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I Am, Life.

April 4, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” –John 11:25-26

There are times Martha gets a bad rap.

But not today!

Martha has become known for her busyness—always doing something while her sister, Mary, was commended by Jesus, for choosing what is best—stillness at His feet; drinking in every Word that spills from His lips.“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-43

Today, Jesus makes clear, however, despite Martha’s busy schedule and diligent attention to her everyday chores, she has not neglected to hold fast to what He has shared with her.

I pray Jesus’ acknowledgment of Martha’s heart, love, and belief in Him, in the midst of her busy life, despite all that still needed to get done, encourages that busy mom or pastor’s wife, Jesus knows your heart as well. He sees that sister, brother, mother, or daughter who stretches themself daily in service to others, desiring to meet their needs, all the while praying silently to their Lord for just five minutes of quiet so they too might pour their full attention at Jesus’ feet.

Now, before running to get her sister, Mary, Martha ended her conversation with Jesus by assuring Him of her faith in Him. That she knew—despite her pain, even in the midst of her chore-filled, others need me, every day life—that she could never forget Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that He could and would do all He had promised. “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” –John 11:27

So on this Resurrection Eve, I felt led to spotlight what Martha knew rather than her busyness. Martha knew her Lord. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Dear ones, you may be in the midst of a “Martha” season, still, hold tight to your “Mary” heart…

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow! Hallelujah!

For the Christian, it’s a day like no other; not even Christmas, as glorious, celebratory, and meaningful to us as it is. Why? Resurrection Sunday reminds Christians of the living hope we possess because Jesus defeated death and the grave—once, for all. And that all who believe on God’s Son, have life eternal in Him. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” –1 Peter 1:3.

No other god, so-called, has defeated death and the grave, having been raised from the dead. Buddha, Muhammad, even Krishna, to name but three; their remains, still in their graves—but not Jesus’! Jesus’ resurrection from the grave assures the believer that where He is, we will be—He has promised us: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” –John 14:3.

 With this eternal Truth in mind, please pause here a moment to ask and answer that same question Jesus once asked of Martha: “Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

 Everyone alive must answer, friend.

If not now, a day is coming, soon and very soon, when each man will.

God’s Word assures of this—believe it, or not.

“For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:9-11

Now I didn’t ask you to answer Jesus’ question to scare or intimidate you, quite the opposite. I asked it out of love. Hopeful that Jesus is your Lord and Savior—that you do have a loving, intimate, Life-giving relationship with Him, and have, with a pure heart, said, as Martha did, “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” –John 11:27

I ask those also, who have yet to decide their answer, to search their hearts now and ask themselves, “Who is Jesus to me?” As you do, please use God’s beautiful Truth below to help guide your decision. Understanding what Jesus did for you, specifically, is deeply personal, and your answer will inevitably determine your eternal destiny.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” –Romans 5:6-11

Because Jesus was Martha’s Lord and Savior, she had a deeply personal relationship with Him and understood this Truth.

I pray you do, or will, before this day draws to a close…

God sent Jesus into this world to pay your sin debt—and mine—a debt we could never pay—Jesus didn’t come to condemn you, friend, but to save you! The guiltless sacrificed in place of the guilty. Jesus took your place on that Cross He was savagely nailed to and died on. All that you might have eternal life. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” –John 3:17.

Put simply, Jesus came into this world to ensure you be given the opportunity—along with every man—to answer for yourself the question He once posed to Martha. “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

Martha believed, and she is with Jesus today, where she’ll be for eternity.

How about you?

Do you believe?

You must choose, friends, because not choosing is a choice.

Heaven or hell—that’s all there is.

I’m praying you choose heaven.

God’s Word promises you can and will have eternal life with Christ if, like Martha, you genuinely believe that Jesus is who He has claimed to be and will do all He promised to do. Read His promise for yourself. “If you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” —Romans 10:9-10

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow, Hallelujah!

I pray you experience a true Resurrection miracle: being set free from the grip from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death; being born again into new Life with Jesus; and getting to meet Martha!

It Was Never In the Water…

March 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.  Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” –John 5:2-8

Jesus asking a man if he wanted to get well may, at first glance, seem odd to you; doesn’t everyone who’s been sick desire to get well? Scripture tells us the man had been paralyzed for some thirty-eight years, so the answer to Jesus’ question seems obvious, right? “Yes! “You, betcha I do!”

So, why didn’t the man just come straight out and say so?

Why the excuses?

You’d think after having been paralyzed for so long, when someone stood in front of you asking if you’d like to get well, you’d immediately answer, “Heck yes,” not give them a mouthful of excuses as to why you can’t. “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” –John 5:7

Still, before we judge this man too harshly for making excuses, let’s examine some possible reasons as to why he made them instead of simply saying “yes, please!”

Look, just there, in the shadow of Jesus’ innocuous question, a veiled clue.

Something more was happening with this man than first meets the eye —the reason or reasons behind what held him prisoner to that pool for so long ran much deeper than the inability to use his legs; something had crippled that man’s heart, as well. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7

When Jesus looked at that man, He saw beyond his physical paralysis and straight into his heart.

So let’s turn to the Scriptures to learn some of what Jesus may have seen there…

It’s clear that for years, this man had been paralyzed. But Scripture doesn’t give us details. We don’t know exactly what happened to him, or when. We’re left to speculate: was he a boy or young man when he lost the use of his legs? Did he fall? Was his paralysis the result of a childhood illness? Polio perhaps?

