Last week we left our story with Queen Esther inviting her husband, the King of Persia, and his second in command, Haman, a descendant of the Amalakites, to a second banquet. Here, Queen Esther would make her request to the king. Haman did not have any idea that the queen was herself Jewish and related to Mordecai, the Jew.Although the decree to kill all the Jews had been set for a certain date and Haman was invited to a second banquet with the queen and king, he could not be happy because of his hatred towards Mordecai. Haman’s wife and friends suggested he have gallows built specifically to hang Mordecai. They suggested that he ask the king if he could hang Mordecai  the next morning. This would finally make Haman happy and he could enjoy the banquet with the king and queen later that evening.That night before the day of the second banquet, the king could not sleep. He had one of his servants bring in the book of records and had it read to him aloud. The news that had been recorded gave an account of Mordecai saving the king’s life when he overheard two of the king’s personal servants’ plan to kill him. Mordecai reported what he had heard and after an investigation was done, it was found to be true. The king asked what reward or what honor had been given to Mordecai and the servants reported that nothing had been done.As the king was thinking, Haman had entered the outer court and had planned to ask the king to hang Mordecai the next morning. When the king heard that Haman was in the outer court, he called for him to come into his chambers. He asked Haman to suggest an appropriate display of honor for someone that the king really wanted to honor. Haman immediately thought, “who else would the king want to honor other than me?”  He proceeded to suggest that a royal robe that the king had worn be put on the person and let that person ride the king’s horse with the king’s royal crest on its head. One of the king’s princes would parade the person through the town square and proclaim to the people that he is the man that the king delights to honor.The king loved Haman’s suggestion and told him to quickly go do it and be the person that parades Mordecai. What a shock and turn of events for Haman. He did as the king commanded and after he paraded Mordecai, he quickly went home with his head covered. He was humiliated and very upset. As he was discussing the matter at home with his wife and friends, the king’s servants came to take him to the banquet.After the king had a great time at the banquet he asked Esther for her request. She could ask him for anything up to half of his kingdom. She asked that her life and the lives of her people be spared from being killed and annihilated. She said she would not have said anything if they had been sold as slaves, but being killed and destroyed was different. The king asked who was responsible and the queen said “the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!” The king was furious and he went out into the garden while Haman begged Esther to spare his life. When the king came back inside Haman had fallen across the couch where the queen was sitting and the king accused him of assaulting the queen. The guards told the king that Haman had prepared gallows to hand Mordecai who had saved the king’s life. The king ordered that Haman be hung on his own gallows. Mordecai later replaced Haman and became second in command to the King of Persia.Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/facing-imminent-danger-part-4?sd=pf

Queen Esther had a difficult decision to make which was a matter of life and death not only for herself but for her people. She had hidden her identity as a Jew and now a proclamation to kill all Jews had been decreed for a certain date. After fasting for three days and nights she made a decision to go into the inner courts of the king and wait to see  if she would be killed or given permission by the king to approach him. She said in a message to Mordecai, her uncle, “I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”  She went in faith and with courage.The king raised his golden scepter allowing Queen Esther to come and speak with him.  The Bible says that she found favor with the king and he asked her to give him her request. He said he would give her up to half of his kingdom. Queen Esther came prepared with her request. She didn’t beg the king to save her people at that time. Here is her opportunity to make such a request, but instead she invites the king and Haman to come to a banquet that she has prepared for him. The invitation pleased the king so he quickly called for Haman and invited him as well.  Haman attended the banquet with the king and again the king asked Queen Esther for her request, up to half of his kingdom. Queen Esther invited the king and Haman back for another private banquet the next day and said she would make her request at that time. Haman was so happy on his way home from the banquet until he saw Mordecai the Jew. Mordecai would not bow to him and tremble before him. Haman was incensed, but restrained himself from doing anything at that moment. He didn’t want to spoil the memory of being with the king and queen at the banquet. When Haman got home he gathered his wife and friends and bragged about the banquet, his riches, his blessings, his many children, and how he had been promoted. But he did reveal what was truly in his heart. With all of his great riches, family, and promotions, when he saw Mordecai sitting at the king's gate (the town square where business is conducted), these great things meant  nothing to him. His hatred toward Mordecai was greater than the good fortune he was experiencing.  The evil heart is never satisfied. Haman could not fully enjoy all of his worldly blessings and his family as long as he saw Mordecai disrespecting him.  You may be wondering, “Why didn’t Mordecai show respect and bow to Haman?” The book of Esther does not give the reason for Mordecai’s refusal, but it does describe Haman as the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. Haman came from the lineage of Agag, former king of Amalek. The Amalekites had been enemies of the Jews for many centuries because they were the first to attack them when they came out of Egypt and continued to have battles with them as recorded in the Old Testament. Some historians believe that Haman may have worn a pagan symbol or idol. Bowing to an idol goes against God’s law which is Jewish law (Exodus 20:2). When Mordecai is referred to as, “the Jew,” it would be customary for a Jew not to bow to an idol or pagan symbol.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, sexual immorality,  thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” God does not look at the outward appearance of a person, but what is in a person’s heart (I. Samuel 16:7). What comes out of the mouth, your words, comes from your heart and the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. (I Chronicles 28:9).Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/facing-imminent-danger-part-3?sd=pf

