You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
He will be highly honored all around the world. And he will be the source of our peace.
MICAH 5:2, 4, 5a
He was born in a little town, yet He never began.
Before mountains were sculpted, He existed—in fact, He made them.
Before the planet you call home hung in space, He was your Home.
You cannot understand this, but you can believe it.
He entered earth in a dark barn, yet He will enlighten new Jerusalem.
His light illumines seeking minds—His life comforts desperate hearts.
He spoke first light into being—that light shines on, inextinguishable.
You cannot explain this, but you can enjoy it.
He was marked by a star, yet He made all the stars.
Heaven’s GPS pointed out His location to those who wanted to know.
I still use circumstances, events, and people to direct people to Jesus.
You cannot figure out what I am up to, but you can follow.
He was a helpless baby on earth, yet He is the Sovereign of Heaven.
He enjoyed prerogatives of power and glory, but He gave it up for you.
Rather than demand His rights, He humbly gave His life to redeem you.
You cannot earn this, but you can receive it.
He was adored by wise men from a foreign land,
and He will be worshiped by ransomed saints from all lands.
No one else is worthy of universal praise—He alone is the Savior.
You cannot imagine this, but you can experience it.
He became human in time, yet He is the Ruler of Eternity.
You cannot see Him now, but in the distant future you will.
Storm clouds veil stars, but dawn will reveal the rhapsody of peace.
You cannot envision this, but you can anticipate it.
His star led magi to Him, and the Bright Morning Star guides you.
All wisdom centers on Him—all truth connects to Him.
Wise men traveled a long way to find Him—yet it was worth the trip.
You cannot know it all, but you can know the One who does.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull's Memorial Baptist Church - "Friends on a Journey of Faith"
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity - Book available on Amazon
“March around the city, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”
JOSHUA 6:7 NLT
You sometimes feel like finding an easy chair. The last thing in the world you want is to get involved in a battle with Satan. You are not burned out, but you are getting warm. If you were totally honest with Me, you would admit more than anything you would just like a little R & R.
At other times you are inclined to retreat far from the front line. That can upset you and make you feel guilty. You are afraid of conflict with evil powers. You are frustrated with pressures of too many irons in the fire and mountains of responsibility. You are not quite ready to give up, but you would like to hide in a cave somewhere and be an Essene for a while. Qumran is not far from Jericho.
You cannot be on perpetual vacation and cannot quit the struggle—I have My hand on your shoulder. I commissioned you to serve Me. I am your Commander in Chief, so you must advance. Here are My marching orders for you—Take the message of My love to your world; tell everyone who will listen that Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, and all those who will believe in Him can be forgiven and live fully and forever.
Let My resurrection power keep your faith in motion. Do not rely on personal skill or resolve to do heaven’s serious business—depend on My infinite strength. I give opportunities to share the Good News. This is no time for a nap. Obedience is your job. Results are Mine.
Soldiering is never easy. Combat is no picnic. But I will encourage you day after day. Don My armor to counteract Satan’s strategies. Wear the truth belt in a dishonest, conniving world. Lace up running shoes of eagerness to tell Love’s never-ending story. Raise the faith shield to extinguish fiery arrows of temptation. Keep your mind occupied with My constant saving work in your life. Wield My Spirit Sword to slay evil wherever it rears its ugly head. In every battle, pray as you go.
When your courage disappears, My compassion will sustain you. When you are exhausted, I will reinforce you for the fray. Run confidently in the Hope Marathon. Walk consistently in your daily routines. Fly high courageously in life’s great challenges. The world’s king and his hordes are no match for the King of kings. Before you fight him, claim My power. Then you can celebrate victory even before the battle.
Forward, march!
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
As Joshua approached the city of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man facing him with sword in hand.
Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am commander of the Lord’s army.”
JOSHUA 5:13-14 NLT
I am the Omniscient God—I know everything about tomorrow. Nothing is hidden from My eyes. You have no idea what will happen next. You may be on the brink of a vicious conflict. For all you know, you may face a ferocious battle with satanic forces in the hours that are directly ahead of you. Basking in the success of crossing the Jordan, you may not realize that Jericho is your next “impossible” challenge. You are in suspense. Satan would love to defeat you. He is a roaring lion, on the prowl for an unsuspecting victim to shred with his malicious claws. Look around and carefully stay alert for potential combat with evil.