Whatever happened and when, we meet him as a man Jesus singled out among all the others at that pool to receive healing. “One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time.” –John 5:5

Apart from the obvious, his physical malady, or perhaps as a result of it, lay another, less obvious disease which had gripped this man’s heart and mind: hopelessness. Despair, coupled with misguided hope in external forces at work around him, had this man bound to something that could never free him; so, day after day, year after unchanging year, he sat there, waiting.

Outwardly, he relied on others and “external circumstances” to change his inner life and fortune, all the while growing increasingly emotionally defeated. “This is my life now, what’s the hope in hoping?” “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” –Proverbs 4:23

He’d grown resigned to his life. Bitterness had paralyzed his heart.

He’d become so intrenched in a particular way of thinking, so blinded to hope or any real possibility that something other than the rinse-repeat hopelessness of his daily routine could be possible, that even when Jesus, His Creator, Healer, Savior, stood right in front of him and asked if he wanted to be free. Able not only to use his legs, but, bonus, use them to walk into a new life and hope, washed clean by the only water able to truly free him and make him whole, the Water of the Living Word, Jesus—his response revealed what Jesus saw when He looked into that man’s heart. “When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” –John 5:6-7

Maybe you can relate to that man or his default rinse-repeat excuses?

Perhaps you’ve made a few yourself?

I know I have.

I can’t because: “I’m not talented, smart, wealthy, connected, gifted,” you fill it in, enough…

I was raped. I’ve been in prison. I was abused as a child, in my marriage. I’m too old, too scared, too far gone. It’s too late for me. I smoke, watch porn, and drink. I do drugs, daily…

Here me now, the man at the pool sat there for thirty-eight years. He was lost, beaten down, hope-less. Feeling, I’m maybe, like you may be at this moment. “I’m too far gone.” “It’s too late.” “Nothing will ever change!”  But look, nowhere in his story do we read that Jesus condemned this man. Nowhere!

Neither does Jesus condemn you.

He’s come to your “pool” today, asking, “Would you like to get well?”

Perhaps, like that man, you’ve been struggling with something for years?

Sure, your legs are working just fine, but your heart is sick.

You’ve been living addicted, depressed, locked in a lifestyle choice, or relationship you can’t seem to make your way out of—even though you want to. Hear me now, friend. As surely as Jesus stood before the man at the pool, oozing love, and a desire for him to accept Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness and healing, Jesus is doing the same right now, for you.

You’re not here by accident.

There are no coincidences. Your being here was purposed by God because He loves you, and died that you might have a new life in Him—with Him—be made clean, get a fresh start!

Jesus asked the man at the pool if he wanted to be healed, and now He’s asking you. If you do, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” You’ve been given all you need for that to happen. Like the man at the pool, you had it the very instant you heard Jesus ask if you wanted it—it’s His will that you be made well.

But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” —John 5:14.

The something “even worse” Jesus is referring to is not another physical sickness—though, because we live in a fallen world, that’s possible—nor is it Jesus saying He’ll take away the physical healing he’d freely given him, no. Believe it or not, that man’s legs being restored was not the greatest gift he’d received from Jesus that day…

The greatest gift he received from Jesus—that you and I can receive—is being given new life in Him, our being born again.

The man at the pool walked into his new life on his own two legs because Jesus loved him far too much to leave him sitting at that pool in his sin. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” –1 John 4:10

Friend, Jesus is standing beside you right now. He’s sought you out today beside whatever pool you’ve been hanging out at. Know this: healing, wholeness, peace, new life, and redemption can never be found in the water of this world. Why would you keep looking for something to happen on the outside of you that needs to be happening inside of you? You need Jesus, friend, living inside you. And He’s right here, right now, asking: “Would you like to get well?”

Please, say “Yes!” “You betcha I do!”  Jesus will take it from there…

Broken, For You…

February 21, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” —Luke 22:1

Did Jesus’ disciples realize they were witnessing the ushering in of the New Covenant? Had they connected the dots of John the Baptist’s words concerning Jesus to what was happening at their Passover table? “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” –John 1:29.

Had they fully grasped that Jesus is God’s Perfect, Sinless Lamb?

Did they have “ears to hear “Jesus when He’d told them that soon, and very soon, His own Body would be broken, much like the pieces of Bread He’d handed them? Or, that His Blood would be poured out as freely as the wine He poured into that cup of the New Covenant—for the forgiveness of their sins—and those of the whole world? “And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” –Luke 22:20.

Scripture indicates they did not fully understand—at least not that night.

The disciples’ truer understanding of Who Jesus was and why His Body had to be broken for them—and for you—would come later, in an upper room, after His death and resurrection, 10 days, in fact, after His ascension—and beyond.

Their understanding would come after Jesus’s Body had been broken for them at the hands of Roman soldiers—His Blood, shed for their sins.

In hindsight, the twelve men who loved Jesus, walked with Him daily, and willingly laid down their very lives for Him, began to understand fully, and that’s how it is for many of us today. Like them, we don’t always get all of what Jesus is doing right before our eyes until after. John 4:26 explains it to us this way: “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.”

God uses hindsight as a teacher…

Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, time, experience, and reflection provide us, as they did Jesus’ earliest disciples, with gnōsis—knowledge of spiritual mysteries we often miss in the moment. John 4:26 explains it to us this way: “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.”