Last week we left the story of Esther with a death sentence over the Jewish people. The wicked Haman had talked the King of Persia into signing a proclamation that on a certain day all the Jewish people would be killed, including women and children, young and old. Haman allowed his hatred for Mordecai, the Jew, to include every person who was of the Jewish race.Little did Haman know that Queen Esther was also a Jew. She kept her identity a secret because her uncle told her not to reveal it. She was orphaned as a child when both her parents died, and was adopted by her Uncle Mordecai. When the king was looking for a new queen to replace his disobedient wife, he had his men search his kingdom for the most beautiful young virgin women who would be considered as the next queen of Persian. Esther was one of the young women taken for this competition. Although it sounds glamorous the young women taken would all have to sleep with the king and if not chosen to be his queen, they would become a part of his harem and not have their own husbands or families.Esther was beautiful and lovely and found favor with the servants that helped her and when her turn came to visit the king, he fell in love with her and chose her to be his queen. Queen Esther could only visit the king when he called for her. If she were to go see him without being called, she would be killed unless the king lifted his golden scepter allowing her to visit. When news got back to Esther about the decree to kill all Jews, Mordecai asked her to go to the king and ask him to save her people.Mordecai made it clear to Esther that God may have chosen her to be in this position for such a time as this. He said if she did not act, God would deliver His people, but she would not be spared. If she kept silent she would not be spared according to Mordecai, but if she went to the king without being called she could be killed. She had to make a difficult decision and called for her people to fast from food and water for 3 days. Esther and all her maidens fasted as well.Read the rest here: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/facing-imminent-danger-part-2?sd=pf

The midterm elections have been completed and you may be happy or upset at the outcome. Did you know that the Bible is full of stories containing lies, conspiracies and politics? In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the verse reads, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Although we have made technological advances and man’s knowledge has increased over time, the nature of man is still influenced by good versus evil, light versus dark, and God’s love versus Satan’s hatred towards mankind.In the book of Esther one man’s hatred towards another almost caused the slaughter of the Jewish people. During the reign of King Ahasuerus the Jewish people had been living in Persia. Many years before the land of Israel had been invaded by the Persians and the Jews were taken as captives to Persia. Although they were captives, the Jews continued their religious practices and served God among the Persian people who served idols.Mordecai was a Jew who became the enemy of one of the king’s top leaders, named Haman. Haman had been promoted by the king and an order was given that all the king's servants who were within the king's gates had to bow and pay homage to Haman. Mordecai sat within the king’s gate but would not bow or pay homage to Haman. The other servants told Haman and when Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow or pay homage he became very angry. The servants told Haman that the reason Mordecai gave for not following the king’s rule was that he was a Jew.From that day on Haman decided that he would get rid of Mordecai and all of the Jewish people. He came up with a plan casting lots (like throwing dice) to set the future date of the genocide. He went to the king and told him that there were certain people scattered around Persia who had their own laws and did not follow the kings laws. He talked the king into signing a decree which set a date for the destruction of all the Jews, young and old. The decree allowed the killers to take all of their possessions as well. Once the king had signed the decree he could not go back on his word or change his mind. When Mordecai found out about the decree he was very upset and cried out to God for help.Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/facing-imminent-danger-pt1?sd=pf

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving with friends and family. It’s the one day that most Americans take time to celebrate around a table, give thanks to God, and spend time catching up with each other. It’s also the day that many Americans see as “turkey day” without any thoughts of thanksgiving to God.Throughout scriptures in the old and new testaments we see verses of giving thanks to God for His loving kindness, tender mercies, His goodness, His faithfulness, and awesome grace. (Psalms 106:1;I Thess. 5:18). King David in the book of Psalms wrote songs and verses  giving thanks and praises to God. Although he had many moral failures (committed adultery with Bathsheba and was responsible for the death of her husband), he was repentant and asked God for forgiveness. He had a very close relationship with God and through his lineage with Bathsheba, the Messiah would be born.In the book of Luke, there was an occasion when Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem near the border of Samaria and Galilee.  He came across ten lepers who cried out to Him and asked Him to have mercy on them. Jesus responded and told them to go and show themselves to the priest. Why would Jesus respond this way?During Jesus’ time on earth leprosy was an incurable contagious disease. The disease is caused by a bacterial infection that grows slowly and affects the nerves, skin, and mucous membranes. Untreated the disease will eat away at skin, cause blindness, loss of fingers and other extremities of the body, and eventual death. Because the disease was contagious those that had leprosy had to be separated from their families and the general public. They formed their own small communities like this group of ten lepers. According to Biblical law, only the priest could declare a person clean after inspection and that person would be allowed back into society. Today, leprosy is curable with antibiotics and drug therapy. It is not a common disease and most new cases are found in India.The ten lepers had heard of Jesus and His healing and miraculous works. They did not come close to Him because it was against their laws to do so. Even from a distance they cried out to Jesus to have mercy on them. When Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest, they did as He said. They had faith for their healing and were obedient to do as Jesus instructed. They didn’t wait to see if they were healed first, they followed Jesus’ instructions. As they were on their way to see the priest, they were cleansed of the disease. One of the lepers when he saw he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. He went back to Jesus, came close to Him and knelt by His feet and gave Him thanks. He was a Samaritan and not a Jew.Jesus asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” Jesus commented that the only one that returned to give glory to God was this stranger (Samaritan). Jesus said to the Samaritan, “Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole.”  He was already cleansed of the disease but if he had any missing fingers or disfigurement, his body was made whole.Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/why-be-thankful?sd=pf

The Apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testament in letters to the various churches such as the churches in Ephesus, Corinth, and Thessalonica. Although Paul was not one of the twelve disciples, he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Before he met Jesus, his name was Saul, Saul of Tarsus. As Saul, he was a highly educated Jew in the law, the scriptures, and was also a Roman citizen. Saul was a religious leader who knew the scriptures, kept the law, and thought that followers of Christ were the enemy of God. He was responsible for hunting down Christians and having them killed. After he had an encounter with the risen Jesus, he was converted, became a Christian and was renamed Paul. Paul dedicated the rest of his life to spreading the gospel, planting new churches throughout the region, and wrote letters to the churches when he was in prison. Because new Christians were coming out of paganism and idol worship Paul explained God’s saving grace versus the law (10 commandments & the other 600 laws) and gave instructions to the churches. Although some of Paul’s instructions and teachings were directed at the culture of his day some Christians today disagree on the true meaning of his teachings as it applies to our day and cultural norms. The Bible tells us to study the Word and become a good student rightly or correctly understanding the meaning of His Word. There are many passages that cause controversy among Christians, but are not major issues that would make a difference in one's salvation or going to heaven. Many times scriptural controversies distract us with the main message of God’s love, our need for salvation, His saving grace, and our faith walk. Arguing with one another on scriptural teachings can be divisive, cause guilt, be judgmental, legalistic, and take our focus off what is most important.We will take one example and discuss whether men and women should wear hats or head coverings when praying or prophesying according to I Corinthians 11. Some people say men should not wear hats or caps in church because it is disrespectful to God. However, Jewish men wear Yamakas on their heads and it is very respectful. Some say long hair is the covering on the head and not a hat or fabric. Men should not have a head covering and do so by wearing their hair short, but women need to have long hair because they need to have their heads covered. Some say women should wear head coverings, hats, veils, in church but only certain religions and denominations practice this custom. Does wearing something on top of your head as a man or a woman make a difference to God? Will He hear your prayer only if you have your head uncovered as a man but covered as a woman? Will God hear your prayer only if you are a man with short hair but if you have long hair no? What about all the women with short hair? Will God not hear their prayers?The point is when reading scripture, we must also take into account the context of the message. What were the customs of that day and how did those customs relate to what the scripture was addressing. When we don’t fully understand and know the answer, we can go to God and ask Him to reveal the meaning and give us understanding. When it comes to hats or no hats, short or long hair, a woman or man praying or prophesying, what is the Holy Spirit telling you? If you feel convicted that you should pray without a hat, then follow your conscience. Should your convictions be the same as someone else’s? If God is telling you that you should have short hair, should you make others feel bad if they have long hair? How short is short and when does hair become long? read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/rightly-dividing-the-word?sd=pf

The four gospels in the New Testament give a different point of view of Jesus and His ministry on earth before He ascended into the heavens. However, each gospel showed Jesus doing good, healing the sick, performing miracles, and even raising the dead.There are more than 25 recorded accounts of Jesus healing the blind, the lame, the diseased, the demon possessed and even the dead. In most instances people asked and begged Him for healing. On other occasions He was moved by compassion. Jesus saw a sorrowful mother grieving over her son and He raised him from the dead during the funeral procession.  In most instances Jesus healed when He saw faith in action.One day, when Jesus had crossed over to a coastal town called Gennesaret, on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, people recognized Him. They immediately spread the word that He was there and they brought those that were sick. The people begged Jesus to let them just touch the hem of His garment. He didn’t have to lay His hands on them because they had heard about Jesus and they believed that touching the hem of His garment would be enough to bring them healing. They were not disappointed. As many as touched His hem were made perfectly well.  Perhaps these people had heard about the woman with the issue of blood who was healed when she pushed her way through a crowd and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Jesus did not know who had touched Him until He asked and she replied. The point is when people heard that Jesus was close to them they brought the sick, the lame, and those in need of healing to Jesus believing that He could heal them. They heard, they spread the word, and they brought people to Him. How much more should we, today, spread the word of Jesus, His loving kindness and grace towards us and those we know?  Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/point-of-contact?sd=pf

Jesus spoke in parables and gave illustrations to help people understand the relationship between God and man. In the book of John Jesus says, “I Am the True Vine” and He goes on to say that His Father God is the vinedresser or gardener of the vineyard. We, His children, are the branches that are supposed to bear fruit.The vine is the lifeline of the plant and the branches grow from the vine. The role of the branches is to bear fruit and become more fruitful. Jesus said that the branches that bore no fruit would be cut off and those that bore fruit the Father would prune or cut back so that they could bear more fruit.Jesus said that if we abide in Him, relying on Him and not our independent selves, and He abides in us, we would bear much fruit. Without Him we can do nothing. Jesus wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him and as we draw our life from Him through His Word and Holy Spirit we would bear a lot of fruit.What is the fruit that we are to bear?  In the book of Galatians (Gal. 6:22-25) the fruit of the Spirit is listed as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The opposite of those characteristics are works of the flesh which include adultery, hatred, jealousies, envy, murders, drunkeness, sorcery, and the like (Gal. 6:16-21). Jesus wants us to depend on Him to change our character from the flesh driven desires of man to the character of Christ. To have a life of love, joy, and peace is so much better than a life full of anxiety and depression which is the fruit that comes from the works of the flesh. You may not be a murderer but how many times has social media made you envious of someone else’s lifestyle, looks, or things?Why did Jesus use the term “bear” fruit and not “produce” fruit? We may think that the fruit we are to bear is saving more souls and preaching the gospel to more people. Bearing fruit comes from God working in us, and through us. Producing fruit is us trying to work for God to please Him by what we do. Our job is to believe and depend on Jesus, His Word, to help us in every area of our lives. We may go through unpleasant circumstances or a period of pruning where our Father is cutting off areas that are hindering our fruitfulness. Just like the vines, we will grow and become more fruitful. If you feel you are going through a period of pruning, stay close to Jesus who loves you so much, and know that this season will be short and you will bear more fruit from it. (Psalm 1:3)Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/jesus-is-the-true-vine?sd=pf

