Tag: growth (Page 1 of 13)

The Lag…

August 22, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” –Psalm 27:14

It would be a gross understatement to say I’m not much of a sailor. Because I’ve sailed with someone who is a world-class sailor does not mean I’ve been afforded their firsthand knowledge or experience vicariously. Being a passenger on their boat does not mean that I am in any way qualified to sail it. Beloved, wisdom dictates that when one’s future is at stake, before you begin a thing, count the cost. “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.'” –Luke 14:28-30

Respect boundaries and heed the instructions and warnings of those who are far more experienced, trained, and capable of navigating the waters on which you find yourself sailing. Demonstrate humility by acknowledging your limitations and by remembering you are a passenger on this ship called life, not the Skipper… “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

That said, you’ve heard the Lord. As He did with Father Abraham, God has called you to leave behind all you know—home, family, friends, ministry, some possessions—or maybe all, and set sail with Him into your “next.” Where exactly? He’s given you the destination: the city, state, or town, just not the actual address. Now, you’re waiting on God to fill in the details and timing…

And though heavy-hearted in leaving behind those you love for a season, or maybe until you meet again in heaven, you feel honored God has called you; frail and fragile vessel that you are—the least qualified of His kids—to partner with Him for yet another new adventure; or perhaps this is your first?

Either way, you’ve been reenergized—reawakened.

Fresh air, you had no idea you needed, billowed in, reviving you and exposing what had become rote and repetitive in your life. You had no conscious awareness that your energy and vitality had waned until God opened up this new course before you. Was the season past a good one? Yes. Ordained by God, absolutely; it was a privilege and an honor. It was also part of God’s plan for you to bless others and meet their needs, all the while being trained and prepared for your next. “See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” –Isaiah 48:10

So why has what started as smooth sailing seemingly stalled?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Lag as follows: a noun referring to a delay, gap, or time difference between two related events.

The forward momentum gained after Jesus’ initial invitation to follow Him into this “new thing” feels sluggish now—stalled somehow, more like rowing through molasses than sailing open waters. Has God changed His mind? Did you eat too much pizza and confuse indigestion with God’s voice? Was it all wishful thinking on your part? Some subconscious longing you mistakenly labeled as a call from God. It’s possible, certainly. You would not be the first child of His to be led off course, mistaking His voice for your own. There is a reason God’s Word cautions us to test everything: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” –1 John 4:1.

And though John was speaking specifically of false prophets misleading and deceiving the people within his following verses, the spiritual principle itself is sound. It ought to be applied to any Word, so-called, given us by God directly or spoken over us by another. God will always confirm His Word by His Word and by the peace His Holy Spirit will provide your spirit, and through wise, Godly counsel—even when, especially when, what God is calling you to do is too big—a seemingly impossible feat for you to accomplish.

Yet, after weighing it all, dare I say nothing out of the ordinary has happened to you, my bewildered friend? What you are feeling is exactly that: your feelings. The angst, perhaps, that often comes from thwarted control; incomplete knowledge, our human, limited vision, and frustrated wrangling over our own self-imposed timelines or outcomes…

I posit the lag you’re experiencing isn’t, perhaps, you having mistakenly heard God’s call; rather, it is God Himself just being God.

Let me explain…

Oftentimes, when He calls us into that next assignment He has for us, it is not at all uncommon for Him to allow us to experience what “feels” like lags, delays, or us having lost sight of a shoreline that was clear and seemingly laid out plain before us, just a short time ago.

God will often allow such lags, as with so many other things He allows to touch our lives, to help build in us trust, humility, perseverance, endurance, and patience. Abraham experienced God’s lag. As did Moses, Daniel, David, Joseph, and so many other of His servants.

In what felt like silence, and even God’s absence, He was, in fact, at work on their behalf, fulfilling the promise and all that was in their lives. God is far more concerned with our character than with timing: “But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.” –James 1:4

God hasn’t forgotten you, or His call on your life, beloved; He is building your reliance on Him.

He’s sharpening your abilities, your hearing, sight, and trust in His ability to “Captain” your ship—follow His voice, even if you hear it calling you to do what “feels” impossible. “But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].” –John 16:13

There is a reason you and I need an experienced Skipper at the helm of what we oft refer to as “our” ship, beloved, setting the pace and charting our course. Trained eyes that can, in an instant, scan the horizon of our lives, knowing not only where we are at any given moment, equally important, where it is He’d have us go; knowing precisely how to get us there safely.

