family,as you begin this new week it will include going to your job, people to meet and places to go.  You will be seen by people who have a formed image of you in their mind.  Before you do any of these things, I pray you may take time to form the image in your mind of who you are to God.  I pray you mey  see yourself as God sees you, empowered by His Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of Christ abiding in you, knowing your identity and fulfilling your destiny in Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE    

"Vitamin Sea"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn to You -- "looking to Jesus" -- to run the race set before me today (Hebrews 12:1-2). ...

On the first floor of the condo on the beach we are staying at there is a dry erase board on which a condo staff member writes down the events at the condo for that day.   Written on it this morning across the bottom was “Enjoy and take plenty of  “Vitamin Sea” today! “

I smiled at this and then reflected on  it.

Vitamin C. 

Vitamin C is "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Christ in me, shining Your Light through me, letting Your Rivers of Living Water flow through me, allowing Your Power and Love to be manifest all around me, because Your abiding Presence dwells within me.  "(I am) not in the flesh; (I am) in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (me). Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in (me), though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in (me), He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to (my) mortal body also through His Spirit that dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:9-11).

This morning, sitting here with my Bible open I'm taking in my Vitamin C, Lord. And by the power of Your grace -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- my immune system will be strong and I will "be in good health." As the Apostle John prayed for those entrusted to his care, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.... I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in truth.... that we may become co-workers with the truth.... Peace be to you" (3 John 2:15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

My family,may you take time today to take in plenty of Vitamin C so that you may be in good health, spiritually, mentally and physically. May this dose of Vitamin C in you cause you to prosper even as your soul prospers, and may you be the hands and feet of Jesus, revealing the love and heart of our Father, all in the power of the Holy Spirit as witness of our God in our world, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

 

"New For Today"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of my life, as I begin my day in communion with You. ...

“I am about to do a new thing;

    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

    and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).

 My family and I came to the beach Saturday with some friends.  Yesterday we spent a wonderful day on the beach.  I got up this morning and walked down to the beach to set up our chairs and umbrellas.  I looked at the sand and though we spent a wonderful, full day yesterday ton the same spot of beach I was now standing: laughing, talking, eating, drinking, and enjoying our time together; this morning there was no trace that we had even been there.  The waves of the incoming time had smoothed the sand and erased any signs of the previous day.  The waves had prepared the sand “New” for today.  I’m reminded that the Bible often speaks of new beginnings.

 Lord, give me eyes to see the “new thing” You’re doing -- in me, around me, in my world, in the Body and Bride of Christ. Give me ears to hear what Your Spirit is speaking to Your Church, what Your Spirit is speaking to me. And give me courage to embrace it, faith to believe it, and grace to make it my own.

 Where there’s been a wilderness, You’re making a way. Where there’s been a desert, You’re releasing Your river to flow.

 By the power of Your grace, let me perceive it; let me receive it. Don’t leave me out of it! And do everything You need to do in me for me to be in the middle of it! ...

 As I wait and listen for Your response to the cry of my heart, what comes to mind immediately is the Promise of Your Word:

 “But as it is written:

 Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’

 “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

 O Lord. We have no idea the depth of the things of God about to spring up in this “new thing” You’re doing in this time of new beginnings. But Your Spirit is beginning to reveal it and the world can no longer conceal it.

 And I’m all in! I’m not holding back! I’m full of expectant faith and confident hope in You -- the God of new beginnings and faithful endings! He who began a good work in me, and in all Your Body and Bride for all the world to see, will be faithful to complete it until the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may you sense the waves of God’s grace washing over you this morning, smoothing out the uneven areas of your life and preparing it for a brand new day today!  May you be filled with expectant faith and confident hope in the new things the Lord is revealing by His Spirit and doing in your life and His people for the glory of His name,  all in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE   

"Laying Aside"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here at the first of this new year, be first place in my heart, with Your Presence the first thought in mind and Your name the first word I speak. ...