Long before Jesus and His disciples shared their final Passover night, the Prophets of old had foretold everything they would experience—at God’s hand. “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” –Isaiah 52:10-12.

Did you catch that?

The breaking of the Bread at their Passover table, the night Jesus, through His wholehearted obedience and submission to the Father’s will, ushered in the New Covenant—a foreshadowing of God’s intention. God predestined to bring about His perfect will through the breaking of the Body of His One and only Son. Jesus’ Body would be broken for you and me, for the remission of our sins—Jesus was born sinless.

God intended that Jesus’ Body be broken for you and me. And Jesus intended to surrender to His Father’s will fully. Being Emmanuel, God with us—Jesus knew He must be broken—must die. By His dying, a Kernel would fall to ground, and an eternal harvest of many brothers and sisters would spring forth, New Life—starting with eleven of the twelve who sat around Him at His Passover table. “But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” –John 12:23-24.

Eleven? I thought there were 12 disciples.

There were.

Yet not all of Jesus’ disciples could accept the hard Truths Jesus had shared with them; thus, one turned away. No, far worse: he didn’t just turn away after walking with Jesus, eating with Him, and drinking in everything He had taught the others. No, this one so wanted things his own way, his heart, so unyielding to God’s will and Truth, that He sold Jesus to His enemies even after having eaten the Bread that had been broken, Bread Jesus claimed was His very Body—broken for him…

Judas had religion, sure. He was, it appears, searching for something.

There may even have been a moment when Judas really wanted to believe in Jesus, so it surprised him when he started to feel some way toward Jesus. Maybe it was when Judas realized that Jesus wasn’t calling His disciples to a life of ease and comfort, but to sacrifice, humility, and to consider others above themselves that Judas’s heart became open to Satan?

Twelve sat as witnesses to the New Covenant. Twelve watched on as Jesus explained why He had wanted—needed—to be together with them this set-apart Passover night. Eleven of them, though they did not yet fully understand all that Jesus was sharing with them in real time, knew enough, had seen and heard enough from Jesus, they trusted Him enough, had tasted and seen enough to believe—without having to fully understand to take and eat what was being offered up for them. They trusted that in time, Jesus would make all these things clear to them—everyone except one, that is. He refused to believe. “Jesus answered, “[The one who will betray me] is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” –John 13:26-27.

Jesus’ Body was broken for you. His sacrifice, being broken, once for all, is powerful enough to cover the sins of the whole world—but you must want what Jesus gave over His Body to be broken for: Jesus died and rose again to grant you access to His table—to partake of the New Covenant. Eleven accepted and ate unto eternal life. One would not. You have the same choice today as these twelve did on that final Passover night.

Will you accept New Life Jesus offers you through His Blood, shed for you, His Body, broken for you, or will you refuse Him, choosing empty religion or your own will instead? “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” –John 6:47-51

Creeks Before Crowns. Part 1 of a series.

February 7, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” –1 Kings 17:2-4

In the greatness of our troubles, there may often be space for the greater display of the goodness of God! –Charles H. Spurgeon

Seemingly, out of nowhere, no introduction or explanation for his explosive appearance on the scene, we meet Elijah, the Tishbite. No reason is given for Elijah’s blurting out a rather odd proclamation to King Ahab. We only get: “Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, ‘As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word.

That’s it.

Next thing we know, God tells Elijah to head to a brook to drink its water and be fed there by ravens.

What is happening here!

To explain this fully would take more time than we have. For the sake of time, then, I’ll share just two snippets of Elijah’s story—God’s calling on Elijah’s life and God’s hiding of this unusual character by a brook.

Spoiler alert: Today’s teaching is part one in a three-part series titled “Why God breaks us before using us.”

I’ll wrap up this series on Saturday, February 21st.

For today, parts of Elijah’s story will make up the crux of this teaching—a way for me to get us going in the direction God is calling us: into His “next,” but first—preparation.

In the following weeks, as we move through parts 2 and 3 of this series, we’ll meet others who share similar bits of Elijah’s story: a woman with an alabaster jar. Through her, we’ll learn our being broken is, at times, God’s best for us. Part 3 will bring us before Jesus, His disciples, and a King-sized crowd, which will teach us that there will be times when breaking is necessary to see multiplication, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to Elijah.

Elijah was audacious. A bold prophet, used by God to gather a nation back to Himself—much like God uses you and me, daily. Okay, maybe He doesn’t use us daily to draw a whole nation to Himself, we can only pray for such a privilege. Still, Jesus will use us to draw one soul to Himself, which, to God, is of extraordinary value.

Really? Just one soul, why? As my pastor so aptly put it: “Jesus paid for that one soul with His very life.”

Read Elijah’s full story for yourself in 1 Kings, chapters 17–19 & 21, and 2 Kings, chapters 1–2. These scriptures remind us that, though mighty indeed, hand-picked by God, Elijah, like you and me, was just a man, possessing a measure of faith given to him by God to accomplish His will. “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” –James 5:17.

Elijah was a man who, on occasion, had a propensity for self-aggrandizement—a pitfall for some of God’s chosen vessels, for sure—this, taking oneself too seriously. Still, that didn’t prevent God from using Elijah to face off against and defeat 450 false prophets of Baal. Thankfully, our character flaws don’t prevent Jesus from using us.