Left on our own, however, we’d search and strain to see a shoreline that promised a destination to which God has called us, floundering and anxious, oars floating in the water, because we’d lost our way…

If what you heard was indeed from the Lord, friends, then I caution you to sit tight, and, as David reminds us in today’s Scripture verse: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Remember: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?” –Numbers 23:19

Father Abraham believed God even when the promise God had given seemed to have stalled, and then Isaac was born. “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the exact time God had promised him.” –Genesis 21:1-2

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He has called you, anointed you for some future work, to partner with Him in winning souls for His Kingdom, serving or strengthening His people, teaching, evangelizing—whatever His call on your life will be, if Jesus is truly calling you, then assuredly it will come to pass. “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'” –Isaiah 46:10

This same Jesus is calling you to be His today, new friend, to know and trust Him as your Lord and Savior. I encourage you to say yes to His will for your life. Let Jesus guide you through the turbulent seas and challenges of this life. “This is what the Scripture says: “Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…]. Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past ·when you turned against God.”–Hebrews 3:15

The Lord Is My Shepherd…

August 15, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” –Psalm 23:4.

The Lord has led me to this Psalm, a personal favorite, in times of trials, loss, pain, fear, or need: for wisdom, comfort, provision, direction, and as a reminder that Jesus is the same God in this season as He was in seasons past. Faithful to meet my every need then, and equally able to meet it now. He’s God, forever meeting me in my place of need. My Shepherd, who will comfort me, give me the wisdom, direction, and discernment I need—not necessarily the answer I want or am praying for.

For that, though challenging to take in at times, I am grateful nonetheless.

Jesus’ calling me to more, the uncomfortable, unforeseeable more, that affords me the opportunity to grow in Him, become more like Him.

To put the full weight of my trust in Him, above everyone, especially myself; having done that more times than I’d care to admit, with what I can say were less favorable outcomes. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

Jesus alone has seen my end from my beginning; He alone knows what’s best for me—on this one Truth I have bet my life…

Jesus is asking me to step out in faith for yet another Red Sea adventure with Him, to trust Him; maybe He’s asking the same of you in this season as well, beloved? Asking that we fix our eyes on Him. To encourage ourselves when what we see in front of us has yet to manifest into the fullness of what He has promised. To keep pressing into Him, moving forward by faith, trusting His leading by reminding ourselves of His unswerving faithfulness in every detail of our lives—how He’s met our every need—in times past. So let’s keep each other in prayer as we cast our nets out yet again, at our Master’s command.

Jesus alone has always been, and always will be, my Provider: I pray you can say the same. Jesus’ care of me—and you—is nothing if not personal. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” –Emphasis my own.

Child of God, perhaps you too need a reminder of who Jesus has been to you in seasons past, in order to mount up in the strength you need today, and to keep pressing into Him for your right-now needs. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

New friend, if you have yet to meet Jesus for yourself, if you don’t have a loving, committed one-on-one relationship with Him, today is the day Jesus has ordained for the two of you to have such a relationship. Despite your age, your health, your financial standing—whether single, married, or divorced, man, woman, gay, straight, or a transgender young adult, despite your past, no matter how messed up and sinful it may have been; God’s not finished with you yet. How can I say this with certainty?

You’re still here.

So long as there is breath in your lungs, Jesus is reaching out to you—still, or yet again. “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.”

Jesus is offering you all that you’ll ever need, in every season He’ll lead you through, and so much more—if you’ll let Him. How? It starts by inviting Him into your heart. Repenting of your sis and meaning it. Because at the end of the day, it’s your heart Jesus is after. A heart fully surrendered to Him—His will, into His care, and into His unfathomable love for you. Jesus desires your all-in trust. “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.” –Proverbs 23:26.

Is the Great Shepherd calling you into a new ministry, move, or a new position perhaps, in His Kingdom, child of God? Something that, in the natural, looks impossible. The finances don’t line up. You can’t see the end from the beginning—so you’re afraid to step or misstep, possibly?

Perhaps Jesus is asking you to let go completely of what you know is an answer to prayer, the very thing He alone is responsible for providing for you. That home, church family, that circle of brothers and sisters you’ve built bonds with—a rhythm that works and flows with ease, given to you for a season by God—but now, He’s asking you to release it, and to trust Him, sight unseen, for your next “God-thing.”