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 As my wife Nancy and I are beginning this new season of ministry God is calling us into, We have started cleaning out and removing the things in our house and garage that we have collected and are clinging to that are taking up space, weighing us down, and require our time and attention.  Yesterday, in a time of prayer and conversation with a spiritual brother, he also confirmed how the things that once seemed important and that he could not get along without, as he is drawing closer to God, they no longer hold an attraction to him.

 I have also been paying over removing and laying aside the “spiritual” weights that are/would slow me down and the sin that would trip me up. I want to “run with perseverance the race that God is now setting before (me)” and I want to run this race “in such a way that (I) may win” the prize, as Your Word compels me (1 Corinthians 9:24).

 And in the kingdom of God, the way to win the prize is by letting go of what lies behind and taking hold of what lies ahead. As the Apostle Paul said:

 “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind...” (Philippians 3:12-15).

 And “the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” is that I become more like Jesus -- conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29), as He is so am I to be in this world (1 John 4:17). I become more like Him, as I behold Him and the Holy Spirit transforms me into the image of Christ from glory to glory, morning by morning, one day at a time (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

 So my family, that’s the race I’m determined on running. That’s the race I want to win -- as best as I can and all by and relying on the grace of God -- “looking to Jesus.” So by the same mercy and power of Your grace, I’m letting go of physical, mental, and spiritual “Stuff” that once attracted me yesterday, and taking hold of my new revelation of you and my calling today, to run my race well. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family,  may you be set free of all that would weigh you down or trip you up as you run the race set before you that you are called by Jesus to run, so that you may become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE  

"Simply Jesus"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin this day and every day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

 “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

 Every Tuesday evening we have a simple gathering of church  in our home. Last night we opened our Bibles and discussed Matthew 17:14-21 which was the main passage of my reflection yesterday.  When we circled up to close in prayer, my short prayer was “I can do nothing without Jesus.”

 My heart elaborates on that simple prayer this morning.  Not my words, but Your words. Not my wisdom, but Your power. Not lofty aspirations or the popular philosophies of the day clothed in politically correct language and socially acceptable standards dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. But “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

 Only Jesus. Simply Jesus. No one but Jesus.

 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

 The Message of the Cross is always at the heart and the power of God. There’s no true “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” without faithfully declaring “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

 The Message of “Him crucified” is Message of Him raised in resurrection power and resurrection glory from His crucifixion. The Blood of the Cross is the victory of Christ. “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (in the Lord Jesus Christ), and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the Blood of His Cross” (Colossians 1:20).

 That peace of God is a demonstration of the power of God by the Spirit of God that we can only experience through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Out of that peace comes the ability to heal as in Matt. 17:14-21.  Out of that peace comes our healing, freedom, and the fullness of our salvation -- not just in Heaven when we die, but also here in our hearts now.

 So Jesus, let my words be Your words today. Let my heart be one with Your heart today. Let all I say and I all I do be rooted and grounded, centered and focused on You alone, Lord Jesus Christ. And let there be “a demonstration of the Spirit and of power” everywhere You send me today with Your Message of healing and hope, forgiveness and freedom, available to all through the Cross of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may you experience and share a demonstration of the Spirit and of power in your life and everywhere you go today, with Jesus in your heart and His Message at the heart of all you do and say, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

 Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE  

"Mountain Moving Faith"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to teach me Your ways and make me more like You today. ...

 “When they came to the crowd, a man came to Him, knelt before Him, and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17:14-21).

 You weren’t speaking to Your disciples about mustard-making faith, but mountain-moving faith. And as You were, You weren’t rebuking the father for his compassion for his son or the son for the burden of his affliction.  You weren’t rebuking the crowds  and the unbelievers.  You said nothing about their measure of faith. No, You rebuked the demon and the disciples!

 As insidious as the demon of destruction was that tormented the boy, so was the insidious demon of doubt that was limiting the ministry of the disciples. There was something about the quality or quantity of their faith that was “little.” And their “little faith” was limiting their ministry and leaving the people who were suffering and struggling for healing and freedom in the power and authority of Your name stuck in the grip of the enemy of their souls.