Know this, however: as surely as God dealt with the unbecoming character flaws in Elijah, He’ll deal with us (1 Kings 19:10, 14). God has no problem putting those He loves, who are being shaped for greater use, into the smelter’s fire—it’s there where He removes our dross; the “yuck” of self that looks nothing like Jesus. “Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.” –Revelation 3:19

“So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your God, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” –1 Kings 18:20-24.

What’s my point in all of this?

To use snippets of Elijah’s life to help us gain insight into the necessity of God preparing us for future use.

Elijah means: “My God is Yahweh.” Elijah knew God. He trusted God.

Both His words and deeds affirm this, for the most part.

Remember, I said earlier that Elijah was a man just like us? Even the strongest of us — those with great faith, deeply rooted in a loving, intimate relationship with God — have these human moments of abject failure — Elijah was no different. I find this very comforting.

Seemingly, little time passed between Elijah’s bold proclamation to King Ahab and the Lord’s command for Elijah to go holed up beside the brook. What’s that all about?

Answer: preparation! A seeming anomaly, right? Why would a man with faith enough to make such a bold proclamation to a King on God’s behest need further preparation? This is a great enigma of our Christian faith: the more God entrusts to us, the deeper our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit becomes, the more preparation we’ll need—deeper pruning, greater obedience, ongoing refining, death to self/self-will—aka, preparation. Elijah was no different.

Some notable examples of the working of this mysterious Truth are the Twelve Disciples of Jesus: men hand-chosen by God who, like Elijah, needed refining and preparation both to continue and complete the work assigned to them—to build His Church. So if you say, as they did, as Samuel did: “Here I am, Lord, use me, send me,” then get ready. At some point, you too will be destined to enter the fiery furnace of affliction—and that, friend, is your safest place to be—yet another great, mysterious Truth! “Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hands of man.” –2 Samuel 24:14

Preparing Elijah for greater use was only one reason God had him make such a bold statement to King Ahab; God’s desire to restore His people to Himself was the other. Thus, God hid Elijah in a place of isolation beside the Kerith brook, where he would have to rely solely on God for everything—preparation.

By the way, Kerith means “cutting,” “separation.”

At Kerith, God would remove what no longer served Elijah; for his own good, there were things God had to deal with in Elijah before He’d release him to step into his greatest assignment—Mount Carmel. Out of a deep love for Elijah, God would burn away vestiges of his independence and self-will, reshaping Elijah into a more God-reliant, faithful vessel, fit for future use. Fitting, right? Since “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” –Galatians 5:9

Has God led you to Kerith?

If so, rejoice and be glad!

Creeks always precede crowns.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, be still and trust God in your season of preparation—of His breaking to remake you ready for your next. Receive with glad expectation the water and bread God will provide you—supernatural nourishment you’ll need to mount up renewed, refreshed, made ready to fulfill your next assignment. “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” –Isaiah 40:31

Friends, you, too, can experience renewal and refreshment—being made ready for all God has destined for you to do—by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you humble yourself before Him, He will raise you up a new creation! Jesus Himself said: “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” –John 5:24

It Is Well, When We Dwell.

January 31, 2026 /

Elda Othello-Wrightington

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well, with my soul” –Horatio G. Spafford.

I’m reminded of this song as I share this word of encouragement with someone who may be in a season where things aren’t well. Or things haven’t been well for an exceptionally long time. The author of this song wrote it after losing just about everything in the span of 4 years! He lost his son to scarlet fever, and all of his real estate holdings went up in flames during the Chicago fire in 1871. To make matters worse, his 4 daughters died during a shipwreck in 1873.

It is essential I share this bit of Horatio’s story because, for some of you reading this, loss may be your current story as well.

Life can feel uncertain after tragedy.

You may not have experienced physical loss, maybe it’s other things you might be grieving: a relationship ending, strife with a loved one, or you may just be navigating a new season in life where feelings of loneliness present themselves. When feelings of loss, sorrow, or sadness arise, I encourage you to dwell in Him; Jesus is the secret place where peace, comfort, and healing can be found all at once! The psalmist writes, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” –Psalm 91:1.

The Hebrew word for ‘dwell’ is Yashab.

Translated, it means to sit, remain, abide, or inhabit.

Friends, Yashab is an invitation to dwell/abide/ in Jesus’ Presence.

Sitting with Him and simply being.

The Bible says in Psalms 16:11, “In His presence is the fullness of Joy,” even when sorrow presents itself.

Sitting is hard when your mind is racing. When you feel stuck and everything is out of your control. But Jesus invites us to do it anyway. Sit and Remain in Him. Throughout the Bible, we see the word “dwell.”

We see it as a promise. As a place where God’s people can come. In Exodus 25:8, God tells Moses, “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” God longed to be with them then, and He longs to be with us now.

Jesus longs for us to dwell with Him.

Then, to dwell with God meant going to a specific location—the tent of meeting, then the Tabernacle. Today, we get to meet Jesus anywhere because He resides in us. “Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” –1 Corinthians 3:16. That means, as long as you are willing to engage with His Presence, you can meet God anywhere, at any time of day or night, when you pause and invite Him in.

Let’s pause for a moment… I encourage you to accept Jesus into your heart today if you have not already. Invite Him into your heart, your challenges, and your situation by acknowledging Him as Lord and confessing you need Him. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10

Choose to stay and abide with Jesus all of your days and watch the Lord Almighty overshadow you with hope, love, peace, and rest in even the most daunting situations and moments in your life. John 15:4-9 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Jesus makes it clear we need to stay connected to Him.