Or maybe you are walking through the valley of loss—the shadow of death has passed over you. Even now, darkening everything in front of you, making it impossible for you to see clearly. Are you mourning the passing of a loved one, a child you miscarried, or your closest friend—that one who was more of a brother or sister, really—and you’re feeling like the weight of such grief will surely crush you? Hold on! Run to Jesus. He is near, He is near! “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”

Hold fast to the Good Shepherd as you walk through your Red Sea moment with Jesus by your side, reminding yourself: “I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Beloved, if the Lord is asking you to take your hands off something He’s given you—entrusted to you for a time—even a long time, don’t hesitate—I know, easier said than done; I’ll remind you here, however, that everything and everyone you have or have had the privilege of “getting to” know—rightfully belongs to the Lord. Hard as it may be to see or understand right now—you must, must, walk by faith and not sight, lest you fall.

Asking “why” right now is asking the wrong question, beloved—even though you long for God to answer you, give you some reason to help make sense of things; still, Job taught us God owes us no such answers.

The correct question, in every season, loss or plenty, mountain or valley, is this: “What are you trying to teach me, Lord?” Because whatever you are experiencing had to first pass through God’s Sovereign hands; thus, He is using it to shape you into the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus. Whether that makes sense to you now or not.

Our Father always does what is best for us—not what we understand or feel comfortable with—and we do well to remember that by remembering He bought and paid for us with the spotless Blood of our Good Shepherd. “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

Friends, I encourage you to read Psalm 23 in its entirety; regardless of the season you’re in, it will bless you. As you read it, do so remembering Who this Psalm is speaking of; then, posture your hearts with the respect, deference, openness to His will, and the righteous fear due the name of Jesus. “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

Psalm 23 is all about Jesus, beloved: His heart toward you.

Line after line speaks to His very nature and Character. What He has done and is doing in your life and mine, every day, in every circumstance, because He first loved us. The Lord is our Shepherd; we shall not want, even when you and I walk through what can certainly feel in the moment like our darkest valley.

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” –John 10:3-5;10

As with the Master, so with His students: will you lay down your life for Him, child of God—when you hear His voice calling you into unfamiliar pastures?

God’s Pause

May 30, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.” –Esther 2:12

It was in this place where God hit the pause button on Esther’s life—not forever, but for a time. A pause is only for a set time. Never forget that, beloved, especially when it starts to feel like forever. God’s pause is that space between calling and its fulfillment. That time —however long, God uses to prepare us for His next…

Are you there?

Does it feel as if God has hit the pause button on that hope He placed in your heart? That vision of your “next,” He shared with you?

Are you looking around, wondering if God somehow forgot you?

When God hits pause on your life, it can feel isolating—you start questioning yourself: “Did I truly hear from God?”

If you don’t guard your heart in this place, silent as the grave, often. Still, like trees before a storm, heavy feeling, even, not light and freeing as you’d expect, Satan will have access to that open door he needs in convincing you that God has abandoned you; that the silence, this lack of movement, the stillness, it’s all proof that what you’re feeling is real: “God has no further use for me.”

You’re there, aren’t you?

In the pause? That Holy tension…

Holy Spirit will not let you escape it, no matter how hard you fight Him—not that you want to, fight Him, that is. You just want something to happen. Some sign from God that He hasn’t forgotten what He promised. Hasn’t forgotten you.

Because that’s what it feels like right now, and the weight of those feelings is making your knees buckle. Because sometimes believing for something so big is bigger than your “right now” faith. That’s when God, being Lovingkindness and infinite mercy Himself, creates a pause…

You’re no longer where you’ve been, looking around you, that much is obvious.

Still, you’re certainly nowhere near where God is taking you, the Holy Spirit keeps confirming that much…

You’re in that place where nothing but everything seems to be happening all at once. You just can’t seem to pull all the threads together just yet, so the picture of the completed tapestry is just there, out of view—still, something is happening.

God used a pause in Esther’s story to prepare her.

Again, Loving Father, He is, Jesus knows our frame; what and how much we can withstand before the weight of His intended blessing breaks us instead. “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” –Psalm 103:14. So God lavishes His gifts of time and His personal attention upon us—ensuring every detail, each person required, friend or foe, every lesson and element needed to fully prepare us to thrive under the full weight of His blessing, is brought together at just the right time, in just the right place to be used with meticulous precision.

Still, how Jesus prepares each of His children for what He has for us varies according to His plan for our lives. “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” –2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Take Joseph, for instance; there were no spa treatments in Joseph’s story.

Instead, his time of preparation included a pit and prison, betrayal and lies.

Father Abrahams’s pause meant leaving home and family behind and heading off to somewhere known only to God, with no map in hand. His only directions were God’s go and His promise. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth. I will be blessed through you.” –Genesis 12:1-3

What about Noah? People thought he was a complete loon!

