I've Witnessed It Devotional

We are living in a time that tends to promote self-reliance and self-worship above all else. We're taught that our happiness matters most of all and our success determines our value. This selfish agenda is pervasive, sneaky, and at times, aggressive. It's a story that puts you and me, and what we want, at the center by leading us to believe that we can manifest our own destiny and control the future. The bottom line is…it's all about us. This is not a new storyline, in fact, you could even say it's the oldest one in the book. This lie fueled the fracture between God and man in the Garden of Eden, and it's fueling all of humanity's sin to this day. To be clear — this is the Enemy's plan and it's in direct opposition to the kingship of Jesus and the rest He promises. Whether we acknowledge it or not, there is a greater and truer story unfolding all around us. This is the story of God's kingdom. In this kingdom, Jesus reigns as king on an eternal throne. He rules with grace, power, wisdom, and kindness. He is our Maker and He has our best in mind. He's the kind of king that gives His life for His people. He is unlike any other king. The story has always been and will always be about Him. “For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:16-17 So how do we resist the cultural current, clear the surface and get connected to what really matters? How do we fold our short time on earth into the eternal story of God? How do we find peace and a sense of being in a world that runs on striving and doing? It starts with pursuit. Every relationship is built on this. We chase after what we want and it's the same when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. James 4:7-8a says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” To align with God's heart we resist the enemy and come near to Him through humble prayer and repentance. We submit to the authority of His word. We are then transformed by His patient love and gentle presence. This pursuit adjusts our perspective and aims us back toward what matters most. Jesus also knows that life with Him at the center leads to the kind of joy, peace, and rest that life apart from Him can never provide. We get purpose and peace when we get Jesus! So, let's take a step toward Jesus today. And then let's do it again tomorrow. One day at a time. We have this promise in His word that He will meet us there and we will be changed and fulfilled. Based on the song All About You by Kristian Stanfill. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion

“For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Psalm 89:6-8 Who is like the Lord? Any follower of Jesus would answer this question with a resounding, “No one!” But the Psalmist is not looking for an answer. His question is rhetorical. He's using it to prove a point rather than get an answer. He's emphasizing his message. Simply listing the attributes and character of the Lord is not enough. Only a question can articulate the scope of His greatness! Moses does the same thing when he recounts all that God has done for the Israelites in his song, “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 And when Solomon dedicates the temple he says, “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.” 2 Chronicles 6:4-15 But why is God, called Yahweh in the Old Testament and “God of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ” in the New Testament, different from all the other gods? There is an apologetic argument that says that everyone is trying to get up the mountain to whatever deity they worship. Every major world religion invites its followers to work their way upward. Follow these steps. Perform better. Do more. It's all striving and self-determination focused, except the God of the Christian faith, Yahweh. Because of His Holiness and love, He knows that there is no path up the mountain that we can climb on our own. But He didn't leave us helpless. He did something utterly unique from every other religion. Through His Son, Jesus, God came down the mountain to us. Only Jesus can restore us to right relationship with God. Only Jesus can pay the debt we should have paid because of our sin and rebellion against God. Only Jesus left heaven, became a man, took on our sin and shame, endured the cross, died the death we deserved, and rose again, defeating the grave and holding the keys to death and hell! There is one true God, Yahweh, who created you and me, the world and everything in it. He made a way, through Jesus, for us to have life, peace, meaning, and a relationship with Him. He alone is worthy of our worship. Who is like the Lord? “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.” — Psalm 113:5-9 Based on the song Who Is Like The Lord by Passion. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion

Our God is a God of life and victory. Even though this is absolutely true, it can be hard to believe it when there is so much hurt and brokenness in the world. All of us face an enormous amount of pressure in life. Chances are you have been pressed by your job, finances, relationships, or the onslaught of disappointment that comes at us on the news every single day. Even in the midst of hardship, God can break through and help us transcend the moment we are in. Psalm 118 is a psalm of victory. It's a psalm that recounts that faithfulness of God to save and to deliver. Oftentimes when we look back on how God has worked in our lives, it will embolden us to keep moving forward in faith, even while suffering. In verses 5-7, the psalmist writes, “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.” He says that I remember the time when God delivered me to a spacious place. So even now, I don't need to be afraid. Because He was faithful then, I can look ahead in triumph. In verses 13-14, he goes on to say “I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Our God is a savior. This is in His nature. He wants to defend and protect His children. We can trust in the goodness of our God! Worship is always the right response to the gift of God's salvation. “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: 'The Lord's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!' I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” (v15-17). We can trust that God will lead us through whatever we are going through. The purpose of it all is to bring glory to Jesus. In the end, God wants to be the Lord and King over every area of our lives. Anything else we would choose to give our hearts to will ultimately fail us and entrap our souls. God has sent Jesus to save us and give us a new song of praise on the earth. Today, let's declare who He is over our lives. “You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” (v28). Let's move anything that is less than out of the center of our affection and put Jesus in His rightful place. Let's step into the triumph of the victory He has given us through His death and resurrection. Based on the song You Are Our God by Brett Younker and Passion. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion.