I am the Omnipotent God—I can do everything. Nothing can withstand My power. By My Spirit Sword, I am able to slay every enemy. Open your eyes to see My protective chariots of fire encircling you. Let Me sensitize your conscience to teach you to rely on My Truth. Be encouraged by knowledge that spiritual warriors on the side of right outnumber evil forces on the dark side. When it begins to look like there is no way you can ever win against sin, remember the Holy Spirit reigning in you is greater than the hellacious spirit ruining the world. I am your only hope of conquering evil, but I am enough. I can calm your anxious spirit, quiet your restless heart, and help you placidly navigate the noisy world—if you will just let Me. Be conscientious, not careless. Trust, do not tremble. Be courageous, not cowardly. Sing, do not sigh. Soar, do not sink. Be victorious, not victimized. The time will come when I will stomp Satan under My feet. Let the vision of perfect peace invigorate your heart. Your Savior will conquer sin. Look up and cheerfully be sure of My unlimited power.
I am the Omnipresent God—I am everywhere. I am here. I am for you. I orchestrate every situation for your good. I chose you eons before your birth to ultimately become like My Son. I charmed you to My side and made you Mine forever. Glory will dawn, I promise. Look ahead and confidently anticipate triumph over wrong. I am on your side, so you are on the verge of victory.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
Christmas comes like an avalanche—we’re overwhelmed with a calendar crammed with social events, a long shopping list for family and friends, and a feeling that there’s no way we can get everything done in time. Why does this seem to happen every year? Could it be that we’ve let our American culture’s materialistic focus replace a heartfelt celebration of joy at the thought of God sending us a Savior?
By the time we reach the Christmas Eve candlelight service and sing “all is calm…”, nothing is. Frenetic hectivity has stolen the shalom God offers us. We’re buried under cold impersonal commercialism that focuses on gift-giving without much consideration of giving ourselves. We’re paralyzed by icy individualism that insists we get what we want for Christmas, without much thought at all of what Jesus might want for Christmas.
I don’t mean to come across as a cantankerous Scrooge or a bad-tempered killjoy. I just hope we don’t miss Christmas. If we’re not careful, we can get so busy that that the season passes over us like a plane at night or in the clouds, heard but not really seen.
Christmas is a season of hope—pointing to the Savior able to give us the contentment we need, sweeter than Santa Claus’ promise to bring us more things we want that will later be tossed in a dumpster. Merchants have practically stolen the season by their message of “Buy, buy, buy”. Even so, this season is about God, who sent His Son into this world so that the world through him might be saved.
We naturally think of this time as a season of receiving. Think of what we can receive from God—salvation from our sins, a sense of belonging to Jesus, a grand purpose that makes life an adventure, and work to do in His Kingdom. All of this is part of the hope that is ours from our relationship with Christ.
We also think of this season as a time of giving. What can we give to God this year to express our faith and obedience? What can we give His church to spread the message about Christ and His love? What about giving our hearts to Christ—better than a shepherd’s lamb or a wise man’s part? In the near future we’ll be purchasing a new church sign to inform drivers of more than 9,000 vehicles driving by this building every day what we’re about as the Lord’s people. Maybe you’d like to make a donation to help raise money for this special project.
Let’s celebrate Christmas God’s way this year—thanking heaven for eternal hope, expressing love to our friends on this journey of faith, and giving sincere praise to God. Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:3 is my prayer for you—I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If we celebrate Christmas properly, it will not feel like an avalanche, but a gentle snowfall—reflecting hope from beyond the stars, echoing peace we have from our relationship with Jesus, and sparkling joy like the pleasure of the company of Christ, the perfect gift.
If you present your peace offering as a thanksgiving offering . . .
Leviticus 7:12 NLT
I give you faith. I charm you to Myself and I take great pleasure in lavishing kindness on you. Faith is the key that started My powerful grace engine in your life. I know your egocentricity, judgmentalism, pessimism, and impatience—yet I still love you unconditionally. With your first step of childlike faith, I made you everlastingly Mine. Be eternally grateful. Give Me credit for all the good in your life. Do more than give thanks—live thanks.
I give you Myself. I engineer circumstances in your best interest. You can count on My Invariable Presence. I am your Permanent Address and the Solution to your greatest needs. I am All You Ever Really Need in Life. Here is My formula for incomprehensible peace—pray about everything, tell Me your needs, say thanks for all I do; peace flooding your mind and heart, relax.