Building something no one had ever heard of to be prepared for something no one had ever seen. Rain? What’s that! And all because the unseen God he served, the God with the yet unknown name, said to. “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” –Genesis 6:13-14;19;22.

Then there’s the man Jesus chose to be His forerunner.

Who goes around munching on locusts and wild honey? Who does that! Yet John faithfully traversed the wilderness wearing clothes made of animal skins and, to anyone who would listen, screamed aloud about a Kingdom yet to come: they needed to repent and be baptized; the Messiah was coming—man judges by outward appearance, for God, it’s all about the heart. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” –Matthew 3:1-5

My point: the list of those servants who have experienced God’s pause—His deafening silence and seemingly fluid relationship with time —can all be found between the covers of your Bible; your experience with God’s pause is not unique, beloved. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s pause button has been obvious—if we have eyes to see it. Actually, it’s in Genesis, if you read with the eyes of the Spirit, where you’ll find an instance, maybe a first, where God chose to hit His pause button. It’s where He sheds the blood of innocent animals to cover over Adam and Eve’s nakedness, their sin. “And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” –Genesis 3:21

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” –Leviticus 17:11

It would take some 40 centuries, yes, centuries, before God took His finger off that particular pause button. Still, He had prepared the perfect time and place, had selected the absolute right, not perfect, people: friends, and foes, needed to introduce His Perfect Lamb to this world.

So you see, beloved, God has not forgotten you.

He’s just hit pause because to Him, our character matters more than our comfort—some of us get spa treatments, others, pits and prison. Why? God, our Loving Master Potter, is doing what He alone knows is best for each of us. He is preparing you —preparing us all —to be received; not by any earthly king but by our King, Jesus—and that kind of preparation takes time, His, not yours. “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” –Romans 9:20-21

Do you know Jesus Friend? He not only knows you, but He loves you. What if the fact that you’re reading this today isn’t an accident? What if, instead, it’s God saying the pause is over? That today is the day Jesus has chosen for you to follow Him, to be His. “For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” –2 Corinthians 6:2

But I Didn’t Mean To…

May 16, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.” –1 Chronicles 13:10

What had Uzzah done so wrong that God would kill him on the spot? At first read, it’s hard to understand why God would have done this. More so, I believe, if you have an intimate relationship with Jesus, whom you know to be Love itself. Hard, that is, if you’ve let slip your mind the fact that this same, Loving Jesus hates sin and is just. That He is to be revered as the Majestic Glory He is. Exalted as Creator of all things, seen and unseen. Awed, being the only Person who ever said, “Let there be,” and there was; from solar systems to ants to acorns, each was birthed into existence simply because Jesus willed it. Jesus is Lovingkindness Itself, and He’s just; they’re inseparable.

Thus, God has the inherent right to do whatsoever He will with His children and His creations.” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” –Romans 9:20-21

Yes, Jesus freely lavishes grace upon us; still, He abhors sin.

We’ve all fallen short, friends. We sin.

We’re guilty of forgetting how worthy Jesus is of our utmost respect, obedience, and reverence. Do we forget intentionally?

I certainly hope not—otherwise, we ought to question if we’re truly saved…

But what if unintentionality and familiarity are what make us and Uzzah akin in our sin of forgetfulness?

We did it. We committed the sin; we’re definitely guilty, but we didn’t mean to.

To even begin to wrap our heads around why God killed Uzzah for what some earthly parents may have forgiven, we must be open to witnessing God’s Love for us through the lens of His Holiness—which is inextricably linked to His justice; they’re inseparable—we cannot pull them apart.

We can’t choose one but not the other as though it belongs in the enemy camp.

God’s Holiness and His justice are kin—

Scripture proves it to us…

Hand in hand with John 3:16, God’s Love and justice, His Holiness, are perfectly displayed in Romans 5:8-9. “But God demonstrates his own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

God’s Love and justice are foundational elements of His salvation:

His justice demands that sin be punished, atonement be made, and moral order be kept—punishment is a judicial requirement. While His Love is beneficent: Love spares, forgives, defends, covers, protects, blesses, goes to bat for, if you will. And nowhere in Scripture do we witness a greater example of the conjunctivity between God’s justice, Holiness, and Love than at the Cross of Christ.

There, the jurisdictional requirements God demands be kept that justice be served, and moral order maintained were met when Jesus’ Perfect Love willingly offered His sinless life in exchange for our sin-filled lives; satisfying God’s demand for justice, all the while sparing humanity through His perfect atonement. Hence, protecting us from the wrath of God, which our sins so justly deserve. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” –Romans 6:23

Now you might be saying, okay, with you so far, but how does all of what you laid out connect to God killing Uzzah?

