WAY OF ESCAPE
Genesis 19:1-18

Salvation is the only way out to escape from this world of wickedness, in this modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah was the place where all kinds of sin and sinning existed, excelled and reproduced. When it was time for God to descend with His judgment, He saw only Lot and his family as the ones worthy to be granted salvation. Just as sin was reigning in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, so it is today. God definitely will not overlook sin and He will bring judgment at His appointed time. There is a way of escape just as there was for Lot and his family. Lot and his family’s escape package was delivered by the angels who were sent by God, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) In the package of escape, there should be no looking back for any believer that wants to get to the Promise Land. Looking back will cause a set back; a set back will tempt sitting back on what was in the past. Sitting back on what was in the past does not have a place with God because it generates complaints. As a believer, there should be no dwelling in the past if the sights are set for the promise of the Lord. Escaping from the past is only in looking up on to the Lord. The Psalmist knew better when he stated in Psalm 123:1, “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.” When the wife of Lot looked back, against the warning of the angels, her journey was terminated. There is absolutely nothing that looking back can offer in any route of escape from the world of sin and sinning. In the way of escape, when you refused to look back by following the direction fully, the possibility of staying where you could be a victim of the wicked is zero. Have you been looking anywhere outside of looking up to God in this journey of life? God said in Isaiah 45:22-23, “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”” It cannot be said any better than the way God says it. Also, the word of God cannot and will never fail. A true way of escape is only in looking up to the One that created both up and down.
Prayer for today: O Lord God have mercy on me, let me not look back away from where you are taking me. Help me Lord in Jesus’ name.

ALL YOU NEED IS…

Luke 10:38-42

Deep inside a man, inside his house, there is worry, concerns, and no sense of direction. Above all, there are all kinds of needs that seems to be like there is no way to meet such needs. Does this sound like you? Have you accepted Jesus and know Him enough to come into your heart, your house, or your life? Martha the sister of Mary, once, did the same. Luke 10:38, Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.” Martha knew Jesus enough to have allowed Him, and welcomed Him, into her house, yet worrying took hold of her life. Does this sound like you? Days have become so challenging and sometimes life can be exceedingly frustrating, but one thing is needed, and that is sitting at the feet of the master, eating, and feeding on the Word, the Bread of life. Martha invited Jesus into her house, but didn’t realize what it meant and how to benefit from having invited Jesus into her house. Martha decided to make her running around, her attempts to impress Jesus, become a priority over pressing on to receive the word in her life. While Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, pressing on to be impacted by the living Word of God, Martha was busying running around to serve Jesus. Luke 10:40, “But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”” As a believer that has invited Jesus into your house and your life, are you missing something that could help in times when it looks like there is no direction coming forth from the Lord? Martha had Jesus in her house, but she was missing because distraction took her place at the feet of the Master, the good place. Martha’s questioning of Jesus for her sister not helping received an answer from Jesus. “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.””(Luke 10:41-42) Jesus was saying here that worrying is an indication of not spending time in, or with, the Word. It is also evidence that worrying is fueled by distraction. Just like Martha, as a child of God, that invited Christ into his or her life, is there any area of worrying? Spending time in or with the Word of God is worth more than worrying over the concerns of the world. Does it look like all is rough? Only one thing is needed, and that is spending time with the Word of God.

Prayer for today: Father, I ask this day for the grace to increase in spending more time in your word.