The Bible is full of prophecies from the old testament beginning in the book of Genesis and ending with the book of Revelations. The common thread throughout the Word of God is the story of Jesus Christ coming to redeem or pay for the salvation of mankind. When man sinned death was introduced and man’s authority was given to Satan, God’s enemy. When Jesus came, He paid the price for man’s salvation on the cross and all who believe in Him and receive Him as savior have eternal life, a free gift. Along with salvation, man can take back his authority over Satan and do the works of Jesus through faith.During Jesus’ time on earth, the Jews were under the rule of Rome. The people had to pay taxes to Caesar, they were governed by Roman rulers, and the Roman military made sure that there were no insurrections or attempts to take back their land. The Romans allowed the Jews to continue their worship of God in the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was very lavish with tons of gold and beautiful stones and was the center of Jewish life.In the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each one gives an account of Jesus predicting the destruction of the temple. Jesus warned that the temple would utterly be destroyed and no stone (temple walls) would be left on top of the other. He told His followers to watch and when they start to see armies surrounding Jerusalem, then they are to escape to the mountains and not go into the city again. Jesus said that the destruction would happen during their generation and warned that many would be killed.Jesus went on to say that Jerusalem would be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Jesus continued to predict that there would be wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, and many things that would cause men’s hearts to fail because of fear and the expectations of bad things coming on the earth. Jesus warns and tells His followers to watch and pray and not get trapped in the cares of this life, drunkenness, and carousing. He tells us to watch what is going on and know the signs of the times. As Christians we are to live with the expectation that Jesus can return anytime but we are to continue His work while we are here.Shortly after Jesus made the prediction of the destruction of the temple, He was arrested and crucified, rose from the dead, and later ascended into heaven. Approximately 35 years after Jesus’s crucifixion, there were rebels fighting against the Romans. Roman armies were camping around the city. Those who remembered Jesus’s words escaped out of the city and did not return. In 70 A.D. During Passover many Jews were returning back to Jerusalem but were not allowed to leave.  The Roman general Titus attacked the city, fire broke out, and many were killed during the full destruction of the city. Those that listened to Jesus escaped. The Jewish accounts of the destruction were written by historians who survived and were eyewitnesses of the event.  Today, when there seems to be a war against Christian values and freedoms, remember, Jesus had already predicted this. He told us not to be fearful. He is with us always and we are to keep watch and pray. These are exciting times and God put you here during this time for His purpose. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Peter 2:9)Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/signs-of-the-times?sd=pf

This week we conclude Jacob’s journey from being a deceiver, running away from his greatest fear, becoming a victim of deception, paying the price, and finally maturing as a leader and returning to face his greatest fear.Throughout Jacob’s journey we see that God was faithful to his Word and kept him safe and blessed him despite his many shortcomings. God was very patient and it took Jacob 20 years before he was ready to face his greatest fear. It was time for Jacob to become the leader of his household and separate himself from his father-in-law. He decided to go to his own homeland and face his brother Esau who swore that he would kill him because of what he had done. Although Esau sold his birthright with its many privileges for a pot of stew and was tricked out of the first born blessing, God had blessed him as well.  By the time Jacob left for his homeland, he had become very wealthy with livestock, servants, and possessions. Because Laban, his father-in-law, had deceived him many times and cheated him of his wages, Jacob and his family, servants, livestock left in the middle of the night without Laban or his son’s knowledge. They left while Laban was away shearing his sheep. When Laban returned and saw they had left, he and his men pursued after Jacob. It took seven days but he caught up with them. During this time God had given Laban a dream and told him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob, neither good nor bad.” Although Laban could have harmed Jacob, God warned him not to entice him with rewards or threaten him with harm to force him to go back to Laban’s household. It was God’s will for Jacob to go back to his home. After Laban said his goodbyes and blessed his daughters and family, Laban and Jacob made an agreement of peace between their families. Laban returned to his home and Jacob continued on his journey.God took care of Jacob and now the final challenge was ahead of him. Jacob sent some of his servants to Esau with a message saying that he had flocks, donkeys, oxen, and servants and asked to find favor or grace in Esau’s sight. Then the servants returned to Jacob and reported that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Instantly Jacob became very  afraid and stressed out. He thought about his family and how they may get killed by Esau. Jacob decided to divide his group into two companies so if Esau attacked the front company, the second company could escape and may live.Jacob then prayed to God  for deliverance admitting that he was not worthy of God’s mercies and that he was afraid. In his prayer he reminded God of His promises to keep things well with him and that he would have a great number of descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered. If he and his family are killed there would be no descendants. Jacob then sent his servants with large numbers of camels, goats, rams, and other livestock. They were to meet Esau and tell him that they were gifts from Jacob and that he was behind and will meet him. Jacob had three waves of gifts for Esau. While the gift presentations were done, Jacob was hoping that the gifts would calm his brother and he would spare the lives of his family. He took his wives and children and sent them further back for their protection should anything happen to him.read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/facing-your-greatest-fear?sd=pf

