Sunday's Blessing - 10/18/2026 - Names of God - Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Jesus)

Sunday's Blessing - 10/18/2026 - Names of God - Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Jesus)

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 (ESV)

King David was the most prolific and celebrated king over all of Israel. He united Judah with the rest of the tribes to bring the entire nation into unity. He ruled them all with equality and fairness.

David came from Judah. They were the first to recognize him as king after Saul died. In time, the rest of the tribes came to acknowledge his throne, which was appointed by God.

The name Judah means “praise”. One of the primary marks of David’s reign over Israel was the commitment to worshiping Almighty God. He forsook the Tabernacle of Moses when returning the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Instead, David built a new tabernacle focused on 24/7 worship in front of the Ark, which was in the open for all to see. David understood God’s heart which desired a restoration of fellowship with man like Adam had in the Garden of Eden where “God walked with Adam in the cool of the day.”

So, when the call came from the throne of God asking for someone worthy to open the scroll which John saw in the vision, there was only one option. Judah would be the tribe of origin. Someone from the lineage of David might qualify for the task, but only one did. His name was Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

John wrote “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, the book we now refer to as “Revelations”. However, the entire book is ONE Revelation. Everything in it reveals truth about Jesus Christ. Here is a list of names from Revelation used to refer to Jesus. Many of these are dealt with separately in other chapters of my book, The Names of God.

Jesus Christ – 1:1

Faithful Witness – 1:5

First Begotten of the Dead – 1:5

Prince of the Kings of the Earth – 1:5

Alpha and Omega – 1:8-13

First and Last – 1:8, 11, 13

Son of Man – 1:13

He that lives and was dead – 1:13, 18

He that holds the seven stars – 2:1

He who walks amid the golden candlesticks – 2:1

He who has the sharp double-edged sword – 2:12

Son of God – 2:18

He who tests minds and hearts – 2:23

He who holds the seven Spirits of God – 3:1

He who has the seven stars – 3:1

The holy and true One – 3:7

He who has the key of David – 3:7

He who opens what no man shutteth – 3:7

He that shuts what no man opens – 3:7

The Amen – 3:14

The faithful and true witness – 3:14

The beginning of the creation of God – 3:14

Lord – 4:11

Lion of the tribe of Judah – 5:5

The root of David – 5:5

The Standing Lamb – 5:6

The Lamb – 5:7; 19:7, 9

Lord of Lords – 17:14

King of Kings – 17:14

Trustworthy and true – 19:11

Rider of the white horse – 19:11

The Word of God – 19:13-16

Christ – 20:4

The Lord God of the Holy Prophets – 22:6

Beginning and the end – 22:13

The sprig from the root of David – 22:16

The bright morning star – 22:16

The One recognized as the ONLY person qualified to open the scrolls was none other than The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the One seated at the right hand of God in Heaven, the One who was present when earth and man were created, the One who guided Noah in building an ark to save mankind, the One who came to Abram to deliver the promise, the One who guided Moses in bringing Israel out of Egypt, the One who led Joshua into the Promised Land, the One who directed Samuel to anoint David King over Israel, the One who was born of a virgin in a manger in Bethlehem, the One who lived by every word from the Father, the One who gave His life as a ransom to redeem man on a Cross at Calvary, the One whom God raised from the dead after He reclaimed the keys of death, hell, and the grave, and the One who ascended to the very throne which He now occupies making intercession for those who have been baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!

Seated on His throne next to the Father, still bearing in His body the scars on His hands and feet, still gripping the keys of The Kingdom, He awaits the appointed time when the command from the Father is given.

In his first epistle, John wrote:

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3:2 (ESV)

What a sight that will be! When we see Him we will be transformed into His image as “the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

We can place our faith in this One called the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” In Him, there is no fear, no hesitancy, and no anxiety. All praise be to God!

Sunday's Blessing - 10/11/2026 - Names of God - He Who Hath Anointed Us

Sunday's Blessing - 10/11/2026 - Names of God - He Who Hath Anointed Us

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (ESV)

There are many sermons and teachings about Jesus being anointed. Jesus declared this of Himself when He stood in the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:16-19 (ESV)

He has anointed me! Jesus knew that without a doubt. Here is the wonderful part for us: God is no respecter of persons. What He did for Jesus (a man born of a woman) He will do for everyone. One of the names used to refer to Jesus is “Christ”, which means, “anointed one”. Jesus promised before He ascended to Heaven after the resurrection that He would send the Holy Spirit who would dwell in us. The Holy Spirit would baptize us into Christ. This is the anointing He has given to us!

Before being sent as an ambassador to another country, the sending country confers on them the authority to carry out business as their representative. The same thing is true of the Christian. God has established anointing as the method of conferring on others the authority and ability to act in His behalf. This is the essence of being a Christian. When we identify with Christ through faith, the Holy Spirit baptizes (anoints) us into Christ. We now carry in us the same power Jesus has, and we now have the same authority Jesus operated in while on earth. 