Regarding Uzzah specifically, he and his clan had been chosen by God to carry the Ark of God using specified carrying poles—the Ark should never have been placed on a common cart. In addition, Uzzah was not a priest; he was a Levite, meaning he had no business touching Holy things. This included his reaching out to steady the Ark of God—however well-intentioned he was. God had forewarned His people that anyone who did such a thing would die. “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furniture, as the camp sets out, after all that [is done, but not before], the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them [using the poles], so that they do not touch the holy things, and die. These are the things in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) which the sons of Kohath are to carry.” –Numbers 4:15

The Levites (Uzzah’s tribe) had hosted the Ark of God for two years. Had Uzzah’s proximity to God’s Presence inadvertently allowed him to become too comfortable being around God? Had he forgotten the great honor which had been bestowed upon him—forgetting then God’s Holiness? Maybe, his sheer proximity to the very Presence of God had bred a certain irreverence in Uzzah unawares?

Here, brothers and sisters, is where you and I have far more in common with Uzzah than we’d care to admit.

We, too, forget—however unintentionally—that we serve a Holy God, and that His Commandments, those “guardrails” He’s lovingly put in place to protect us, aren’t suggestions, they’re commands that, when broken, bring consequences.

Perhaps, like Uzzah, we’ve gotten so “familiar” with Jesus that we’ve forgotten—I forget, because God knows, ashamedly, I’m guilty—just how Holy our God is.

Maybe because we live within a culture—even some church cultures, sadly—that stresses “God is Love” and He is, but fails to teach and remind us that, because God is Love Itself, it doesn’t mean He’s quit being just and moral. God hates sin.

The fact that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother doesn’t change that.

Will we see Uzzah in eternity? I believe so.

God seemingly used Uzzah, as He did Pharaoh, as He can with anyone He so chooses, as a vessel through which He displayed Divine retribution and instilled Godly fear in His people. “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills”. –Romans 9:18. God reminds us to keep Holy what is Holy —God also, according to His Word, knows the heart and secret thoughts of all men—Uzzah’s included. “For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.’ So then God’s choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift]. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I raised you up for this very purpose, to display My power in [dealing with] you, and so that My name would be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then, He has mercy on whom He wills (chooses), and He hardens [the heart of] whom He wills.” –Romans 9:15-18

Uzzah stood on the very ground God used to teach His people the ultimate lesson on the importance of obedience and keeping Holy things—Holy; of not forgetting His Word or the laws He had already given them—those guardrails given to protect them from His judgment and His wrath.

So, is it possible that the ground where God struck Uzzah dead was a place of foreshadowing, pointing us towards that place where Jesus’s finished work would, one day, appease God’s wrath—that ground where heaven met earth, where every Blood-bought believer is grateful exists—I know I certainly am. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” –Galatians 4:4-5

Some may find this teaching hard, perhaps questioning why I didn’t just skip to the part where God’s love for Uzzah saves him.

My reply is simply this: I must be obedient to share with you what God places on my heart, to not shrink back because it may be hard for some to take in—I leave God to touch your minds and hearts as only He can. As for me, I will say as Paul did: “For I never shrank or kept back or fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan and counsel of God.”

God loves you, friend, and He wants a relationship with you. He’s made a way to have that with you through His Son, Jesus. Have you accepted Jesus ‘ unfathomable free gift of salvation? If not, ask Him to come into your heart today—mean it, and He will. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” –Romans 5:8-9

Take A Stand.

March 21, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Elda Othello-Wrightington

Life can feel like we are in the midst of a war—sometimes a battlefield—and we often don’t even know what we are fighting or how to fight it. Sometimes the fight is within us; other times, it’s outside ourselves. Outside of our control. I find that war from within can be one of the hardest to fight at times. Especially the war that happens in the mind. But the bible tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, it reads, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

In this season, the word “stronghold” has stood out as I navigate life and pray for others.

So, what are strongholds? This AI definition struck me. It reads: “In the Bible, a stronghold refers to deeply ingrained, deceptive thought patterns, lies, or sinful habits that hold a person captive and oppose God’s truth, often built from past experiences like trauma or rejection, acting as mental fortresses that block spiritual growth and obedience to Christ.”

When something is ingrained, it has deep roots.