There are a few moments in scripture where the Lord cracks the door open a little wider for us. It's as if He is saying, “Come a little closer and peer inside. Let me show you how I see. Come perceive what I perceive.” This invitation is there for us in Revelation 4. Here, He shows us the Throne Room. "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:1-8 There are so many things about this passage that are quite simply beyond our understanding. Which by the way, is nothing to fret over. It is something to cherish. To worship a God who is incomprehensible is one of the best ways to know you haven't made a God of yourself. But, we do know this: There is a throne in the center, the Lord is upon it, and His glory is radiating like that of 1000 suns. There are majestic creatures that seem capable of doing only one thing: they circle the throne and with every breath they have, they say “Holy, Holy, Holy”. You get the feeling that they couldn't stop even if they tried. Perhaps repetition is not redundant in the throne room. Perhaps with every lap around the throne, they catch another glimpse of His glory, another part of his heart, a new piece of His smile, another portion of His power, majesty, and beauty. Again and again and again, they are given another reason to sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” After all, the holiness of God is not a fickle or fragile thing. It is an eternal thing, and there is always more of it to behold. The beautiful mystery doesn't stop there. Jesus, our High Priest, has given us access to the throne room. Even now, the invitation is there for US to join that endless song. We might sing something like this…. “With every lap around the throne, I catch another glimpse, You're Holy, Holy, Holy. The longer I behold you I can't help but say again, You're Holy, Holy, Holy.” Based on the song Another Glimpse by Sean Curran and Passion. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion.

One of the wildest stories in the Bible is the story of Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 22 God instructs Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering. Reading this should stop us in our tracks. It might even feel intense and stir up a lot of questions. Why would God require such a thing from Abraham? What was this exercise all about? And if you're a parent, it might affect you in an even more personal way, making your heart beat a little faster. These questions carry a lot of weight so how would we respond to such an ask? We see in Genesis 22: 1-3 how Abraham responded… “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” God's ask and Abraham's obedience happen in three verses. God instructs, and Abraham moves into action. He wakes up early and gets going. Ultimately Abraham does not end up sacrificing Isaac. God provides a ram at the last second, and Isaac's life is spared. The point is that Abraham trusted God and loved Him most of all. He was willing to put the most important thing in his life on the altar if that's what God was asking of him. Today, the sacrifice of praise that God wants most of all is our heart. That innermost part of who we are. That place where our hopes, dreams, desires, and affections reside. There is a throne there. Who or what is on that throne? God asked for the most treasured thing in Abraham's life, and Abraham answered, “Here it is.” He's asking you and me the same question. What will our answer be? Based on the song Here It Is by Passion. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion

The people of God have always been most distinguishable when the presence of God was in their midst. In the days of the Exodus, God made his home in the Tabernacle in the middle of the camp. During the days of King David, the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem, where God's presence would rest, and the kingdom flourished. However, as the kings and people of Israel continued to disobey God, eventually leading to exile, God removed His presence from the temple and the people were hopeless. Until Jesus. In John 1, it says that Word (Jesus) was made flesh and made His dwelling among us. What a miracle that our God has come to us. Later, in His final moments on earth, in John 14, Jesus promises to send us the Helper, the Holy Spirit. Because our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus, the Spirit of God can actually live inside of us. We no longer have to seek God's presence, as within every believer now resides the Hope of Glory, the Holy Spirit. He is a helper, a teacher, and a friend. He empowers us to live the life Jesus has called us to. God wants us to experience a closeness with Him. He wants us to let go of lesser things that don't satisfy our souls. He is calling us to a deeper relationship with Himself. The good news for those who are in Christ is that we now have permanent access to the throne room of God through the Spirit. In Acts, when the Holy Spirit came into the lives of the disciples, they began to live and walk with a new sense of purpose in the world. These everyday, common men and women literally turned the world upside down as the Spirit empowered them to carry the message of Jesus to the world. This same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and was moving in the early Church is alive in us. The Spirit has the power to change and transform our desires and make us more like Jesus. So today, let's pray for a hunger for the Holy Spirit to move in and around us. Let's ask the Spirit to lead us and help us live our lives in a way that shines bright. Based on the song Fall Like Rain by Passion. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - I've Witnessed It by Passion