There are two important references in scripture which help us understand anointing. The first is use of oil to anoint an object in order to consecrate it. The very first time anointing with oil appears in the Bible is in Genesis 28:18. Jacob pours oil on a stone pillar at Bethel after waking from his dream of a ladder to heaven, marking the place as holy ground. The second reference comes from the commands given to Moses regarding the Tabernacle and its operations. The first person explicitly anointed in scripture is Aaron, when Moses pours oil on his head to consecrate him as high priest in Exodus 29:7. Anointing with oil is mentioned throughout scripture. For the New Testament Believer, the source of anointing is found in Christ Jesus and is used as a type of the Holy Spirit.

Without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, sent to us by The Anointed One, Jesus, we are like impostors trying to pass themselves off as representatives of the One they represent. It’s the spiritual version of scamming. Satan did this when he approached Jesus after the forty days of fasting which began when Jesus was baptized of John. Satan tried to get Jesus to turn away from the plan the Father had for His Only Begotten Son, but Jesus was the Word made flesh to dwell among us. Jesus responded to every temptation thrown at Him with a “word” from God.

Our mission is to do the same. Jesus made a way, legally in the spiritual sense, for us to be redeemed and brought back into right-standing with God. Jesus then sent us His anointing, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to help us serve as representatives of His in the earth, ambassadors from the Kingdom of Heaven, to be “ministers of reconciliation”, as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:18. This does not mean we are to become “preachers”, but instead to become those who reveal Christ in the earth by demonstrating the love of God, the compassion of Christ, and the reflection of Jesus by following the Holy Spirit’s leading as He directs our paths. This is all accomplished by the anointing given by “He Who Hath Anointed Us”.

Sunday's Blessing - 10/04/2026 - Names of God - He Who Worketh All Things After the Counsel of His Own Will

Sunday's Blessing - 10/04/2026 - Names of God - He Who Worketh All Things After the Counsel of His Own Will

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)

Ephesians 1 and 2 are, in my opinion, two of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Paul lays out the foundation of all God did to prepare a way for us to be restored back into fellowship with our Creator.

There’s a word in this verse which gives many Christians problems with their faith in God. “Predestined” does not mean that God has already laid out your entire life, including who you will marry, the children you will have, the work which you perform, the places you will live, the church(es) you will attend, and most importantly, whether you will be saved or not. There is a much simpler and more accurate understanding of being “predestined.”

One of the first rules for interpreting the Bible is the Bible itself. If the question is already answered elsewhere in the Bible, then you do not need to look further. In this case, Paul himself answers what he meant by “predestined.”

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 (ESV)

I love how simple this is. God does have a plan for every single human who has ever lived, is living, or will live on this planet. He wants every person from Adam until the last human birthed before the end of this existence “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

How did God come up with this plan which could apply to everyone? The Godhead (Father, The Word [Jesus], and the Holy Spirit) decided this would be the hope for every person. “Let us make man in Our image.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV) God gave each person a will so they could make choices to bring themselves into conformation to Jesus. God gave each person means by which they would have the power to be conformed to Jesus – the Holy Spirit –  who was placed inside every believer. But it all started with Abraham, where God gave access to faith by which everyone can be redeemed back into right-standing with God.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, Hebrews 6:13 (ESV)

In all of scripture we see a single thread where God always does things according to His will, which is determined by taking counsel with Himself, because who else can God consult?

The final part of this particular “Name of God” has to do with “inheritance.” In today’s culture, an inheritance is something passed from one generation to the next. It usually consists of things pertaining to wealth (money, valuable objects, or real estate) but can include a business or trust where the recipient has to assume some sort of role to oversee the operations of the inheritance. The latter is the case here. God made us joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) where we are to “rule and reign” with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

Let’s recap what Paul is trying to convey in Ephesians 1. God has prepared an inheritance for us (His Kingdom), and to qualify us for the position has predestined all of us to be like Jesus, who is the King of this Kingdom, where we will rule and reign with Him. This whole plan was conceived by God Himself when He “took counsel of His own will.” That is certain is Good News! God’s wisdom is incredible.

Trust His process and embrace His plan. Enjoy the ride.

Sunday’s Blessing – 09/27/2026 – Thermostat or Engine?

Sunday’s Blessing – 09/27/2026 – Thermostat or Engine?

One of the least expensive parts in a car engine is the thermostat. An engine needs to be hot in order to run efficiently. However, if it gets too hot it will cause parts to warp and fail; complete engine failure. A thermostat costs about $15.00, if you can install it yourself. If not, it may cost an additional $100 - $200 based on make and model. On the other hand, a new engine runs about $2,500+, if you can install it yourself. If not, it may cost an additional $3,000 - $5,000. That’s a big difference!