And guess what: a person is held captive by these roots and sometimes doesn’t even realize it. I’ve learned over the years that only God’s Truth can untangle the lies one finds themselves in. As a counselor, the bigger question I find myself asking God is, “Then how do I help others break free from strongholds if they can’t see them and are so entangled in them?”

Wrestling with this question has been such a challenge for me, as one of my own loved ones is stuck in their own mental fortress as a result of past traumas and feelings of rejection. Dealing with that can feel debilitating at times because I all I want to do is help them, but I know I am not God (neither do I want to be God), and I know that they also must want to be helped!

They have to submit themselves, wanting to be free, via surrender to God, but what if they can’t see?

So I went back to the bible…

How do we help them break such strongholds?

Well, because they’re supernatural, helping break them must be done through the Holy Spirit.

You cannot fight supernatural strongholds in the flesh.

As Ephesians 6 says, we do not war according to the flesh, but through the weapons the Lord has given us. Those supernatural weapons are found in Ephesians 6:10-18: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

We need to STAND for that person via intercession.

I recently learned that intercession is likened to travail or labor. It has a feminine bent in that women push during labor, not that men can’t or don’t experience such; they do.

During labor, women push not just with their own strength, but with some form of supernatural strength. I have no children, but I do know what it means to labor. It’s hard work standing in the gap for someone else’s breakthrough. What is essential to stand is how the Word of God tells us to do it: But Stand in “His strength” and not in your own. Stand with God’s armor, and His armor entails: TRUTH, knowing what God says, it’s His Truth that will set the person free, and you too, in whatever situation you are in.

Standing in Truth means declaring the Word of God in prayer.

Stand in righteousness, which means being in right standing with God; possessing Godly character, not perfection, but His character, because feeling frustrated is a very real thing, and those feelings of frustration will try to bubble up.

But the next verse tells us to stand in peace, knowing the Lord will fight this battle. And that He’s ready to pour out His peace on the one struggling with the stronghold, even when it feels hard for them to receive it.

“We walk by faith and not by sight” – 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Standing in faith can be hard sometimes, especially when it’s so much easier to see things with natural eyes than with supernatural eyes. Scripture encourages us, “I will lift my eyes to the Hills from where comes my help, my help comes from the lord” –Psalm 121:1-2.

We have to keep our eyes focused on God, not on how the person is presenting.

We have to keep our eyes on the Lord to “Stand still, and know that we will see His Salvation” – Exodus 14:13 – and that is often the hardest part. But stand, with the Sword of the Spirit in hand, which is the word of God. Hold on to His Word and His promises as you do.

And lastly, stand by praying always, whether you fully understand what’s happening or not.

Don’t give up on praying. God hears the cries of his saints. The Word of God says, “the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous shall avail; it shall come forth.” –James 5:16. The Lord is fighting your battle; you are not fighting alone.

All you need to do is take a STAND.

You may have read this teaching through, yet may never have given your heart to the Lord. Today is your day! John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world that whoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Friend, make the decision today and by faith, take a stand; know and be assured that the Lord is in your midst. He will fight your battles.

You Give Them Something to Eat.

March 7, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Pastor Samuel Cordeiro

Mark 6:30-44 30: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to Heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”

Jesus’ declaration to his disciples, “You give them something to eat,” comes from the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in Mark 6:30–44. But when we slow down and read it carefully, we realize something remarkable: this miracle is not just about multiplication—it’s about participation.

A Crowd Hungry for Hope

Jesus and His disciples were trying to get away for rest. Yet when the crowds heard where Jesus was headed, thousands ran to meet Him. These weren’t church people attending a conference. These were desperate people. Hungry people. Broken people. Sick people. People tired of religion and longing for real hope.

Does that sound familiar?

Our world today is filled with people just like that—hungry for truth, desperate for love, longing for something real. When Jesus saw them, Scripture says He was moved with compassion. The Greek word used there means His insides churned. His heart broke for them. Thank You, Jesus, for Your compassion toward us—when we were lost, lonely, and afraid like sheep without a shepherd.

The Disciples’ Logical Suggestion

As evening approached, the disciples came to Jesus with what sounded like a very reasonable idea: “Send the people away so they can go buy something to eat.”

Haven’t we all prayed prayers like that? Lord, send someone to help them. Lord, take care of that family. Lord, reach those people. Lord, heal that village. Well-meant prayers, but then Jesus responds in a way that must have shocked them:

“You give them something to eat.” In other words: You are My plan. You are My hands. You are My voice. You are My feet.