One Sunday morning, I heard one of our pastors from Highland City Church share this illustration: a branch is just part of a tree. He said that if a branch is cut off, it may look healthy for a while, but eventually it withers and dies because it loses its source of water and nutrients. That’s like us: when we are going through something, if we don’t draw near to God and abide in Him, the pain we feel can become so unbearable that we feel like we are dying.

Our hearts may grow cold and hard because they are not connected to our Source, Jesus Christ.

However, when we do choose to call on Him, to dwell with Him in our difficulties, hardships, or loss, we find our souls find rest. We, too, can utter what our dear brother Horatio wrote: “It is well,” simply because we choose to dwell.

When God Says No…

January 24, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“The king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” –2 Samuel 7:2–3

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve likely read or heard that King David was known as a man after God’s own heart. For those new to the faith or those who have not read a Bible, this truth can be found in 1 Samuel 13:14. Here, too,  in Acts 13:22, where the Apostle Paul quotes God: “But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”

I want us to focus on the last five words of this Scripture as they are central, the heart really, of this teaching: “I want him to do.” The idea being what God has determined versus our hearts’ plans and desires…

Though David was a man after God’s own heart, he belonged to God. He was God’s. Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, as Scripture reminds us, as surely as every other Blood-bought believer. “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” –Ephesians 1:4

But wait, didn’t King David live and die long before Jesus stepped foot on the earth?

Then how can it be that he was chosen in Christ?

Indeed, David lived roughly 1000 years before Jesus. It had been longer still since Moses, Abraham, and Noah, chosen vessels all, went on to glory, again, long before Jesus’ finished work on the Cross; yet each of them is with Jesus this day.

How can this be?

Faith.

Salvation requires faith.

One must believe God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” –Ephesians 2:8-9

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Hebrews 11:6-7

Each of these men believed God is who He claims to be.

Each trusted in God, His promises, and Person, as King David did, and Christ’s Righteousness was credited to them. “For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” “When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” –Romans 4:3-8

Now that we’ve established how David and the others belong to Jesus, how it is every Blood-bought believer belongs to Him, let’s get back to those five Words spoken by God at the beginning of this teaching: “I want him to do.”

David, having had this extraordinary relationship with God, was, above all, God’s own. Meaning, God, not David, determined which doors would open in David’s life, and which doors would not. In 2 Samuel 7, you’ll discover that out of a deep and abiding love for God, David had determined in his own heart that he’d be the one to build God a house—a place of worship, and that the Prophet Nathan sanctioned it as a “good plan,” but it was not God’s plan for David.

Before I go further, beloved, a word of caution:

Use wisdom by taking every “thus says the Lord” spoken over you by any man, prophet, so-called, any intercessor, or beloved brother or sister in Christ, captive, bringing it before the Lord. God alone owns the final Word over your life, and if that Word was from Him, He’ll confirm it; otherwise, spit it out before it causes a bitter root to spring up within you because what was spoken over you has not come to pass.

With this in mind, read and discover how God responded both to His Prophet Nathan and His beloved David for their well-intended yet erroneous ways, listen to what God says about them thinking they were free to do or speak what was in their heart’s to do or say: “Nathan replied to the king, ‘Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the Lord said to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?

“‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.” –2 Samuel 7:3-5;11-17.

Though David loved the Lord and earnestly desired to do nothing more than build God the best, most beautiful home, fit for the God he adored and served with his whole heart and life, the Lord made it plain that it was not what “I want him to do.”

What do you do, child of God, when God says no?

No, to the position, the pulpit you seek, that missionary position, job, marriage, or ministry your heart is set on.

Do you trust that God’s plans are far greater than your own?

Greater still than you could even imagine—eternal in scope and purpose.

My prayer for you, for me, for everyone of God’s own, is that we are not so blinded by the manifest blessings our gracious, merciful, loving God lavishes upon us, that we lose sight of the fact, though Jesus calls us friend, He is no less God! El Elohim, Supreme over all. Creator of our very breath and bones—our whole lives—with all their wants and hopes are subject to Him; Jesus “gets to” direct our dreams of serving and blessing Him and others. I pray we remain humble, pliable vessels worthy of continued use to our Master. Surrendered to the will and shaping of our Sovereign, Majestic King, Jesus, out of love and reverent fear—just as David was.

The works David desired to do were destined for another to accomplish.

I encourage you to read 2 Samuel 7 for yourself. And as you do, pay attention to the importance God places on humility and submission to His will.

Discover there too, the undeserved blessings God poured out on David’s obedience; this servant whose whole heart sought to love, serve, and obey His Lord. And, lastly, trust, beloved, that as you surrender your hopes to God, that dream and desire that’s been bubbling in your belly since you can remember, that God has a far better plan for you than you could ever dream or desire for yourself.

In the midst of your heartache or struggle today, be encouraged.

Take a fresh grip on God’s promise and never let go of it. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11

Do you know Jesus, Who, as Scripture tells us, opens doors no man can close and closes doors no man can open?

If not, won’t you receive His personal promise to you: “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” –John 6:37

Tetelestai.

January 10, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.”—John 10:28

Do you believe this Scripture verse experientially? I mean, do you have personal knowledge of its Truth in the very bones of you?