What does this have to do with blessing? This same principle applies to your spiritual life. You control the temperature of your spiritual life. The thermostat is designed to open and close to maintain optimum operating temperature for the engine. If it gets stuck open, the engine runs too cool. If it gets stuck closed, the engine overheats causing potentially fatal damage. In similar fashion, the life of the Spirit has two settings.

Craig Hill gave this illustration. The soul of man has two doors. One door opens to the Spirit of God, the other opens to the flesh. Only one door can be open at any given time. When you are operating in the flesh you cannot hear what the Spirit is saying. When you are open to the Spirit, the flesh has no control over you. Opening the door to the flesh is like running your engine with a bad thermostat. It will never end well. At the very least you will run inefficiently; worst case is total engine failure. Either way, you lose.

However, when you open the door to the Spirit, you will operate at peak efficiency. Following the leading of the Spirit, your paths will be illuminated so you can place your foot firmly in the direction you need to travel to walk in the purpose God placed within you. When you live your purpose, you are living the “abundant life” God intended. This should be the life of the Christian. Keep the door to the Spirit open and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

So, the question asked in the title of the article is “Thermostat or Engine”? Which are you willing replace? Replacing the thermostat opening the door to the Spirit. It does cost you something. Actually, it costs you everything. You have to give up your life, but in giving it up, you save it! If you choose the engine, you lose EVERYTHING. You lose the wonderful life you could have, being led by the Spirit. You also lose your life forever.

You have the choice which door is open. How you decide will make all the difference.

Sunday's Blessing - 09/20/2026 - Names of God: Habitation of Justice

Sunday's Blessing - 09/20/2026 - Names of God: Habitation of Justice

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. Jeremiah 31:23 (KJV)

Everything has a beginning. At least, in the mind of humans. In all recorded history, every civilization, culture, and religion has a story of how we got to here. The story of creation found in the Bible begins with God. He was. from eternity past to eternity future, God! He is the beginning and source of everything. Spiritual justice came from Him and is adjudicated by Him.

In similar fashion, the civil justice system established a three-fold criteria for proving the innocence or guilt of individuals by answering the questions of motive, means, and opportunity. If a person can prove they do not meet the requirements for these, they are found to be not guilty. The American justice system assumes you are innocent until proven guilty. This is the bedrock from which we live in the US. Every person is assumed to be living within the confines of the laws which govern the citizens. It is a fundamental right given by the constitution. Justice must have a beginning place.

This is described in legal terms as “being cloaked with innocence.” During every phase of the process: of being accused, tried, and judged; that innocence remains. The only way it is removed is by a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The justice spoken of in scripture also has an origin. God! Jeremiah makes the declaration that God’s throne is the Habitation of Justice; literally from the Hebrew it’s called the abode of righteousness. The only way to mete out justice is to have a flawless judge. One of the names given to God is Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord Our Righteousness). He IS righteousness. He is the standard. As a matter of fact, it is only because He made us righteous at our conversion do we even become righteous.

Just as the early settlers of what is now called the United States of America determined, none of us are worthy of justice. Therefore, a list of laws were written and agreement was made that all citizens would follow them. As long as this was the case, every person would be presumed innocent until it could be proven someone violated one of these laws. This was and is the foundation for civil and criminal justice.

I’m so glad that spiritual justice for the Christian is not based on our ability to keep the Law of God. It has already been established that we cannot. Therefore, from the Habitation of Justice, righteousness is bestowed on anyone who would willing profess their dependence on The Righteous One, Jesus Christ. Through the Spirit’s baptizing us into Him, we are cloaked with a real presumption of innocence which cannot be taken from us. All God sees in the Christian is the righteousness of Jesus. All the enemy can see of us is the righteousness of Jesus. That is real justice founded on the unmovable Habitation of Justice, our Creator which will never fade or be altered.

So when satan, the accuser of the brethren, according to scripture, comes to God (the Righteous Judge) with an accusation against a Christian, Jesus (Our Advocate) testifies of our innocence because of His blood washing us clean, and the Jury (the Holy Spirit) bears witness of our innocence because He was the One who brought us into Christ. The only verdict which can be rendered is INNOCENCE! We now live in the Abode of Righteousness with the King in the Habitation of Justice!

Learn to live from this truth. It will free you to “be” instead of “do”, bringing peace to your soul and joy to your heart, and you will find rest.

Sunday's Blessing - 09/13/2026 - Names of God: Who Answered Me in the Day of My Distress

Sunday's Blessing - 09/13/2026 - Names of God: Who Answered Me in the Day of My Distress

Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone. 

