He Is With Me

He Is With Me

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) There are times in life when it feels so overwhelming that we just want to give up. Whether it’s our job, our finances, family problems . . . I’m sure we can all relate in one way or another. I wrote this poem as a reminder of Who is really in control. For those of us who have given our life to Christ, it’s just so great to know that He holds it all in His hand and has a plan for all of us who put our trust in Him. When I feel like this world is bringing me down, Your mighty right hand holds me up to not drown. As I walk through the water, You will be with me. My life is clay for the Potter to mold and uplift, The way God the Father holds my soul in His grip, His presence is present; the Holy Spirit’s a gift. He wants to know all of us: every woman, child, and man, No matter if you’re close or in a far-off distant land. The Lord calls out to those who hear His voice, No one will ever force you; He’s given all of us a choice. So won’t you bring what’s broken and lay it at His feet, As the gates of glory open and heaven’s host we finally meet? So, even during those hard or uneasy moments, He is there continuing to carry us — along with all of our burdens — through life’s storms. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for never leaving us nor forsaking us. Help us to strive to be more like You and to be less like us. Amen. — Jason Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Gospel Glimpse

“Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.” Genesis 22:4 (KJV) In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Undoubtedly, it was the hardest day of Abraham’s life. Isaac was precious to Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Isaac was a miracle child, conceived in their old age, a gift from God. Certainly, God’s command troubled Abraham greatly. Yet during this very difficult time, Abraham “lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.” Hebrews 11:10 (NKJV) tells us that Abraham “looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” What did Abraham see? . . . and what do we focus on in times of adversity? Notice that during this time of hardship and trial of faith, Abraham did not focus on the “here and now,” but on the gospel promise from God. Abraham undoubtedly saw a glimpse of heaven, the eternal joy that awaited him, and much more! This glimpse empowered him to be totally obedient to the Lord, despite the seemingly impossible task. As believers in Christ Jesus we, too, should fi x our gaze on the prize that awaits us. Heaven is a real place, and the troubles, afflictions and trials of this world will soon pass. It is said there are over 8,000 Scriptural promises of God for His children. As we read and meditate on the promises of Scripture, like Abraham, our focus will shift from the temporal to the eternal! Reading the Word of God will elevate our view, and God will increase our glimpse of the prize that awaits us. This is the hope of all believers! Dear Christian, heaven awaits you. Submit what God has asked of you because, despite how precious it may be to you, it will be for your benefit! Heavenly Father, help me to obey even when it doesn’t make sense. Give me a glimpse of eternity! — Steven Keesic   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Yet I Will Be Joyful

“Even though the fi g trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT) It is not easy to rejoice when things are not going well. When we see all the bad things that are happening in the world, it grieves us. It seems like things are not going to get better. Well, Habakkuk knew what that was like. He was a prophet of God, and he knew that Judah was going to be invaded by the Babylonians. Habakkuk trusted in God and knew He was sovereign. Yet, he still had some honest questions in mind. When I see and hear about the evil in the world, it is easy to get anxious and worried. Here we see that, even though Habakkuk knew things were going to get bad for Judah, because he followed God, he chose to rejoice in the Lord instead. What faith Habakkuk had in the Lord! Habakkuk made the choice to rejoice in the Lord regardless if the situation changed or not. This challenged me, and still does, to rejoice in the Lord even through these times. The last verse in chapter 3 of Habakkuk says, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (NLT). The Lord is in control and reigns. This gives me the peace to rest in who He says He is. The Lord is my strength. I choose to rejoice in Him! — Myrna Kopf   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Count Your Blessings

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV) This morning, I got an email from a friend who’s had some real major losses in the past year. He recounted the deaths of some significant family members and talked about his aloneness and depression. I felt bad for him but was able to use this as a teaching opportunity, pointing out to him how to look at the “flip side” of life scenarios that have the potential to bring us down. It’s actually quite easy to come up with a pretty long list of the bad stuff we’ve faced, endured, and come through. The natural way for us to address a negative situation is to make a checklist of all the losses and hurts we’ve had in life, and focus on a few of these, rather than on the positive things that God has put in our lives. A far more constructive and healing approach is to crumple that list up and create a new list that features all the good things that God has brought us — the good things that He is doing, and the good things He’s planning in our futures as we allow His work in our lives! Instead of listing our losses, we end up with a much more balanced and positive perspective when we COUNT OUR BLESSINGS! — Kene Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Surrendering Your Pain

“For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.” Isaiah 65:22b-23 (NIV) Into my adult years, my relationship with my mom struggled. She had been to residential school and, right from my youngest years, her mothering skills were very poor . . . almost nonexistent. When I eventually got around to asking her to forgive me for my bitterness towards her, she said, “Okay.” I tried many times to talk to her after that. Whenever it looked like we might be able to talk things out, she would start crying. I so wanted to bring closure to things. My mom always struggled to hug and struggled to say, “I love you.” It wasn’t until her later years that I was finally able to tell her, “I love you, Mom. I forgive you.” My mom accepted the Lord as her Savior and, over the years, she had learned to laugh. She held her grandchildren with delight. I thought I had released the bitterness, and brought closure to our lives. About two or three days after my mom’s passing, however, I was sitting alone when I felt some unresolved forgiveness still festering. I cried out to Jesus to truly help me to forgive her. The peace that overwhelmed me was so meaningful! At Mom’s funeral, I had shared the importance of forgiveness to whoever would listen. Being at peace means surrendering your pain to God. Let Him deal with it. — Richard Knott   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]