Christmas is behind us; with it, everything that happened in 2025, the good and not-so-good. 2026 stretches out before us now, God’s “next.” We wonder what lies ahead, beyond this new door. Joy? Relief? Hope? Answers, finally, to our heartfelt, yet unanswered prayers? A new relationship, maybe, a new ministry? A move, or a baby? Marriage?

Will we even live to see the end of this New Year?

Not everyone will. What does 2026 hold for us?

And though I ask myself some of these same questions, of late I’ve felt led to ask this provocative question: “As you walk into 2026, are you truly confident in your relationship with Jesus, or can it be shaken?”

Do you even have a relationship with Him?

And if not, why not?

What’s holding you back?

It’s time!

Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10. Ask Jesus to lead you to the Bible-believing Church He’s chosen for you to attend. Get a Bible and start reading it. Ask God to teach you—to open His Word to you. Go after God with all you have in you…

Make Jesus your Everything.

Your beginning, and your end.

Your Lord and Savior.

Let His Blood, shed once for all, holy and acceptable to God the Father, payment in full for the sins of the whole world, cleanse you of your sins. Jesus has cleared your account, friend. His Blood, stamped across your sin debt, paid in full; Tetelestai.

Still, the heartbreaking reality is that some falsely believe they or their loved ones will somehow achieve salvation, see the Father, and attain heaven without ever accepting Jesus as Savior. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

What about you? Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father?

I ask because it’s a question each must answer in his own heart before his eyes close to this world for the final time; not answering it is your answer.

My last teaching was titled: “He Didn’t Stay In The Manger…”

And how I thank God He didn’t!

I thank Jesus, He left the manger and went to His Cross.

My heart breaks when I think it was my sin that led Him there, but I am thankful beyond all known words for His Sinless, Powerful Blood that washes away my guilt and shame. Jesus opened the Way for me to run back to my Father, to be with Him, today, and for eternity, through His perfect sacrifice.

His sinless Life, freely given in exchange for my sin-filled life.

So, this question of the surety of your confidence in Jesus, that you’re safe and sealed in Him for the day of salvation, is it truly settled in your heart?

Here’s why I ask: Your eternal life depends on your answer.

You’re standing at the threshold of a New Year. A year whose door of new beginnings has cracked open before you, not everyone was given this gift. Just beyond, Light. Some quick glimpse of hope, promise, and uncertainty stretches before you. God is allowing you yet another opportunity to choose life or death today, now.

At the same time, you’ve left behind a year that shook and challenged countless people to their core—maybe you were one of them? Perhaps you witnessed someone you were certain, or certainly hoped, was unshakable, fall away. Maybe it was you who fell away? Are you one who once professed their love, so-called, for Jesus, but walked away? “As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” –2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Have you outright refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord? Repent, turn around!

As difficult as this is for you to hear, and for me to say, I assure you, sadly, regardless of your outward appearance, church polished or not, you belong to this world. To the old covenant, to those who “can be shaken,” not having been made new, eternal, sealed with the Blood of the new covenant. “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” –Matthew 26:28

Paul speaks of such men, of their falling away, when he harkens back to the Words God gave the Prophet Haggai, then, does an about face, pointing them, and us, toward some yet future day: “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken — that is, things that have been made — in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.” –Hebrews 12:26-27

Yet there is hope!

While there is still breath in your lungs, there is hope.

Please, hear me: I  say this in love and with all hope that you will turn back or to, Jesus: unless you repent of your sin, your end is an eternity away from the Light, peace, and safety found only in Jesus’ Presence; as was my own, and so many of my brothers and sisters, until we said yes to Him. 

So I am praying for you that God, in His mercy, might turn back and remember you —remember anyone who sincerely repents—starting with His church. “Change your Life, not just your clothes. Come back to GOD, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot. This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust for your GOD!” —Joel 213-14 MSG.

In closing, confidence in your salvation is profoundly personal. Because it’s your intimate, exclusive relationship with Jesus, likened to that of a husband and wife.

The “no one can take this away from me” Spirit of God Himself at work in you, anchoring you immovably to Jesus. “Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” –Hebrews 6:18-20

Dear friend, as you take steps into this New Year, search your heart: be confident of your salvation.

And, if you are His, beloved of God, go all in!

Stake your Life on what you profess to believe.

“Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).” –Philippians 2:12.

This sure knowledge that you belong to Jesus, and are eternally saved, can be the greatest gift you receive in 2026 if you ask for it with all sincerity.

Tetelestai; It Is Finished! Your debt has been paid in full.

I pray you believe this.

“Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.” –2 Peter 3:8-10

Humblest Of Beginnings.

December 20, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” –Luke 2:14

As we approach Christmas, we are reminded of what makes us a Christian: We are sinners who have been saved by grace, washed clean, made new in Christ Jesus. We believe Christ is who He says He is, the only begotten Son of the Father, God in the flesh. That He was born of a virgin, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day, defeating sin, death, and the grave. All of this goes far beyond our being associated with Him in name alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” –Ephesians 2:8-9

 Without our having this relationship with Jesus, who is the only Way to the Father, we cannot rightfully call ourselves anything but His sinful and lawless creations.

Jesus Christ is not only the reason for the season—He is so much more. Jesus is our salvation. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12

So we give glory and praise to God for the amazing Gift He has bestowed on men.

All of humanity was plunged into sin and darkness after the fall of man. Sin had entered the world, and death reigned over all creation. But God, in His mercy, made a way for all humanity to escape sin and death by bringing His Son, Jesus, the Savior, into the world. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14.