Genesis 35:3 (ESV)

It is always good to go home. Jacob had learned one thing through the events of his life up to this point: “God has been with me wherever I have gone.” What you find at “home” are people who love you and comforting surroundings. It’s a place where you can exhale. Whatever was wrong in the world was put on hold for a bit so you could simply be yourself. When Jacob uttered the words recorded in Genesis 35:3, he was responding to the command of God Who sent Jacob back to Bethel (means House of God).

Jacob had been there once when he fled his brother, Esau, after cheating him out of his birthright. God met Jacob there the first time. Jacob was convinced God would meet him there again. He told his family the words from Genesis 35:3 that in essence he was going “home”. Bethel was a familiar place where he had experienced a life-change. Little did he know all that God had in store for Jacob when he returned to Bethel.

Just as God did for Abraham by changing his name from Abram to Abraham, God was about to inform Jacob that he and his sons had been chosen to be the People of God. He would change Jacob’s name to Israel. It is said of Abraham that he believed God before he ever saw the promised son. Now Jacob would be named the very lineage of Messiah. From Israel, God would bring salvation to mankind. Because God heard the faith spoken out of Jacob’s mouth by saying, “He is the God Who Answered Me in the Day of My Distress.” Returning to Bethel was not a hard thing for Jacob because it was a safe place for him.

God desires to establish this kind of relationship with you. He beckons you to come to Him and learn of His ways, hear His words, and experience His heart the way Jacob had. Then you too could say with confidence, “He is the God Who Answered Me in the Day of My Distress.” Regardless of the issue, God is greater still. The power of the opposition is irrelevant because God is greater still. The time may seem to be coming to an end, but the eternal God has no limits. It would be several centuries before Jacob’s family would actually walk in all that God had prepared for them. But on this day, the wheels were set in motion, the compass had been set, and the trailhead firmly established for Jacob, now called Israel, to wind up living in the land which God “gave to Abraham.”

It would be through the lineage of Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, that David would lead the nation of Israel into the fullness of God’s promises. It would be a few more centuries before a simple virgin named Mary would conceive of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the One Who would become the “Answer to Everyone in Distress.” Jesus, the Promised Messiah, would complete the redemption which Abraham only dreamed of, which Jacob had seen is a vision, and Mary held in her arms. All of this was done so you could return “home” and find acceptance and forgiveness in your Bethel, and find all that God has prepared for you.

Sunday's Blessing - 09/06/2026 - Names of God: Guide of My Youth

Sunday's Blessing - 09/06/2026 - Names of God: Guide of My Youth

Will you not from this time cry to Me,

‘My Father, You are the guide of my youth? Jeremiah 3:4 (NKJV)

A lot of bad behavior displayed in young people is written off as “sowing wild oats.” In reality it is simply poor decisions made from stupidity, not ignorance. There is a stark difference in these two words. Stupidity means “a lack of intelligence, good judgment, or reason.” Ignorance means “the lack of knowledge, education, or awareness about a specific subject, fact, or idea.” 

You don’t know what you don’t know. Ignorance, while it still results in wrong behavior, comes from not knowing. After the error is pointed out, you now know. Doing the same thing again is stupidity, because now you know better but did it anyway. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone with you in those moments to help you make good decisions? For the Christian, there is.

I had my share of ignorant moments growing up. I also recall many times where I acted out of stupidity. Looking back, I wondered why others were getting away with their stuff but I always seemed to get caught. I realize now it was the grace of God, the Guide of My Youth, protecting me from greater harm. Those times of stupidity stand out much more than the times of ignorance. I think of the potential consequences which could have resulted from my actions. Others could have been injured, or even killed, but God was there to expose my willful acts of disobedience and kept me and others from great harm.

This realization brought me back into a place of repentance, allowing God to bring me back into fellowship, face to face, as friend with friend, so I could “See Thee more clearly, Love Thee more dearly, Follow Thee more nearly,” as the song from Godspell states it.

The verse cited above from Jeremiah came during a time where Israel rebelled against God. The verse is part of what God spoke to Israel, reminding them He was, and still is, their “Guide of My Youth” and wants to be their Guide now. The Lord then gave them this call to return to Him:

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, …” Jeremiah 4:3-4 (NKJV)

The Guide of My Youth now wants to be their Guide of My Now! God is not a children’s fantasy like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. He is actively involved in every aspect of life, working constantly to bring everyone into a place of peace, joy, and love for their whole life. He is there in your youth, but He is also there in your adult years, ready with the same wisdom and guidance to keep you in a place where you can have fellowship with Him and be a guiding force for others needing help; young or old. Solomon put it like this:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; Ecclesiastes 12:1 (ESV)

It's much easier to hear the voice of God when we are still tender and pliable in our younger years. Life can get hard, even unbearable. But if we have a foundation of relationship with the Guide of My Youth, that same Guide will stay by your side, regardless of what comes, to help you remain steadfast in your faith, and finish your life strong as you live as a testimony of God’s faithfulness.