I give you family. To counteract loneliness, I give you a home. Husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister—all are My idea. Unique personalities enrich life. Celebrate Love by loving.
I give you friends. Friends are two bodies with one soul; the church of Christ is composed of millions of individuals with one heart. Offer thanks by being loyal to teammates in fair and foul weather.
I give you joy. Marvel at beauty. Treasure My Eternal Word. Pay attention to human voices. Relish food. Dance to the rhythm of Life. Smell the wake-up call of coffee. Feel friendly hugs of love. Let My Holy Spirit control your instincts. Make heart music for My listening enjoyment. Sing grateful hymns for companions to hear. Enjoy!
I give you purpose to be here after. You are My work of art. Focus on honoring your Master, and experience life’s highest significance.
I set your table with daily bread. I give you all you need from day to day as you prioritize My kingdom. Bow your head—say grace.
I give you forever. The Power that raised Jesus from the grave guarantees your beautiful and bright destiny. No artist can paint heaven; no composer can write its lovely symphony. I give you hints of glory—sunrises, flowers, butterflies, and springs. If a dove feather-brushed Earth on round trips to the nearest star until the planet you call home wore away to nothing, eternity would just be dawning—so would your carol of praise.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
The LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. JOSHUA 2:11 NLT
God is God of all. He is the Transcendent God of the highest heavens, incalculably and unimaginably distant from the planet you call home. He is also the Immanent, down-to-Earth God, intimately closer to us than our hands and feet and breath. He is the God of the abstract and of the concrete. Wisdom rethinks the philosophical and accomplishes the practical.
God is God in all. He is God of eternity and the hereafter. He is also God of time and the here and now. Faith counts on the glorious hereafter He plans for you—and pauses to ponder what we are here after.
God is God through all. He is God of our ecstatic highs and of our agonizing lows. He is God of our mountaintop celebrations and our valley heartbreaks. Hope clings to God as we ride life’s roller coaster taking us through our days toward our destiny.
God is God after all. He is God of heavenly worship above and of earthly worry and weariness below. Humility reverences God as the Absolute Sovereign of the universe.
God is God to all. He is God of his holy angels and of our human associates. He directs cherubim and seraphim; He brings the right people into our lives to help and encourage us. Obedience responds in service in angelic fashion, faithfully and kindly ministering to people of faith.
God is God above all. He is God of incomprehensible mystery and of infinite meaning. We are not totally, irrevocably responsible for everything—that is God’s job. Uncommon sense resigns as general manager of the universe.
God is God for all. He is God of orbiting planets and of ordinary people. He directs traffic patterns of constellations and holds together trusting human hearts. Kindness relates to people in their divinely designed orbits.
God is God over all. He is God of intergalactic stars and of imperfect saints. Love permits the One who breathed galaxies into existence to reign over all the kingdoms of our life. Believing God is in charge, saints struggle on.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
After a long and tiring presidential race with vicious contention, intense debate and sad divisiveness; with election day approaching in only a few hours — we approach You, Almighty God, with a heartfelt prayer for the nation we love, the country of our birth.
Wondering what turnaround it might take to restore peace and quiet, justice and kindness to our land, we recall a verse from a very old Book we’ve read and heard quoted countless times—
If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land. [2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV]
Could this if-then formula, conscientiously practiced by people of faith, make America great—and good—again?
Are these ancient words powerful enough to transform society by changing hearts submissive to your Holy Spirit?
Would widespread application of this verse help us be better neighbors, cancel selfishness with sacrifice, and make us stronger together by replacing the love of power with the power of love?
Lord Jesus Christ, we who are called by your name search our souls and ask ourselves some personal questions—Are we willing to humbly dismount our high horse of judgmentalism and realize we’re not God? Are we sincerely hoping for your will to be done in the results of this national election? Are we seeking your face, or just trying to save our own? Are we convicted of our own wrongdoing and shortcomings, and willing to repent of evil in our lives?
Heavenly Father, please hear our prayer and bless us by forgiving our sins and restoring our land to be a nation of citizens free from fear, free from want, free to speak our mind, and free to worship our God.
In the name of the One on whose shoulders rests the government of the universe, the Prince of Peace, Amen.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.