God is faithful to His Word and His promises. In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised Abraham that He would multiply his descendants as the stars in the sky. He would be their God and give them a specific piece of land forever. From that promise came Isaac who was born to Abraham when he was 100 years old and his wife Sarah 90 years old. Isaac married Rebekkah and they had the twins Jacob and Esau. Although Esau was born first the birthright blessing went to Jacob.Jacob obtained the birthright blessings through deceit, but would experience being deceived by his uncle Laban. During his twenty years working for his uncle, he had been tricked into marrying Leah instead of her younger sister Rachel and had to work for 14 years to pay off his debt for Rachel. The next six years he would work to provide for his growing family and build his own wealth. God had promised Jacob that he would be blessed and while he was with Laban, Laban was blessed. Laban used Jacob and changed his wages ten times. Because God was with Jacob, Laban’s wealth increased and naturally he didn’t want the blessings to leave.Jacob wanted to go back to his home and take care of his own family. By this time he had many sons with Leah and one son, Joseph, with Rachel. He asked his uncle for his wages. Although Laban didn’t want him to leave with his family he agreed to give Jacob all the spotted, speckled, and streaked livestock of sheep and goats. This was a good deal for Laban because he expected very few would go to Jacob. Jacob separated the livestock so they would not breed with Laban’s flock and produce spotted, streaked, or speckled offspring. Any newborns that were speckled, spotted, or streaked would go to Jacob.Jacob continued to take care of the livestock and did something unusual. When the animals would go to the water troughs to drink, he put in some sticks of peeled poplar, chestnut, and almond branches so that the white parts would be exposed. When the animals came to drink they would also breed.  Jacob used the sticks when the stronger flocks would drink and remove them when the weaker ones came to drink. When the animals gave birth they produced spotted, speckled, and streaked offspring. Remember, these animals were not spotted, speckled, and streaked to begin with, so it was God that blessed Jacob.  The number of Jacob’s flocks increased greatly and Laban could not cheat him out of his wages. It was plain to see the difference in the flocks. When Laban’s sons began to complain that Jacob was becoming wealthy off of their father’s flocks and Jacob could see that Laban had a different look on his face, Jacob knew it was time to leave. God also told him it was time to take his family and leave. Without telling Laban, Jacob took his family, his livestock, and possessions and left without saying goodbye.  God was faithful to His promise and blessed Jacob financially. Jacob was exceedingly prosperous when he left with livestock, camels, donkeys, and servants. By this time Jacob had matured and was the leader of his family. It took him twenty years but God was with him.You may be believing God for one or more of His promises to come to pass in your situation. Don’t give up if it seems to be taking a long time. Keep speaking His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.(2 Tim. 2:13; Numbers 23:19) Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/god-is-faithful?sd=pf

The Bible is such a wonderful book full of life’s lessons, wisdom, and God’s promises to His children. The Old Testament is full of stories that actually pertain to character development and God’s patience towards His children. Last week we went over the story of Jacob, the trickster, who gets tricked into marrying the sister of his true love. He was promised Rachel, the younger sister who was beautiful, but woke up in the morning with Leah, the older sister. By morning Jacob was sober and could see that his new wife was Leah and not Rachel. As Jacob had tricked his father Isaac who could not see clearly, Jacob was now suffering from his own blindness on his wedding night.  Both Jacob and his father in law Laban have character flaws and use deceit to accomplish their goals. Jacob who bought Esau’s birthright for a pot of stew and tricked his father into giving him the first born  blessing has now been tricked and has to work an additional 7 years  to pay for his wife Rachel. Why would God choose Jacob?God had made a promise to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham and that promise was passed down to his father Isaac and then was passed to Jacob. The promise included a multitude of descendants, the promised land, and through his blood line all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Jesus the Messiah).One night as Jacob was escaping from Esau after stealing the blessing from his father, he camped out and had a dream. In this dream there was a ladder from the ground to heaven and angels were going up and down the ladder. Then God who was above said to Jacob that He was the God/Lord of Abraham and Isaac and He would bless him with the promises given to Abraham. He also said that He would be with him and keep him and bring him back to his homeland.Jacob woke up and made a vow to God saying that if the Lord would be with him, keep him and provide bread to eat and clothing to wear and bring him back to his father’s house in peace then the Lord would be his God and he would give a tenth of all that God would give him. Later, Jacob would spend twenty years working for his uncle and father in law Laban. Fourteen years for his true love Rachel and the next six to build his wealth and provide for his family.God honors His promises and next week we will see how God provides financial blessings on Jacob in a very unusual way.  The point is that God keeps His Word and we as His children should remind ourselves that sometimes God’s promises may take longer to manifest than we expect. God is more interested in changing our character first than changing our circumstances.  Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/the-promise?sd=pf

The story of Jacob, the son of Isaac, and the grandson of Abraham is very interesting because when he was born, he was holding on to his twin brother’s heel who came out of the birth canal first.  Jacob’s name means supplanter (someone who replaces or overthrows a thing or someone) as in the case of Jacob replacing his brother Esau in the birthright and receiving the first-born blessing from their father Isaac. Jacob was known as a deceiver, a trickster, because of how he obtained the birthright and how he deceived his father for the blessing that should have gone to Esau. We can safely say that Jacob was not a person of good character in this stage of his life. He probably learned some of these things from his mother Rebekah who came up with the plan to deceive her husband Isaac. Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite son and Esau was Isaac’s favorite son.As we discussed last week, Jacob tricked his father and stole the first born blessing given by his father Isaac. When Esau returned from hunting, cooked a delicious meal for his father, and was expecting to receive his father’s blessing, he was devastated to find that he had been tricked by his brother once again. He hated Jacob and had murder in his heart towards Jacob. Rebekah instructed Jacob to flee to her brother Laban’s home until it was safe to come back. She instructed him to find a wife there as well.Little did Jacob know that his stay with Laban would take twenty years of his life and  he would never see his mother again. Jacob goes to Laban’s house as instructed and helps him with his livestock business. After a month, Labon says to Jacob, “I need to pay you for your work. How much do you want?” Now Laban had two daughters, Leah, the oldest and Rachel the younger. Rachel was beautiful and Jacob had fallen in love with her. Jacob asked Laban to give his daughter in marriage to him and he would work for him for seven years. Laban agreed and Jacob happily worked for him knowing that he would have Rachel as his wife.Time went by quickly for Jacob because he loved Rachel very much. Seven years past and he asked Laban to give him Rachel to be his wife. A wedding feast was held and that night Jacob slept with his new wife for the very first time. Jacob may have celebrated too much because he didn’t realize that Leah had replaced Rachel and in the morning Jacob discovered that he had slept with Leah and not Rachel.Jacob was not happy to find that he had been deceived by Laban and the two sisters. When Jacob confronted Laban, his father in law said that it was the custom in his country for the older daughter to be married first before the younger. How ironic that Jacob had supplanted his older brother for the birthright and blessing and now the older sister had supplanted the younger sister in marriage to Jacob. Laban had a solution, he told Jacob to fulfill his honeymoon week with Leah and agree to work another seven years for him and he would give Rachel to him as his wife as well. Jacob agreed and fulfilled his week with Leah and then received Rachel as his second wife.Fortunately for Jacob, he didn’t have to wait another seven years. He loved Rachel more than Leah and Leah knew it.Jacob, the deceiver and trickster, gets deceived himself. What a shock it must have been to finally finish seven years of labor and discover that he had married the wrong wife.Did Jacob reap what he sowed? He deceived his father and stole from his brother and had his mother as an accomplice. At this point in his life he is working for love and gets cheated out of his first love. What an emotional experience that must have been. But Jacob had a promise of blessings on his life from God.Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/reaping-what-you-sow?sd=pf