When it seemed there was no hope, God brought Light into this world, pushing back the darkness that overshadowed it. Jesus said, “I have come as a light unto the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” –John 12:46-47

This babe grew into a man who wore the mantle of a King. A King who would defeat death and sin forever, and the prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus’ Lordship: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” –Isaiah 9:6

Seven hundred years after Isaiah prophesied, God set His plan in motion by sending the angel Gabriel to Mary in a little backwater town called Nazareth. Was there anything special about Nazareth? No. Was Mary a special girl? No. Yet God has a way of using the unlikeliest of persons and places to accomplish His will and plan.

Gabriel tells Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” –John 2:28. The Bible tells us that Mary had found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” –Luke 1:31-33

God’s perfect timing for the soon arrival of His only begotten Son was falling into place. Mary, betrothed to Joseph and pregnant with Jesus, journeyed toward Bethlehem.

Scripture reminds us that a decree from Caesar Augustus had gone out, requiring everyone to return to their hometowns to be registered. While in Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown, the time came for Mary to give birth. “And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city. So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child. While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.” –Luke 2:3-7

The fullness of God’s Divine timing had come; Jesus, the Light of the world, was born.

Right about this time, the Bible tells us of an encounter another group of people had. Those seen as nobody, the lowly shepherds, tending their flocks in the field.

Shepherds were considered the lowest of the low. Still, God intended them to be the first to witness this amazing miracle. “In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah)” –Luke 2:8-11.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you may be seen as insignificant by the world, but not by God. He loves you deeply.

You may feel like no one sees you, but God does.

You are a masterpiece in His eyes, and He has a purpose for you, just as He did for those shepherds who could hardly believe what they had just witnessed.

Yet how incredible it must have been for them to be witnesses of God’s heralds as they announced the Saviour had come into the world. There may be times when God extends us an invitation that seems unreal, too big, too impossible, as He did to those lowly shepherds. The Bible tells us, “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them.” –Luke 2:15-18

It brings God joy when we tell others about Jesus. How can we keep this amazing gift of salvation to ourselves?

You may feel unnoticed, unqualified to share such an invitation. Still, you became a witness to God’s mercy the day Jesus came into your heart. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” –John 1:12

God’s invitation to salvation through Jesus is real. In fact, it is the most real thing anyone will ever receive, and it’s been extended to anyone who will call on Jesus. If you sense Jesus is calling you, do not walk away; instead, accept His invitation, His free gift of salvation. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” –Revelation 3:20

I pray your Christmas season be filled with the same joy and peace the angels proclaimed that night in Bethlehem. I pray that as you look at the lights on your tree, you remember the Light of the world who hung on the cross and took all your sins upon Himself. I pray you will share the invitation to know Jesus, and be a witness to all men; not every gift given this season will come wrapped and tied with a bow.

All of us at SonsoftheSea pray you experience the True gift of Christmas, the Joy of the Lord, and His salvation. Amen.

Rest, For A Weary Soul.

December 6, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”—Psalm 121:1-2

There are times when I get weary, I admit it. After working long hours at a physically demanding job, I am surprised I have enough left in the tank some days to keep pushing forward when I come home.

Ever have those days or even weeks where all you want to do is just shut the world off and stay in?

If the answer is yes, you are not alone, my friend; we have all experienced that type of fatigue in one way or another.

So when I thought about the verse in the above Psalm, I imagined how the writer must have felt. How his eyes must have been focused elsewhere, on the problem burdening him, maybe, rather than focusing on the solution. How his spirit seems heavy, burdened by sadness. It reads like he was questioning what, if anything, could be done. Yet, instead of continuing to focus on what was bringing him down, he eventually decided to look up and see the solution. But God!

Let’s reread it:

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

You might be weary, exhausted, physically and spiritually, but don’t give up.

There may be days when you don’t want to leave your house, but keep pushing forward, despite that feeling. We need to be looking up,  my brothers and sisters. Whatever problem we’re facing may “feel” big, but God Almighty is bigger.

Be reminded today that the One true God, who created heaven and earth, also made you in His image. There is no mistake why you are here, now. God has a purpose for you, and what God started in you, He will finish, rest assured. “Being confident of this that He who begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” –Philippians 1:6

We all go through those valley seasons; they’re where God is refining and pruning us—discipling us even.

God loves you so much that He will not leave you where you are right now, no matter your condition.

Maybe it’s the habits or the people in your life that need to be removed for you to grow.

Some habits need to die, and some “friends” need to be cut away. Pruning is a requirement in the life of the one who has put their faith in Jesus. One scripture that God keeps hammering at in this season is John 15:1. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Relationships need maintenance and building upon, especially your relationship with Jesus.

If you are feeling tired and distant from God, ask yourself this question: “What have I been doing that is draining me? Am I attached to the Vine or have I allowed myself to become attached to something else?”

Many times, throughout this season, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit say, “It is time for my children to wake up.”

It could be your job keeping you up at night, or social media posts and reels that have no purpose except to lure you away from time with God. If you have those things at the forefront of your life, you will indeed burn out. Instead, decide to turn away from them and back toward God. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7

It is a choice only you can make.

You may be surprised when the Holy Spirit hits you with the truth, so prepare yourself for what He might reveal. Jesus said, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come. He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” –John 16:13

What is it that has been robbing you of your time with Jesus?