BUILD RIGHT
Luke 6:46-49

Going to church, knowing how to use the words from the Bible in every area of your life, or situations, is not enough. Also, being eloquently versed in the word will not prevail, until doing the word of God is in place in the life of a believer. The whole Bible can be memorized, but it will not work until the one that memorizes the word begins to observe, and do what the word calls for. Jesus emphasized it in all His teachings, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” (Luke 6:46-47,) Jesus is more interested in those that hear and do what He says, more than those following and not doing what he says. Are you a follower that does what He says, or are you a follower that does the interpretation of what others have said He says? It is important to take time in studying and doing what He says. Jesus mentioned what becomes of anyone that hears and does what He says in when He stated, Luke 6:48, “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.” There is nothing like becoming a house that stands, a house that is on rock solid. Becoming a solid house only happens when putting the word into action is a reality in the life of a believer. A solid house will stand when confronting any challenge. Doing the word is likened to a house that flood cannot bring down. In life, the coming of a flood is inevitable, and any believer that has yet to start living the word, storms are on the way, and they will come. Just as hearing and doing the word of God does have its blessing, so is hearing and not doing the word has its own consequence. Jesus stated in Luke 6: 49, “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Are you one that has been hearing the word and not doing the word of God? It does not matter how long it takes for the flood to reach you, but it is very sure and certain that a flood will come. The word of God is not to be toyed with, but to be taken with seriousness. As a believer, build a building that will not fall to the flood of life by living and behaving the word of God.
Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, give me a hearing ear, enable me to live by Your word indeed and in truth.

BUILD RIGHT
Luke 6:46-49

Going to church, knowing how to use the words from the Bible in every area of your life, or situations, is not enough. Also, being eloquently versed in the word will not prevail, until doing the word of God is in place in the life of a believer. The whole Bible can be memorized, but it will not work until the one that memorizes the word begins to observe, and do what the word calls for. Jesus emphasized it in all His teachings, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” (Luke 6:46-47,) Jesus is more interested in those that hear and do what He says, more than those following and not doing what he says. Are you a follower that does what He says, or are you a follower that does the interpretation of what others have said He says? It is important to take time in studying and doing what He says. Jesus mentioned what becomes of anyone that hears and does what He says in when He stated, Luke 6:48, “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.” There is nothing like becoming a house that stands, a house that is on rock solid. Becoming a solid house only happens when putting the word into action is a reality in the life of a believer. A solid house will stand when confronting any challenge. Doing the word is likened to a house that flood cannot bring down. In life, the coming of a flood is inevitable, and any believer that has yet to start living the word, storms are on the way, and they will come. Just as hearing and doing the word of God does have its blessing, so is hearing and not doing the word has its own consequence. Jesus stated in Luke 6: 49, “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Are you one that has been hearing the word and not doing the word of God? It does not matter how long it takes for the flood to reach you, but it is very sure and certain that a flood will come. The word of God is not to be toyed with, but to be taken with seriousness. As a believer, build a building that will not fall to the flood of life by living and behaving the word of God.
Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, give me a hearing ear, enable me to live by Your word indeed and in truth.

FOLLOW FULLY
Luke 5:27-32

Whatever you cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom’s business, will forsake you from going for the sake of the Kingdom’s business. Going for the sake of the Kingdom’s business requires one to faithfully follow the Lord, Jesus Christ. After one of the miracles of Jesus, in His passing, “…saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.” (Luke 5:27-29) So many claim to be following Jesus, but very few are actually the followers of Jesus. Levi left everything and rose in following Jesus. Until all has been left behind, it will not be possible to rise and follow Him. By virtue of his leaving the past, and moving into a new beginning, the Bible recorded that Levi gave a great feast. Just like Levi, Elisha did the same thing when he answered God’s call through Elijah. At the time of the calling of Elisha, “…He left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.”” (1Kings 19:20-21) Elisha left all behind when he answered his call. In answering, Elisha demonstrated a total commitment of following by getting rid of everything that could have held him back. Elisha also used his oxen’s equipment as a boiler, to boil the slaughtered oxen. When you are leaving everything behind to follow Him, the heart will wholly follow Him. Any following that is short of following Him wholly will not get to the Promised Land. Remember Joshua and Caleb? After the ten other spies had given a bad report of the land, they went to spy Caleb and Joshua insisted on following the promise of God that the Land was good. The whole population rebelled and did not follow the word of God. As a result, God responded, “Except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 1:36) Follow Him fully, and you will arrive full and well to where
He is taking you.
Prayer for today: Father I pray that You will give me a different spirit to follow you fully, just like Caleb and Joshua.