SHADOWS IN JERICHO

The Attributes of God - God's Immanence (Pt 1) A Journey into the Father's Heart A.W. Tozer (Pg 152-155) A Sense of God's Nearness   I once knelt under an apple tree in a field, along with several other preachers and a Salvation Army man, Captain Ireland. As Captain Ireland began to pray, I suddenly sensed a nearness—there was another presence. Though unseen, He had been there all along. "Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?" – Jeremiah 23:23 The Challenge of Fellowship with God   How can God continually manifest His presence to the proud and arrogant when He is so humble and lowly? How can He reveal Himself to the lukewarm and careless when He is so zealous, or to the hardened and vengeful when He is so forgiving? How can the harsh and severe experience the God who is so kind, or the calculating receive grace from the One whose love led Him to die for us?

 Spiritual Nuggets   Clothed in Righteousness: Putting on the New Self   Colossians 3:9-10   (Thursday, September 12, 2024)   Daily Devotional “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” —Colossians 3:9-10 (NASB)  (Historical Context)   Transformation through Clothing in Ancient Cultures In ancient times, clothing carried deep symbolic meaning, signifying one’s identity, social status, and purity. In Jewish culture, priests would put on sacred garments before entering the Temple, symbolizing their holiness and readiness to serve God (Exodus 28:2-4). Similarly, in Roman society, clothing often marked a person's status or office, such as a soldier’s armor, which represented strength and readiness for battle. Paul draws from this familiar symbolism to describe the transformation believers experience through Christ. The act

  Spiritual Nuggets Disarming the Powers: Christ’s Triumph Over Evil Colossians 2:13-15 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024) Daily Devotional  “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt (cheirographon) consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed (apekdyomai) the rulers and authorities, He made a public display (deigmatizo) of them, having triumphed (thriambeuo) over them through Him.” —Colossians 2:13-15 (NASB) (Historical Context)  The Roman Triumph and Disarmament In ancient Rome, a “triumph” (Greek: thriambeuo, θριαμβεύω, Strong’s G2358) was a grand parade in which a victorious general marched through the streets, leading captive enemies in chains as spoils of war. This public display symbolized their total disarmament and the

Spiritual Nuggets  Paid in Full: The Certificate of Debt   Daily Devotional  (Tuesday, September 10, 2024) “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt (cheirographon) consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” —Colossians 2:13-15 (NASB) (Historical Context: The Cheirographon in Roman Society)   In Roman society, the (cheirographon) (Greek: χειρόγραφον, Strong’s G5498) was a legal document that recorded a debtor’s obligation. This written record, signed by the debtor, was binding and stood as evidence of the debt owed. If the debtor failed to repay, the consequences could include imprisonment or enslavement. Once the debt was

Spiritual Nuggets Momentary Light Suffering Daily Devotional (Monday, September 9, 2024) "For we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."   —2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NASB) (Historical Context) When Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians, he was addressing a church that had experienced both internal division and external persecution. Paul had endured great suffering for the sake of the gospel—imprisonment, beatings, and shipwrecks. Despite all of this, he encouraged believers to "not lose heart" because the challenges they faced were temporary and would ultimately give way to eternal glory.

Spiritual Nuggets   God’s Unshakable Love Daily Devotional   (Friday, September 6, 2024) "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."   —Romans 8:38-39 (NASB) (Historical Context) When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans around 57 AD, the Christian community was facing severe persecution under Roman rule. Christians were marginalized, imprisoned, and sometimes executed simply for their faith. Paul’s words in Romans 8:38-39 were a message of hope and assurance for these early believers. He reminded them that no matter what external threats they faced, God’s love for them in Christ could never be broken. In our modern world, we may face different kinds of challenges—chaos, noise, uncertainty—but the truth of God's unshakable love remains the same. Poet Sarah Are

  The Attributes of God - God's Grace (Part Two)   A Journey into the Father's Heart, Volume 1   By A.W. Tozer   (Pages 103-106) Grace Is What God Is Like Grace is what God is like. Grace is God's goodness, the kindness of God's heart, the goodwill, the cordial benevolence—this is what God is like. God is like that all the time. You’ll never encounter a part of God that is hard; you will always find God gracious, at all times and toward all people, forever. You’ll never find any meanness in God, no resentment, no rancor, or ill will, for there is none there. God has no ill will toward any being. God is a God of utter kindness, cordiality, goodwill, and benevolence. And yet, all of these work in perfect harmony with God's justice and God's judgment. I believe in hell and I believe in judgment, but I also believe that there are those who God must reject because of their impenitence. Yet there will still be grace. God will still feel gracious toward all of His univ