 What about us as Your disciples today? What about me as Your disciple today? ...

 You said in the “red letters” of Your own words that “if (we) have faith the size of a mustard seed, (we) will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for (us).” We can try to explain it away or water it down or come up with doctrines and teachings that try to excuse our lack of experience of the Word of God, but it’s still the Word of God -- the “red letter” words You spoke Yourself. 

 Just as You also said, “All things are possible for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23). And just as You also said, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it” (John 14:12-14).

 We can mock and ridicule and say that’s “out of balance” and “out on the fringes” all we want at our own peril of being disobedient to the Word of God. But those aren’t the words of some “wild-eyed charismatic preacher.” They are the words of Jesus straight from the Word of God. 

 Lord, forgive us for our mockery and blasphemy that tries to justify in religious language our lack of faith and lack of obedience to You. We repent. I repent. Let us no longer settle for something far less than who You say we are, falling far short of all You send us to do in the authority of Your name.

 In these days and the days to come, we’re going to need mountain-moving faith instead of mustard seed excuses. We need deliverance from the demon of doubt, freedom from the spirit of religious-excuses, and a fresh infusion of the Spirit of Faith! Whether it’s quality or quantity, we just need more -- more of You, more of Your Spirit, more of Your Presence, more of Your power, expressed through our faith as Your disciples in this world that’s desperate to encounter the Living Presence of the Living God in the mighty name of Jesus!

 Lord, let us settle for nothing less. Lord, let me settle for nothing less. With the character of Your nature in our hearts and the authority of the power of Your name in our words and our prayers, let us see some mountains move! We not here on this earth for such as time as this to make mustard but to move mountains! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

 My family, may you be filled afresh with a Spirit of Faith to be empowered and obedient to the Word of God and see some mountains move in the authority and power of the name of Jesus, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!

 

"Seeking Discernment"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're the Peace that surpasses all understanding. So I welcome You and Your peace here in my heart and mind and every moment of my day. ...

 "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all" (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

 Your peace is such a discerning factor to help guide my steps along this journey of the adventure of faith. Through the years You've given me some steps to follow in seeking discernment -- whether I'm seeking to discern Your voice in my heart, a choice to make by the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, a prophetic word someone else is sharing with me or the body of Christ or one I sensing a leading to share with someone else, or a teaching, or a doctrine, or anything else where I need to know what is right and true or wrong and false:

 My Five Key Steps of Discernment:

 1. Does it conform to the written Word of God?

2. Does it conform to the character of God?

3. Does it bear witness with my spirit?

4. Does it bear witness to the council of others I trust?

5. What is the fruit?

 The sense of "peace" is a key factor in each of these steps of discernment, but especially in number three -- "Does it bear witness with my spirit?"

 Over the past few weeks, I've really been wrestling with discernment on the direction of my future calling and ministry, and my “tent making” to support my calling.  I had a significant decision to make. As always, I started in prayer, alone and with my wife. Where I sensed it was ok, I took some initial testing steps of action, while continuing to take my discernment steps. But as I couldn't sense the complete peace I longed to sense as a firm confirmation for such a significant decision, I finally said "no" to the opportunity. And went to bed. The following morning, I praise You that I have such a deep sense of Your peace in my spirit!

 We can all "miss it" when we seek Your guidance, because it's so easy for other things to confuse us, distract us, or otherwise get in the way. But I believe it's truly a "win-win" situation if we will first take time to humble ourselves in Your sight, to seek the leading of Your Spirit, and seek to "discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

 Once we start in humility before You, if we "get it right," You'll confirm it. Even if we "get it wrong," You'll correct us and redeem our mistakes and even lead us back to the place where we stepped off the Your path of Your will to get us back on the right path again. That's just a working out of Your mercy and grace that we have in You as children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. That's just a working out of one of my favorite life Scriptures that gets me through so much, on my journey of faith:

 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,  
    His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
    great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

 In Your steadfast love and Your tender mercies that never come to an end, I always manage to find Your peace -- all by Your mercy and grace for me that's new every morning!