Deuteronomy 34:7NLT
The number of our years is increasing. Gray hairs are multiplying, and bodily aches humiliate more often. It is wise to pause now and then to deeply consider the meaning of our life. With heaven’s help, we can grow older gracefully.
Though our physical eyesight may deteriorate, our vision of eternal realities can grow more perceptive day by day. It is life’s noblest goal to know God more intimately—to develop closer familiarity with Christ, so our vigor will not weaken and our spiritual eyesight will not dim. We cannot see our Savior now, yet we love and trust him. His Presence in our life brings laughter and singing. Life is imperfectly focused now, but the day will come when we will see with perfect clarity. Until that glorious time of total redemption, we should pray to see the Lord more clearly with each passing day.
Time subtracts from physical stamina as our birthdays add up, but emotional muscles need not atrophy. Relying on God’s unlimited power reinforces us for future challenges. When we encounter aggravation, we should keep in mind that trying times are parentheses in the sentence of life. Adversity is God’s university—we should not withdraw. Time educates for eternity. Trouble is temporary. Heaven’s support is as certain as sunrise. God’s grace is more than enough to see us through the aging process.
God will be our Hiding Place, whatever the threat or trauma. He inspires nocturnal melodies, calms our anxious heart, and strengthens our weary arms when we feel like walking away from heavy responsibilities. When our natural strength is gone, supernatural strength is available. When hard times push us to our knees, we should pray harder. Holding God’s hand, we can walk with a spring in our step.
To live joyfully, we must open the eyes of our heart to see the beauties of the world and God’s loving Providence in our circumstances. To catch a glimpse of the bright tomorrow God has planned, we must let Light beyond light flood our inner being. To accomplish what God placed his hand on our shoulder to do, we must flex our spiritual muscles.
God gives us ambition to implement his commands. He gives us energy and ability to obey his orders. He raised Christ from the grave, and He is able to renew our resolve to please our Creator—never mind our age! As we grow older, with God’s help we can grow bolder.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull's Memorial Baptist Church -- Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity -- book available on Amazon
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
Deuteronomy 33:25 KJV
When everything in our world is falling to pieces, if we turn to God we can stay unshakably calm. Life can hurt. Circumstances are sometimes painfully difficult. On earth we will fight many battles—but we can take heart, because we share triumph with Jesus. We are not the first the world ever mistreated; it hated its Creator! We should not be surprised when skeptics misunderstand and ostracize us. In spite of scorn and abuse, we are challenged to remain Christ’s willing subject. The King of hearts reigns mercifully. God is our Eternal Refuge—all is well.
When situations unravel and we feel we’re about to come apart at the seams, we can turn to God and be unflaggingly courageous. Undergirding life’s chaos and confusion are the everlasting arms, so we can let all our worries evaporate in the sunlight of His love. Our Father encircles us with unfailing care, so we are safe and secure. Whatever happens, God will always hold you together.
When our days become a daze, and there are more projects and problems and puzzles than we can handle, we can turn to God and find unlimited capability to carry on. Our life’s highest quest it to walk in Jesus’ steps. Whatever shoes we need, God will provide. He gives running shoes for the faith race so we can keep on when we feel like dropping out, and outrun the tempter. He furnishes steel-toed shoes for heavy construction work to protect us in arduous challenges. He dresses us in dancing shoes so we can worship with exhilaration. He gives us combat boots for spiritual warfare to ensure victory. He outfits us with hiking shoes to climb “impossible” mountains. God works best through us when we sense our weakness. When we rely on him, we find that his grace is all we need.
When daily demands are a balancing act between job, family, exercise, others’ expectations, bill paying, car repairs, unknown future, unexpected emergencies, and a hundred details emerging from our to do list, we can turn to God and know unequaled cheer. Whatever demands and pressures life brings, He is our Strength, so there’s no need to let fear or frustration get the best of us. God gives us what we need right when we need it. We do not have to be overwhelmed by circumstances, when we revel in inner-stances.
Celebrating God’s Presence with every heartbeat—we prayerfully maintain an attitude of gratitude, refuse to extinguish the Spirit Flame, scrupulously avoid evil, learn to really live, and march in step with heaven’s drumbeat.
Counting on God’s guarantee of ultimate victory, we relax.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
This devotional based on day 107 of Gentfle Whispers from Eternity