Point #1 — God Starts With What You Have

Jesus didn’t ask for what they didn’t possess. He asked: “How many loaves do you have?” The disciples responded as most of us would: “We don’t have enough.” It would cost too much. We’re not ready. Send them away. How often do we delay obedience while waiting for more money… more education…more influence… more confidence? But God says, “What’s in your hand?” God does not call the equipped—He equips the called.

In this story, the miracle didn’t begin when Jesus prayed. The miracle began when a boy let go.

Point #2 — Surrender Turns Scarcity into Supply

John’s Gospel tells us it was a young boy who surrendered his lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish.

He didn’t know he was holding a miracle—he just knew he brought lunch.

Scripture is full of people like that: Moses said, “I’m not eloquent.” God asked, “What is that in your hand?” –Exodus4:2. The widow said in 2 Kings 4:1–7, “I only have a small jar of oil.” Yet God multiplies the oil in all her and her neighbors’ jars; she was able to collect. David said in 1 Samuel 17, “I only have a sling.” Yet God used it to defeat a giant. God never asks for what you wish you had. He asks for what you already have. Your testimony. Your voice. Your business idea. Your time. Your gifts. Your experiences. Your resources. In your hands, it may look small. BUT In God’s hands, it becomes seed.

Point #3 — God Breaks What He Is About to Multiply

Before Jesus multiplied the bread, He broke it.

The loaves were broken before they were multiplied. God will often break what He plans to bless and multiply. Not to destroy it — but to distribute it. Brokenness is not failure – Brokenness is surrender under pressure.

Brokenness is not punishment – Brokenness is preparation.

Oil only comes from olives when they are crushed. The aroma of perfume only fills the house when the alabaster jar is shattered. Gold becomes pure only when heated in the fire. Some of you may be walking through a breaking season right now. That doesn’t mean God has abandoned you. It might mean He is preparing you for something greater, for distribution in His Kingdom.

God is the Potter. We are the clay.

Point #4 — The Disciples Had to Distribute the Miracle

Jesus could have rained bread from Heaven like God did to Moses and the Israelites when they left Egypt in the wilderness. But He chose to put the miracle into the hands of his disciples. The disciples didn’t create the bread. They carried it. Paul writes: “We are co-workers in God’s service.” –1 Corinthians 3:9

That is the Church – the delivery system of God’s provision. Jesus is the Source – We are the delivery system. Every time you serve, every time you pray, every time you give, every time you share Jesus – You are handing out Heaven’s bread to a hungry world.

And here’s what’s powerful: The bread didn’t multiply in Jesus’ hands. It multiplied as the disciples gave it away. Kingdom overflow doesn’t happen through hoarding. It happens through release.

Point #5 — Faithful Servants Are Rewarded

After everyone ate, the disciples gathered twelve baskets—one for each of them. They went in empty and yet walked out carrying provision.

God never forgets faithfulness.

“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” — Hebrews 6:10

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33

God cannot multiply what we cling to. He multiplies what we surrender.

What’s in Your Hands?

The same Jesus who had compassion on the crowd has compassion on our cities, our families, and our hearts. He still looks at His disciples today and says, “You give them something to eat.”

We live in a desperate world searching for hope. And we are not the Source — But we carry the Source. Maybe you are reading this today thinking: “I don’t have much. I’m not enough.” But God says: “Bring your little. Put it in My hands. And watch Me feed a generation with it.”

God is not waiting for perfect people. He’s waiting for available people.

So let that be our prayer: “Lord, here is my little—make it much.” What are you holding back? What are your five loaves and two fish? What miracle is waiting on your obedience? Let’s give Him what we have—and let God do what only God can do.

A Final Invitation — Say Yes to Jesus Today

Before you close this page, I want to speak directly to you. If you’re honest, maybe you feel like one of the people in that crowd that day—hungry for hope… tired… overwhelmed… searching for something real. That wasn’t an accident. Jesus saw that crowd long before they ever saw Him.

And He sees you right now.

The same compassion that moved His heart on that hillside is reaching toward you today. He isn’t asking you to fix yourself first. He isn’t waiting for you to become perfect. He is simply inviting you to come. The Bible tells us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16.

Jesus gave His life on the cross for your sins. He rose again so that you could walk in freedom, forgiveness, and new life. And today, He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus—or if you’ve drifted away and you’re ready to come home—this moment is for you. You don’t need special words. You just need a willing heart. “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

If that’s you, pause right now and welcome Jesus into your heart with a simple prayer such as this one: “Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I know that I have sinned and need Your forgiveness. Thank You for loving me and dying on the cross for me. I believe You rose again and defeated death. Today, I turn from my old life and place my trust in You. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me new. I surrender what I have into Your hands. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. From this day forward, I choose to follow You. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Broken, For You…

February 21, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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 21^st.

