Author Archives: expressyourself4him

Passage of the Day:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will, Romans 12:1-12.

Reflection:

Addicts don’t wake up one morning and suddenly say, “I’ll never take this drug ever again.” While experiencing alcohol poisoning at age 24 did result in me giving up drinking, this is not normal. Human nature has a way of distracting, enticing and luring Christians away from God and into sin, James 1:13-15. As a new year is in its infant stage, now is the time to get it right, by turning away from sin and toward God.

Prayerful Action:

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want, Galatians 5:16-17.

Renewing Your Mind:

The book of Revelation opens with seven churches that are given a spiritual update by God on how they are doing. John highlights good and bad news of each congregation. Apparently. Christians in the church of Laodicea were living mediocre spiritual lives, going through the motions without any joy or passion for life, Revelation 3:15-16. As the newness of 2024 is present in your mind, seek to avoid a lukewarm spirit by getting your life right with God, James 5:20.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

Nicodemus is mentioned three times in the New Testament. The first in John 3:1-17 as a Pharisee afraid to be seen with Jesus in public. John 7:50-52 shows Nicodemus defending Jesus as his peers accuse him of being one of his followers. Finally, John 19:38-42 reveals that Nicodemus got his life right with God by entering into a personal relationship with Jesus, Romans 10:9-10.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. ²⁰ I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. ²¹ Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him,” Lamentations 3:19-24.

Reflection:

You can’t change previous actions, behaviors or words spoken in the past. However, the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, has a refreshing message as you begin 2024. Despite the current consequences of previous errors, mistakes or transgressions, the Lord offers every morning as a chance for a fresh start. While human minds are full of ungodly beliefs such as “God will never forgive me, I’ll never be good enough and nobody cares about me,” each new sunrise serves as an opportunity for change.

Prayerful Action:

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, James 5:16.

Renewing Your Mind:

All minds are programmed differently. However, as individuals seek to seize each day of a new year, there will be spiritual growing pains. Minds are sponges that absorb everything you listen to, read and watch. If minds are not fed daily words from the Bible, Hebrews 4:12, spiritual transformation will not occur. On the flip side, reading the Bible doesn’t guarantee change either. As Jesus stresses at the end of the Sermon of the Mount, “put my words into practice,” Matthew 7:24. Don’t just study God’s Word, renew your mind by meditating on the Bible, Joshua 1:8.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Set a smooth and steady pace in 2024.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1.

by Jay Mankus

As someone who has spent the last decade working for Amazon, the first quarter of every year serves as a time to cut costs, evaluate current needs and make tough decisions going forward. While I was praying for the future of Express Yourself 4 Him, the Lord gave me a vision for 2024. Rather than provide a series of devotions from what God has been teaching me on random topics, I have broken down each season into monthly themes at the start of each new quarter.

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Quarter one will focus on your heart, soul and mind. Quarter two transitions toward action, behavior and spiritual fruit. Quarter three concentrates on Cardinal Virtues like discipline, temperance and fortitude, Finally, 2024 will end with the Theological Virtues of hope, faith and charity. Instead of following Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37, Bible verses on human minds will commence 2024, followed by heart verses in February and soul verses in March. The remainder of the topics are all in chronological order. All scripture will be from the New Internation Version.

by Jay Mankus

The Heroes Journey was developed by author Joseph Campbell as a story telling technique. In recent years, amateur screen writers have used the Hero’s Journey as an outline to follow while trying to craft their first movie. Campbell’s work has been turned into a cycle of life diagram where the hero of a story initially rejects a call to lead. After studying the context of Moses’ life, he is one of many saints who initially rejected God’s call.

And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue. ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say. ¹³ And he said, Oh, my Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of [some other] whom You will [send]. ¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses; He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed. ¹⁵ You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you shall do, Exodus 4:10-15.

When asked to be the mouthpiece for the nation of Israel, Moses began to focus on all of his weaknesses. Rather than trust in God to equip him properly for success, Moses thought about everything that he wasn’t good at or gifted in. Like the hero in Joseph’s Campbell’s story telling outline, Moses initially rejects God call. Plan B involves using his brother Aaron, a priest to fill in this role until Moses has the confidence to grow into this position.

Now the word of the Lord came to ^[a]Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ² Arise, go to ^[b]Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. ³ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister]. ⁴ But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken. ⁵ Then the mariners were afraid, and each man cried to his god; and they cast the goods that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep, Jonah 1:1-5.

Meanwhile, God called Jonah to share the good news of God’s forgiveness to the sinful city of Ninevah. Rather than immediately respond to God’s call, Jonah gets on a boat heading in the complete opposite direction of Ninevah. Nonetheless, God send a storm so that Jonah takes the long way to get to the Lord’s desired destination. Although you may reject God once or twice, in His time, you’ll be prepared for your next calling in 2024.

by Jay Mankus

The term obtuse refers to individuals who are annoyingly slow to understand or dull-witted. This word is illuminated by the classic film Shawshank Redemption. When Andy Dufrene confronts the Wardon about his lack of concern for his innocence, Andy gets sent to solitary confinement. As for today’s featured passage, the Lord allows Pharaoh to become obtuse by replying in such a manner.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. ² But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go, Exodus 5:1-2.

Centuries later, God raised up a prophet who would approach the nation of Israel with a similar message. In the days of Isaiah, eighth centuries Before Christ, leaders of Israel adopted pagan rituals like the New Moon festival. Subsequently, in the days of Isaiah, God stopped listening to prayers of the Israelites. Israel explains what needs to happen before regaining God’s attention.

Your New Moon festivals and your [hypocritical] appointed feasts My soul hates. They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵ And when you spread forth your hands [in prayer, imploring help], I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood! ¹⁶ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes! Cease to do evil, ¹⁷ Learn to do right! Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁸ Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; ²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it, Isaiah 1:14-20.

Since America no longer adheres to Judeo-Christian values, educators have taken God’s place in the pulpit. Subsequently, college professors have become modern day Pharaoh’s proclaiming the same question, “who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” May this question challenge you in the final days of December, so that others will know the name of Jesus in 2024, Acts 4:12.

by Jay Mankus