 So morning by morning -- heart to heart, deep to deep, one step at a time -- I continue my journey with You -- full of Your peace and full of expectant faith to look and see what You will do! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may you be filled with the One who is your perfect Peace, as you seek to discern the will of God for your life each -- morning by morning, and step by step, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Do you need to talk about something your are discerning and/or need prayer about it? You are welcomed to reach out to me. I wan’t to encourage you to reach out to someone you trust who will listen and discern with love and truth along with you.

 Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

 

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You Thank You!  

TO GIVE CLICK HERE 

"Praise!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make more like You today, by the power of Your grace at work within me (Romans 8:29). ...

 

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

    save me, and I shall be saved;

    for You are my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14).

You are our praise, O Lord. And You are at work in ways we don’t always see, speaking words we don’t always hear, moving in ways we don’t always feel. But You invite us to praise even before we see the power. You invite us to breakout in worship even before we see the breakthrough.

When we praise, You lift us up into Your embrace. When we praise, You get our eyes on You and off of what we’re going through. We don’t ignore the challenges, because the challenges are real. But we don’t give the challenges first place in our hearts and minds; we give You the place of honor and authority and glory and praise only You deserve.

 You say, “Come up here with me.” You lift up our hearts. You lift up our spirits. You embrace us in the place where abide in You and You abide in us, “raised up with (You) and seated with (You) in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). In that heavenly place of Your embrace, where we’re in Christ and Christ is in us, we’re seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (Ephesians 1:21). In that heavenly place, we “set our hope on Christ” and “live for the praise of (Your) glory” where we’re “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-14).

 Praise puts us in that heavenly place. Praise opens the eyes of our hearts and the ears of our spirits to experience the heavenly place where we’re already abiding in You -- far above sickness and sorrow, discouragement and despair, hopelessness and heaviness, weariness and worry, and every other name that would try to exalt itself above You and who we are in You and who You are in us.

 Praise is a powerful key of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19). Praise is a mighty “weapon of our warfare” with “divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Praise is a breakthrough battle axe that dismantles and destroys everything that would stand between us and our inheritance in You (Jeremiah 51:20). Praise is a spiritual sword in our hand that cuts off the heads and breaks off the chains of our spiritual enemies as we trust in You no matter what we see, as Your Word powerfully proclaims in Psalm 149:

 “Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

    His praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in its Maker;

    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

Let them praise His name with dancing,

    making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;

    He adorns the humble with victory.

Let the faithful exult in glory;

    let them sing for joy on their couches.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats

    and two-edged swords in their hands,

to execute vengeance on the nations

    and punishment on the peoples,

to bind their kings with fetters

    and their nobles with chains of iron,

to execute on them the judgment decreed.

    This is glory for all His faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 149:1-9)

 

In Jesus’ name I praise! And In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

 

My family,  may your mouth be filled with the high praises of God, as He lifts you into the heavenly place of His embrace where You're already abiding in Him and He's abiding in you, far above everything you're facing, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your thoughts, reflections, questions, or prayers with us in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in our life and that of our family. support and partner with my self and my family as we serve those God crosses our path with in our community with your one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below. Thank you!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE 

"Are You Completely Honest"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...

“Come and hear, all you who fear God,

    and I will tell what He has done for me.

I cried aloud to Him,

    and He was extolled with my tongue.

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

    the Lord would not have listened.

But truly God has listened;

    He has given heed to the words of my prayer.

Blessed be God,

    because He has not rejected my prayer

    or removed His steadfast love from me” (Psalm 66:16-20).

I am in Cleveland, Ohio helping move my father from one assisted living home to another.  Being in the assisted living homes I have had several conversations with the seniors who live in them.  In my conversations with them I am always amazed at their honest responses.  Sometimes they make me laugh, sometimes they make me think “Woe! TMI!  However in their senior years they have removed the “socially accepted filters” and basically without any shame or pride, just tell it as it is.