Last week we focused on  Esau and Jacob, twin brothers, and how each valued the birthright of the first born male. Esau was born first with Jacob hanging on to his heel when he was born. As an adult, Jacob was willing to take advantage of his brother’s weaknesses for his own benefit and Esau put more value on satisfying his fleshly appetite over his birthright. By his actions and in the spur of the moment decision, Esau despised his birthright when he sold it to his brother for a meal of lentil stew. In the Jewish culture the birthright determined who would become the family leader and receive a double portion of the family inheritance.Isaac, the father of Esau and Jacob was getting old, could not see very well,  and he wanted to pass on the blessing of the oldest son before his death. He asked Esau  to go hunting for game and then make him his favorite dish so he could enjoy it and then bless him as the oldest son. Rebekah, Esau’s mother heard isaac speak to Esau and had a better idea. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob and Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau. She told Jacob that she would prepare a delicious meal for Isaac her husband and that he should pretend to be Esau and go and get the blessing instead of Esau.Rebekah prepared a great meal from goats meat for her husband and Jacob took it in for him to eat. Now Esau was a hairy man and Jacob had smooth skin. Jacob was worried that he might get caught and be cursed instead. Rebekah had more tricks up her sleeve. She had Jacob take animal skin and put it on his hands and on his neck, she clothed him with Esau’s clothes, so he would smell like him and sent him in. Isaac was a little suspicious because he said how did you get this game animal so quickly. Jacob lied and said that God had blessed him and he was able to get the animal very quickly. Jacob said you sound like Jacob and he started to feel his arms and said, but you feel like my son Esau. Since he couldn’t see properly, he asked Jacob if he really was Esau and Jacob lied and said yes.Isaac blessed Jacob with the birthright blessing of the oldest son. He pronounced blessings and prosperity over him and gave him the blessing of ruling over their family. He blessed Jacob with the blessings of Abraham which would be passed down from generation to generation. Jacob deceived his father and pleased his mother. As soon as Jacob left his father, Esau came in with his savory meal prepared for his father. When he found out that Jacob had already been there and received his blessing, he started sobbing and asked his father if he had a blessing left for him.  Isaac was very upset for he knew that he had been deceived but he could not take back the blessing. He did give Esau a blessing, but it was not the birthright blessing. From that day on Esau hated Jacob and wanted to kill him because he had taken advantage of him with the birthright sale for stew and now the first born blessing was stolen from him.Rebekah heard that Esau had murder in his heart towards Jacob so she instructed Jacob to leave and go to her brother’s place for safety and find a wife there. She would let him know when it would be safe for him to return. Little did she know that she would never see her favorite son Jacob again. He was gone for many years and Rebekah died before his return.Isaac and Rebekah played favorites with their sons and it only caused more trouble and heartache. Although it was prophesied that Jacob would become the leader of the family, Rebekah’s plans for her son’s blessings would later cause him heartache and he would be greatly deceived by Laban, Rebekah’s brother.Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/the-birthright?sd=pf

In the book of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, the genealogy or blood  line of Jesus Christ is recorded starting from Abraham who begat Isaac who begat Jacob and so forth continuing for forty more generations until finally the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Messiah, was promised to come from the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Isaac married Rebekah when he was forty years old. Rebekah could not have children until twenty years later after Isaac had pleaded with God to let her become a mother. God answered Isaac’s request.  When Rebekah was pregnant she was having some physical discomfort and asked God if everything was fine why was she having these physical issues. God told her that she had two nations in her and one would be stronger than the other and the older would serve the younger. The discomfort she was experiencing was from her children struggling within her womb. When she gave birth, there were twins, the first was very red and hairy. They named him Esau. Hanging onto Esau’s heel was the second baby and he was named Jacob.  The name Jacob means supplanter (one who wrongfully seizes and holds the place of another).The significance of the birth order of Esau and Jacob is the birthright. The oldest son would become the leader of the extended family and he would receive a double portion of the family’s inheritance. Being the oldest son had its privileges. As adults, Esau was a man’s man, a skillful hunter, an outdoors man and the favorite son of his father. Isaac loved eating the game that Esau would bring home from hunting. Unlike Esau, Jacob preferred to stay home and was a tent dweller. He was the favorite son of his mother.One day Jacob had cooked a delicious stew and Esau came in from the field and asked Jacob to feed him. He said he was very weary and was about to die because he needed food.  Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright today.”  Unfortunately, Esau did not consider the value of his birthright and he swore and agreed to exchange his birthright for bread and  the stew of lentils that Jacob had prepared. He ate and drank and left despising the birthright. Although Jacob took advantage of his brother at a weak moment, his brother being the oldest, should not have made that agreement. He devalued his birthright and sold it for one meal. Esau allowed his flesh, his appetite, his stomach to rule over his sense of doing the right thing no matter how much it hurt at the time. His excuse was, “What is the value of a birthright if I am about to die right now?” He didn’t care at the moment.When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you become part of God’s family and you inherit the promises of God through faith. How many times have you allowed your flesh, your appetites, to overrule what you know is the right thing to do. We have weak moments and unfortunately we regret some of the decisions we make without thinking of the consequences. Despite our bad decisions, we can ask God to forgive us and help us through our weaknesses. God says that there is no temptation that is common to man that we cannot escape through Him. He is faithful to help us. (I Corinthians 10:13) Let’s value our birthright through Christ Jesus and live an abundant life. (John 10:10)Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/jacob-and-esau?sd=pf