Truth hurts, especially when it comes from our loving God. But when you are in Christ, remember you are His child, and He loves you. “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” –Hebrews 12:7

It takes more effort to walk up a rushing river than to walk with its flow.

Don’t walk against God’s leading, walk with Him, in whatever Way He is guiding you. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.” –Psalm 37:23-24

You may fall down a few times in your Christian walk, but remember: this is a marathon, not a sprint.

When you keep an even pace with Christ, you will feel less winded when troubles come. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it “ –1 Corinthians 9:24

Your prize is eternal life, genuine salvation from God through His Son, Jesus.

Run this race with the strength God has given you and do not rely on yourself. The Holy Spirit has been freely given to you to empower you; He is your Helper, and He is with you always. You are sealed in Him. “In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also; having believed, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” –Ephesians 1:13-14

Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:20

Jesus said that, and I believe it!

Trust God to help you walk when you are feeling tired and unsure. Stay as close to Jesus as you can during moments of weariness. Stop focusing on the problem, or anything else that robs you of your time with Jesus. Run from what steals your time and run to Jesus!

He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.” –John 15:5

I pray that as you read this teaching, you have a stirring in your heart to know Jesus more intimately. I invite you today to receive the true gift of salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” –Acts 16:31

If you are His and are weary, weighed down by your sins, ask for Jesus’ forgiveness and repent.

Do not let this moment pass you by. I’ll leave you with this reminder: Many times throughout this season, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit say, “It is time for my children to wake up.”

Amen.

Spirit and Truth.

November 29, 2025 /

Pastor Maria Braga

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and Truth.” –John 4:23-24

When I first came to Jesus, I was paralyzed with fear in every area of my life. I felt like reading the Bible was just something every believer did, and I had to do it too, or else, but at the same time, I had such joy that I couldn’t wait to get to it daily. I read through those 66 books over and over. I couldn’t wait to finish so I could start over again. I would read the Scriptures whenever I had the chance. I even believed that if I didn’t read enough, God would be upset at me. Reading was a task I had to religiously complete in those days, maybe because of my background. All of this was great, and looking back, I realize that season was fantastic for enriching my knowledge of God’s history, His church history through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and my spiritual nourishment.

As I grew in Christ and the Holy Spirit, I came to a different understanding and realized that, for that season, I did what I was supposed to do; that was what my lifeline was in that season of my life. I will read my Bible continually till the day my eyes are too old to see, but I read with excitement and faith, not out of fear like I had in those early days. I understand that there may be times when I am unable to read. Still, God is Spirit who lives in me, and He ministers to me not only through the reading of His Word but also through His Holy Spirit. I now have this freedom, a place where I know I can receive from the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit wherever I am. When I seek my God in Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship, it brings my heart to a place of intimacy with God. I understand that my worship of Jesus is not dependent on a specific location or any other human demands, but comes from His word and the depths of my being where His Spirit abides.

Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth is my reality; it’s sincere from the depths of my heart, genuine, and like a river flowing from my depths into the heart of God. This happens when I read, I pray, worship to song, or sit at the feet of Jesus.

Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth draws me closer to my Lord through this intimacy, and my Lord draws closer to me. Oftentimes, when I have no words, my own Spirit within me cries out with groans as it says in Romans 8:26, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

Forty years later, I live free and believe God’s Word is a lamp unto my feet. I follow a daily step-by-step plan, along with my prayer life, fellowship, and intimate times with my Abba Father.

Now, when I read God’s Word, worship, pray, or engage in any other Christian activity, my head and my heart are both involved; it feels like my whole being is enthralled in the moment.

Those who worship Him worship in Spirit and in Truth, because He is “The Truth” we are desperate for. We might not see Him in person, but our Spirit knows how magnificent He is, how gentle and caring He is, and how kind He is to us.

Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth must be vital and genuine in our hearts, resting in an accurate perception of who God is to us personally. Spirit and Truth are inseparable in the life of the believer. Truth is associated with emotion, and Truth without emotion results in dead religion and artificial admirers. Equally, emotion without Truth produces empty frenzy, shallow people who don’t take discipline or reverence for God and His commands. This true worship comes from a deep, sound place within us, a deep love and sound doctrine. Our strong affection for our God when we worship in Spirit and in Truth is the bone and marrow of biblical worship.

We must encourage one another in the most holy faith as we move forward, serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Each minute is a celebration of life. Each Sunday, around the world, we, who make up His Body, gather to host spiritual, family events called “Church.” How wonderful it is to journey from the day we are born-again, through our water baptism, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and on to grow through His Word, and fellowship with other saints, celebrating the grace and spiritual life Jesus gave us. We are blessed and highly favored by the One who calls us his children and heirs of His kingdom, forever living in His Kingdom with Him.

Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth is the essence of our connection to Jesus.

We must be intentional in our daily walk and diligently seek this connection with God’s Holy Spirit in the depths of our Spirit!

Father, help me to dive deeper into the waters of your Holy Spirit, teach me your Ways, and create in me a pure heart to seek after intimacy with you, be my strength when I am weak, and my stronghold when I need a hiding place. Deepen my understanding of your depth, and rescue me from the areas I need to recover in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Father, draw near to the one who needs you, the one who is seeking Truth, fill them with your Spirit, that they might be one with you even as you and I are one, I pray, in Jesus’ name.

“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” –Jeremiah 29:11-13

Amen.

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