Jesus, this reminds me that we can be honest with You -- with our iniquities and with our needs. We can open up to You and cry out to You -- without any fear that You won’t listen or stop loving. You don’t reject our prayers and You don’t remove Your love. You’re the God who sees and listens and cares.

 But we also can try to deceive you and deceive ourselves. We’re tempted to cover up our shame and wounds, to hide behind our fears in isolation or secrecy from what’s going on inside and behind the walls we’ve built. In trying to protect ourselves in our own way, our own strength, we’re really pulling ourselves away from You in the very places where we need You the most.  If we are not real with You, we cannot receive the real help You want to give us.  The only thing required on our part is to humble ourselves to turn to You and open up to You.

 So You reach out. You draw us near. And You remind us that You love us and never reject us. You encourage us that You’re for us. And if God be for us, who can stand against us.

 But we have to respond. We have to cry out. We have to ask for Your help and be willing to receive it. A true relationship of love with You requires that we always have the freedom from You to love You or not, to open up to You or not, to turn to You and cry out to You, and make our prayers and needs known to You or not.

 I remember the last time I traveled by aircraft and I was going through the checkpoint at the airport. I showed the officer my passport and my boarding pass, waiting on the green light and ready to go through the security gate. But he asked me first, “Please lower your mask, so I can see your face.”

 What a picture that is for us. You invite us to lower our mask, to let down our walls, to open our hearts and let You see us as we are -- face to Face, heart to Heart. Then as You meet us where we are and remind us who You are and whose we are, we can go through the gates that are set before us. We’re secure in Your love as we travel through our world, knowing You even as we are known.

 So I let down my mask to You. I open up my heart to You. I welcome You into my morning and every moment of my day. By the mercy of Your grace and unfailing love, I can be honest with everything going on inside of me because You’ve made me unafraid and unashamed to open up and go everywhere with You -- the One who sees me and knows all about me and yet keeps on loving me and travelling with me every day of my journey. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 My family, may you be secure in the steadfast love of our God, who sees you and loves you and knows all about you, freeing you to be honest and open with Him about all you need, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your thoughts, reflections, questions, or prayers with us in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in our life and that of our family. support and partner with my self and my family as we serve those God crosses our path with in our community with your one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below. Thank you!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE 

 

"Seize The Hope"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in my heart and my life and every moment of my day. ...

"Beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust; He will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do. And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:9-12).

On the same day we celebrated the birth and blessings of our country, we were reminded by the shootings at Highland Park and protests over the police shooting in Akron that our country has a sickness in its soul. Even with these shootings, protests over supreme court decisions, and rising inflation; Even when it seems our world is being tossed to and fro on the seas and ready crash hard on the rocks with the war in Ukraine, the shooting of Shinzo Abe, and tensions in Korea and the Middle East; Even with all that’ going on in our world right now, we can be "confident of better things" to come. You steady our hearts with Your "full assurance of hope to the very end."

You don't "overlook" us; You see us. You're not ignoring us; You're at work within us. You see our work; You know our love; You remind us to remember that You're the One who is at work within us and the One who loves through us by Your Spirit to be "imitators" of You.

Looking to You, taking hold of You, letting You take hold of us, we find our security and strength to withstand the turmoil and turbulence of our days. "We who have taken refuge (in You are) strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a Forerunner on our behalf, has entered..."
(from Hebrews 6:17-20).

By the power of Your grace, I choose to "seize the hope" that is set before me today. I "seize" the One who is my Hope, the One who is my Rock, my Refuge, my Strong Tower, and my Strength forever. And in that Hope, in my hope in You, I am "confident of better things" to come and better days ahead. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

My family, may you be confident of better things to come and better days ahead, as You keep looking to the One who is your Hope and letting Him take hold of you, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your thoughts, reflections, questions, or prayers with us in the comment box below.

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

Help Us Help Them!

My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in our life and that of our family. support and partner with my self and my family as we serve those God crosses our path with in our community with your one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below. Thank you!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE

 

 

"How Long?"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re here in my heart, here in my life, here in every moment of my day -- “always with (me)” (Matthew 28:20). In You, I “live and move and have (my) being” (Acts 17:28). ...