Triple Blessings - Numbers 23-25 This week we conclude the story of Balaam. He is hired by the King of Moab to curse the Israelites who have just moved into the land of  Moab. Balaam is a sorcerer who seeks knowledge and power from God but also prays to false gods which have demonic spirits. Balaam is not a prophet of God, but in the Bible God answers him when he asks God about cursing the Israelites. Balaam practiced his art for money. Even though God told him not to go to the King of Moab, and not to curse the Israelites because they had been blessed by God, Balaam did what he wanted. Although an angel almost killed him, Balaam kept negotiating with God and finally God allowed him to go, but told him to only speak what God tells him. Finally arriving at his destination, the King of Moab was very excited to have Balaam with him. Now, he could do what he was paid to do and curse the Israelites. Three separate times, in three different locations, 7 altars were built and burnt sacrifices of bulls and rams were offered on each as offerings to God. Balaam would go pray to God and then return to speak the word of the Lord before the King of Moab. Balak, the king, expected to hear curses but instead, words of great blessings over the Israelites came out of Balaam’s mouth. Changing locations had the same results. God had already told Balaam that the Israelites had His blessings on them. Perhaps Balaam thought if they gave a lot of sacrificial offerings to God, He would change His mind. Naturally, the King was very angry at Balaam, but Balaam reminded him that he could only speak what God tells him. But, Balaam doesn’t  give up. He knows he can’t curse the Israelites, but he also knows that God wants His people to worship Him and no idols and false gods. Their disobedience to God’s commandments would bring God’s anger on them.  Balaam advises the king to send women to the Israelites to tempt them  to party, go to their festivals, become sexually immoral and have them worship their gods. Unfortunately, this plan worked and in the end 24,000 disobedient Israelites died. Balaam and King Balak were eventually killed when the two nations went to battle. During one of the blessings,  Balaam spoke these words from God, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent (change His mind). Has he said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19) In today’s world when truth and lies are hard to distinguish, knowing that God’s Word is the truth and we can rely and trust in His Word/Bible should encourage and reassure us as we grow in our faith. God does not lie and His promises are yes and Amen for His children. (2 Cor. 1:20) God has a great future for you and He loves you beyond any measure. (John 3:16; Jer. 29:11) Remember, you are blessed and you can speak blessings over yourself and your family each day.Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/triple-blessings?sd=pf

Last week we discussed the situation of Balaam, who seemed like a prophet of God, but was actually described as a prophet who practiced divination (an evil practice of sorcery, fortune telling, and black magic), completely against God’s Word. The Israelites were warned and commanded not to practice those arts and were subject to stoning if they were caught. (Leviticus 20:27)Balaam received God’s message that he was not to go to the king of Moab and put curses on the Israelites because they had already been blessed by God. He, however, was tempted to find a way where he could obey God, but also get the riches and rewards that the king promised him. Unlike true prophets of God (Elijah), who refused any money for miracles, Balaam was paid for his “blessing & cursing” services. Balaam was open to God and the many demonic spirits that would give him supernatural knowledge and power to bless and curse.Although Balaam was already told by God not to go to the king of Moab he made a second request to God. This time God said, “If the men come to call you, rise up, and go with them; but yet the Word which I shall say unto you, you shall do.” We can surmise that the men did not come to call him first, because he had already gotten up the next morning and saddled his donkey to go with them. The next verse says that God’s anger was aroused because he went with them.As Balaam was riding his donkey, the donkey made some moves on her own and would not go where Balaam was directing her. The Bible says that the donkey could see an angel with a sword in front of him so she steered away from the path into a field. Balaam hit his donkey and directed her back on the path. Again the angel appeared in front of the donkey and this time there was a wall on both sides of the road and the donkey veered towards one wall crushing Balaam’s foot. Balaam hit his donkey again. The angel went further up the road where there was a narrow pass and the donkey would have to run into the angel if she continued. This time the donkey just laid down on the ground before getting close to the angel. Balaam was so angry that he hit her with his staff.Then God opened the mouth of the donkey and she spoke to Balaam asking him why he had hit her three times. He replied that she had abused him and if he had a sword he would have killed her. The donkey replied that she had been obedient since she came into his possession and had never done such things before. God opened Balaam’s eyes and he was able to see the angel with his sword drawn. The angel asked Balaam why he had struck the donkey three times. He went on to tell him that he would have killed him and let the donkey go. Balaam confessed that he had sinned and he didn’t know that he stood in his way. He asked if he should go back and the angel told him to go with the men to the king but only speak what God tells him.Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/angels-and-talking-animals?sd=pf