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

When God Says No…

January 24, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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

But Fear Not…

January 17, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Matthew Botelho & MaryEllen Montville

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all evil against you falsely for My sake.” –Matthew 5:11-12.

Jesus assured us that in this life, we will have trouble. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

How we respond to that persecution is up to us.

We can let it hit us so hard that we fall and stay down, or we can persevere in the face of persecution and press forward, as King David and so many other brave soldiers in the faith have. Read Hebrews 11 for a full account of their faithfulness.

Jesus warned that there would come a time when His people would face intense persecution for their faith in Him. “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you”. –John 15:20

Even as this is being written, God placed those facing such persecution right now on our hearts. Brothers and sisters in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Somalia, China, and N. Korea. Countries where people are thrown into jail, beaten, or even killed for demonstrating their faith. As Americans, we have no real idea how truly blessed we are to have the freedom to express our faith and to worship Jesus openly.

Ecclesiastes reminds us, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun” –Ecclesiastes 1:9

Life has always and always will bring with it issues beyond your control.

Whether it be war, famine, or the enemy stirring up chaos, hatred, or confusion, as we see happening today. The Good News is, God is with us through it all. David reminds us of this Truth in his Psalm, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth” –Psalm 34:15-16. And talk about persecution: David wrote this Psalm as King Saul pursued him, a brother and man of God he loved and had served faithfully, who turned on him suddenly, wanting David dead. So David went into hiding in Gath, enemy territory.

If we read 1 Samuel 21:10-15, we’ll see why.

David hid because he feared for his life, and it showed. He was worried and fearful to the point that he literally started to act as if he were a madman to fake out those around him who sought to kill him, and he succeeded. The Bible says those who knew David said this of him: “And the servants of Achish said to him, ‘Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?” Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.” –1 Samuel 21:11-12

Yet David was indeed fearful and saddened because he had served King Saul faithfully, with love and loyalty, and now, that same man he once served was hunting him down to kill him, and all because God’s hand of favor was upon David. See, God had told the Prophet Samuel to go and anoint David as Israel’s new King, replacing Saul. “The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” –1 Samuel 16:1

The apostle Peter reminds us: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which to try you, as though some strange things happened.” –1 Peter 4:12

Don’t be surprised when people recognize the call on your life, then try to kill your character by speaking against you. Sadly, a good portion of the time, it will come at the hands of someone close to you, someone you love, serve, or work with. “It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.” –Psalm 55:12-14.

Don’t let jealousy or envy stop you from pressing forward.

Regardless of his circumstances, and yours, brothers and sisters in Christ, God’s anointing remained on David. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”—Romans 11:29

God called David for a purpose.

God did not leave him to face any trial or persecution alone; the same is true for you, friend.

If you belong to Jesus, God will never leave you nor forsake you, “even if” you face persecution for His name’s sake. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” –John 15:16

God will, however, allow you to experience things that feel uncomfortable to build our trust in Him and strengthen our faith, just as gold placed in fire melts, and its impurities float to the top. Be reminded, though, that your inheritance in the Kingdom of God outweighs any trouble or persecution you may face in this life.

The apostle Peter writes, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” –1 Peter 1:6-7

As Jesus said, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” –Matthew 6:1

Worry will never grow your faith, friends.

Worry is the total opposite of faith. Worry is the impure dross that gets burned off us by Holy Spirit in the fire of affliction and persecution—in all our “fiery” trials, so that our faith in Jesus can remain and be made pure.

God wants you to grow in your faith, not carry the worries of the world. Jesus reminds us that when we seek Him, we are seeking the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven. And that He, being the Mediator between man and God, has already filled us with everything we need to overcome whatever will come. “For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” –2 Peter 1:3

When persecution comes, in any of its forms, I pray this single Truth rise in you and sustain you: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

Hey friends, Brother Matt speaking: I have dealt with fear and worry, as everyone has. But let me remind you, as I remind myself, to declare this Truth over worry: “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” –Psalm 118:6

I pray this teaching stirred something in you, as it did me.

Take heart, child of God. Jesus has overcome this world, and because He did, so will you!

Friends, if you do not know Jesus, call on Him right now, and repent of your sins today. Be washed by His redeeming blood that takes away your every sin. He is so faithful to forgive. “For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” –2 Corinthians 6:2

Amen

Tag: growth (Page 1 of 13)

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