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

    How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul

    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;

    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken” (Psalm 13:1-4).

In the aftermath of massacres, in the throes of wars, in the destruction of plagues, in the scarcity of famines, in the instability of financial insecurity, in the confusion of cultural chaos, and in the insanity of the destruction of moral standards, we can begin to ask Why? and Where are You? and How long?

It's ok to ask the questions. It’s ok to express our griefs and sorrows, our frustration and disappointments. You’re big enough to handle our questions. You’re loving enough to allow us to vent out our thoughts and feelings. I’m reminded of those very kinds of expressions from the heart of David:

And at the same time, I’m also reminded of how Your Spirit would lead David to turn his questions of You back to his trust in You, reminding him of Your faithfulness through every tragedy and battle and disappointment of his life, as he continued to express his heart in that same Psalm:

“But I trusted in Your steadfast love;

    my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord

    because He has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:5-6).

He didn’t ignore his pain or deny his questions. But he also didn’t get stuck there. He remembered Your faithfulness in his past and embraced Your Presence in his present. In the midst of all his questions, he chose to “rejoice in Your salvation” and “sing” of Your steadfast love and bountiful mercies.

You shifted his perspective. And in the shifting, You didn’t change the facts of his world at the moment, but You did change the effect of their influence on his soul.

O my soul, with a heart like David, I choose to lift up my heart to the Lord.

O my Lord, just like You did for David, shift my perspective. Remind me of Your faithfulness, refocus me on Your Presence with me right now in the present, and reassure me You’re always with me and leading me into the unfolding fullness of Your steadfast love and bountiful mercies.

And I pray the same for all who need that heart by Your grace, that heart like David, through whatever they’re going through today. It’s ok to ask the questions, as Your Spirit leads us to the One who is the Answer. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My family, may you be free to ask your questions, to express your thoughts and feelings to the Lord who leads you by His Spirit to the One who is the Answer, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your thoughts and reflections in the Comments Box below..

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community/Toney UMC

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

My wife Nancyare in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  Thank You

"Remnant Chosen By Grace"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, come rule and regain in my heart and life today. ...

So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!” But what was the divine response to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal. So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11:1-6)

As I hear these words “Remnant Chosen By Grace”” in heart’s cry just now, Your Word comes to mind:

So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. As I listen for the leading of Your Spirit and ponder Your Word in my heart, I hear a cry in my heart rising up in my prayer: Lord, I want to be found faithful to You. I want to walk in Your Light, even as the darkness of this world closes in. I want to be filled with faith and hope and love, despite the challenges we face and the testing we endure on our journey through this broken and fallen world, where You are making us more like You each day. (Romans 8:29). I want to be part of Your remnant chosen by grace., who don’t give in, who don’t back off, but who press in for the fullness of all You say we are and all You’ve created us to be, with our eyes fixed on You and our hope resting in You.

Lord, You don’t back off of Your calling to me. Give me grace to not back off of my commitment to You. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Give me grace to keep trusting and believing, with a sure and confident hope in You and all that You say I am and have for me to honor You with my life (Romans 11:20).

According to the warnings of Your Word, there will come a day when “many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:10-13). “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Your Word warns us, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14). “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:17).

Lord, give me Your grace that my love will not grow cold, but will burn with increasing passion for You, with unwavering commitment to You. Give me grace that I would never surrender and never retreat before the enemies of the cross or the lawless darkness of this world. Give me grace to “be found faithful” to the end (1 Corinthians 4:2), to “fight the good fight of the faith (and) take hold of the eternal life to which (I have been) called” (1 Timothy 6:12).

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). By the power of Your grace at work in every heart turned to You, pressing in to You, “we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Hebrews 10:39).

Yes, Lord. Give me grace to be a part of Your “remnant chosen by grace.” In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My family,, may you be found faithful in the Lord, part of His "relentless remnant" in the earth by the power of His grace at work within you and shining through you in the midst of the darkness and lawlessness of our world, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!