Blessings & Curses: Numbers 22-1-21 When the children of Israel were on their journey to the promised land, they moved and camped in the plains of Moab which was on the side of the Jordan river across from the city of Jericho. The inhabitants of the land had heard of their exploits and how the God of Israel had delivered them. The Moab people were very upset and afraid. The king of Moab, named Balak, sent his princes to call on the services of Balaam who was a practitioner of divination. Divination was the art of revealing the future and using supernatural means to cause good fortune or curses. Although Balaam sought supernatural knowledge and acknowledged God, he was not called a prophet of God in the Bible but a diviner. In the old testament the practice of divination was against God’s law. In Deuteronomy 18:10-11 God tells the Israelites that when they come into the promised land they are not to follow the ways of those nations. They are not to practice divination, witchcraft, fortune telling, consult spirits, interpret  omens or use sorcery. Balaam was hired for a fee to put a curse on the Israelites. He had the reputation of successfully blessing or cursing people. King Balak sent his princes on a long journey to get him. He told the princes to stay the night while he sought a word from God. God asked Balaam, “Who are these men with you?” Balaam replied that  they came from King Balak and were sent so he could accompany them and put a curse on the people who had come out of Egypt. King Balak wanted to defeat and push them out of Moab. God told Balaam not to go with the princes and said, “you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” In the morning Balaam sent the princes of Balak back home to tell the king that God had not given him permission to leave. He left out the message that God had blessed the Israelites and he was not to curse them.   The king sent back more honorable and important people to ask Balaam to return with this group and he promised Balaam honor and whatever he wanted. Although God had told him “no” the first time, Balaam said, “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.”  However, he said he would seek what God had to say that night. Again Balaam sought God and this time God said, “If the men come to call you, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto you, you shall do.” The scripture does not say whether the men the next day came to call on Balak or if Balak got up himself and got ready to go. The  next verse says that Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. The next verse says that God’s anger was aroused because he went with them. Balak disobeyed God and  his heart was set on getting wealth. Perhaps he thought he could place the curse, make a lot of money, and it wouldn’t make a difference because the Israelites were blessed. But God told him not to curse them when He told him not to go. Have you prayed and felt that God was telling you what you should do, but deep down you wanted a different answer? Perhaps you were praying about taking a certain job  that would pay more but it would take up your Sundays and you couldn’t go to church or you would be working so much and wouldn’t be spending enough time with your family.  Perhaps there’s a toxic relationship or bad influence in your life that you know you need to end, but you are afraid of being alone. Have you been tempted to read a horoscope to get guidance on what you should do rather than seeking God. Have you given God scenarios like “if you want me to do this then make this happen…?”Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/blessings-and-curses?sd=pf

Jesus Opens Blind Eyes John 9:1-41 When Jesus read Isaiah 61 He said that He was anointed to preach recovery of sight to the blind. There are several stories of Jesus healing the blind, but one story stands out because it was of a man who had been born blind. Jesus took dirt and made mud with His saliva. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the mud and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.The man obeyed Jesus and went and washed his eyes. As soon as he did, he was able to see clearly. Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath which was against their religious traditions. On the Sabbath, the Jews were commanded to rest and not do any work. When the religious leaders heard that this man had been healed by Jesus on the Sabbath, they were very critical and called Jesus a sinner. The religious leaders were themselves blind because they didn’t recognize that Jesus was sent from God to heal those who were physically blind as well as spiritually blind. The religious leaders didn't celebrate the miracle of sight for the blind man because their traditions were more important to them.  The good news is Jesus still opens blind eyes today. He can heal you physically and open the eyes of your understanding and give you wisdom. Whatever your need, take hold of God’s Word and ask Him to make it a reality in your life. God wants you well and He wants you to see through the darkness of this world. Jesus is our light and His Word will guide us. God’s Word never changes and all His promises for you are there when you take them and believe. (John 3:16)Read the rest here: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/jesus-opens-blind-eyes?sd=pf

“All these (God’s commandments) I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” (Matt. 19:16) These were the words of the rich young ruler who ran up to Jesus, knelt before Him, and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus went through many of the commandments, “do not commit adultery, do not lie, do not steal, do not murder, honor mother and father, love your neighbor as yourself,” of which the rich young ruler said, “all these have I done.”  Here the young man states that he has been doing all of the right things since he was a youth. Jesus loved this young man and He told him that he lacked one thing. Jesus told him to go and sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and to come and follow Him. Jesus told him he would have treasure in heaven. Why did Jesus tell him to do this? The young man wanted to know what he needed to do. Jesus gave him something to do, but it was something that he truly didn’t want to do, because his wealth and possessions were more important to him than to give them up to follow Jesus.  Jesus revealed what was in the heart of this young man, who thought his performance of keeping the laws and commandments since he was young, and perhaps he thought his wealth and stature in the community was proof of his “good and righteous” living. This young man knew he needed something because he ran, knelt, and asked Jesus for the answer.  Did he want reassurance from Jesus that he was righteous and he would have eternal life? How many of us think that we are going to heaven because we live a “good” life and we do “good” deeds or we are very “religious?” Compare this young wealthy ruler with Zaccheus who climbed a tree to see Jesus when people were all around Him. Zaccheus was a tax collector who made his money off the people and he was hated by them. He cheated them out of their money because of his position as a tax collector. When Jesus went to have dinner with him in his home, Jesus didn’t tell him to do anything with his wealth, but Zaccheus had a change of heart and said in Luke 19:8-10:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”What a difference. Jesus looks on the heart and He wants us to have a change from the inside out. Jesus came to let us know that we are all lost without Him. We can’t earn our way to heaven or be good enough.Read the rest here: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/the-rich-young-ruler?sd=pf