HAND: Your life is in the hands of God - 1 Samuel 5:6

But the hand of the LORD God was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And He brought up against them rats, and they burst out in their ships, and rats sprang up in the midst of their land, and there was a great terror of death in the city. 1 Samuel 5:6

Prayer & Praise:
I acknowledge, Almighty God, that Your omnipotent hand can bring both great destruction and retribution in the blink of an eye, as the people of Ashdod experienced due to their prideful irreverence and idolatrous hearts. My soul sings with joy and praises You, Lord Jesus, for Your hands of salvation that delivered me from the pit of sin and death. Please give me a heart like Yours that hates sin and loves righteousness, so I may commit to walking in Your footsteps as a God-pleaser and experience His good hand of grace in my life. I pray in Your mighty name.

LIVING TRUTH:

• "And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work." Nehemiah 2:18
• "The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones." Ezekiel 37:1
• "The king's heart is in the LORD's hand like the watercourses. He directs it wherever He desires." Proverbs 21:1
• "The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him." Ezra 7:6b
• "For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:30-31

ADVENT: The LORD God has come! 1 Samuel 4:7

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 1 Samuel 4:7

Prayer & Praise:
As I reflect on this holy scripture, Almighty God, my heart is filled with deep gratitude for sending Your beloved Son into my camp [life]. I praise You, Lord Jesus, for coming to save me, not to destroy me. Your presence, Abba Father, no longer strikes dread of woe into my soul as it does into the minds and hearts of Your adversaries and the cynics of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, please guide someone across my path today who sees God as their enemy and says, "Woe is me. Nothing good from God ever comes my way." Stir their soul to cry out, "Come, Immanuel, into my camp and save me!" Permit them to experience an epiphany of salvation as they pray in Jesus' mighty name.

Eternal Truth:

• "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him IMMANUEL, which means ‘God is with us.’" Matthew 1:23
• "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them." Revelation 21:3
• "The time promised by God has come at last!” He announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" Mark 1:15

REVELATION: The LORD longs to reveal Himself to you - 1 Samuel 3:21

Then the LORD again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the LORD had revealed Himself to Samuel through the Word of the LORD. 1 Samuel 3:21

Praise & Prayer:
Jesus is the Word who came to reveal the Father to us. I worship and praise You, Lord Jesus, for revealing God, our Father, to all who believe and trust in You. Almighty God, just as You appeared to Samuel at Shiloh, I ask You to appear and reveal Yourself to me as I read Your living Word, which fills my heart with living hope and fullness of joy forevermore. I truly desire to grow closer in seeing Your glory and ask in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

ETERNAL TRUTH:

• Philip said to Him, “Lord, reveal to us the Father, and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Reveal to us the Father’? John 14:8-9
• “All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." Matthew 11:27 
• "The Son is the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact representation and perfect revelation of His essence, upholding all things by His powerful word." Hebrews 1:3-4
• "So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Please reveal to me Your glory.” Exodus 33:17-18

CALLING: Jesus is calling you, listen for His voice - 1 Samuel 3:10

So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:8-10

Prayer & Praise:
Speak, Lord Jesus, Your servant is listening. When I hear Your voice of love and compassionate care, my anxieties vanish, and my fears are gone. In a world filled with noisy chatter, constant lies, tech distractions, and social diversions like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, I am learning the importance of discerning Your voice, which fills my heart and mind with peace rather than despair. Thank You for Your voice of truth, which shatters the devil's schemes of deception and crushes the powers of darkness. Lead me, Holy Spirit, to someone today who feels lost, hearing the negative voices of this world that fill their heart with hopelessness. Good Shepherd, let them hear Your voice calling their name so they come to You and ask You to be their Lord and Savior. I pray for their salvation in Your mighty name.

INDESTRUCTIBLE TRUTH:
"My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand." John 10:27-29

POEM: JESUS CALLING
Jesus is calling you so soft and sweet
Quiet as a whisper wanting to meet.
Listen, can you hear Him knocking
He is waiting just outside the door
Open your heart; what are you waiting for?

Jesus is thirsting; He is thirsting for you
Longing for a chance to make you new.
Click HERE to read more of this poem

ESTABLISHED: Be faithful in serving the LORD who will establish you - 1 Samuel 2:35

I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before My anointed one always. 1 Samuel 2:35

Praise & Prayer:
Establish me in Your truth and will, Loving Father. I bow in gratitude, Lord Jesus, and praise You as my Great High Priest, the Anointed One of God. Thank You for sacrificing Your sinless life on the cross to save me from my sins and for living to intercede for me. Please give me a heart like Yours that desires to serve our Heavenly Father faithfully all the days of my life here on earth. Teach me, Holy Spirit, to model the priestly attributes of Jesus Christ by being a faithful servant who pleases God. Stir me to leave a spiritual legacy that inspires my children, grandchildren, family members, and future generations to serve God faithfully. I ask in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, my High Priest and Savior.

Eternal Truth:

• "Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lives forever. Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. Such a High Priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. Hebrews 7:23-27
• “And He [Christ Jesus] has made us to be a Kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father—to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:6
• “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

HONOR: Honor God, and He will honor you - 1 Samuel 2:30

Therefore, the LORD God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever’; but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be cursed. 1 Samuel 2:30

Prayer & Praise:
I will aspire to honor God above people. I acknowledge, Almighty LORD, that You are a God who not only gives wonderful promises but also holds me accountable to honor You by obeying Your word. Please forgive me for the times I have fallen short of honoring You with my words, thoughts, and deeds. I want to show my deep reverence for You so that I never despise Your commands and may experience Christ's abundant blessings of grace and mercy throughout my life. Lead me, Holy Spirit, to someone today whose life is cursed for despising God or our Lord Jesus. Soften their heart to repent and choose to honor God by honoring our Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray for their redemption and salvation in His mighty name.

INFALLIBLE TRUTH:

• "Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, they have crossed over from death to life." John 5:22-24
• "Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I cannot be the servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

FAVOR: Grow in God's favor - 1 Samuel 2:26

The boy Samuel continued to grow and gained the favor of the LORD and the people. 1 Samuel 2:26

Praise & Praise:
God's favor rests upon me because of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your favor that gives my life purpose and fullness of hope. Like Samuel, I want to grow and gain Your favor by being humble and doing what pleases You. Teach me, Lord Jesus, to be a God-pleaser as You were by walking in obedience. Help me, Holy Spirit, never to take God's favor for granted by being mindful and respectful in my relationships with family and others, and by being a godly influence who models Christ's character. Use me to lead them to faith and salvation in our wonderful Savior. I pray in Jesus' mighty name.  

LIFE-LIBERATING TRUTH:

• “For He says, “AT A FAVORABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON A DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “A FAVORABLE TIME,” behold, now is “A DAY OF SALVATION.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
• "Even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment); In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace [ undeserved favor], expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace [undeserved favor] you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Salvation is not a reward for the good works we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Ephesians 2:5;7-9
• "In fact, God treats us with even greater favor, just as the Scriptures say, "God opposes everyone who is proud, but He blesses all who are humble with undeserved grace." James 4:6