The Daily Word: Wednesday, March 31^st, 2021
Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20
Luke 9:7-27
Psalm 72:1-20
Proverbs 12:8-9
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed… – Lk. 9:7

Herod heard what Jesus was doing and he was “perplexed.” He heard that everywhere Jesus went, the gospel was preached and people were healed (v 6). Herod had never heard of anything like this! Some told Herod that John the Baptist had risen from the dead (v 7). Others said that Elijah had reappeared (v 8). Others said that “one of the old prophets had risen again” (v 8). But He wasn’t anyone the world had ever seen before! This was Jesus.

Jesus is different. He is not just a prophet; He is the Prophet. He is the Man about whom all prophecy is written! People tried to put Jesus in a box based on the framework of what they had already seen. But Jesus doesn’t fit in your box. He doesn’t conform to your mold! He isn’t limited by your assumptions about Him. He is far greater, and infinitely more powerful, than anyone or anything you have ever seen, heard or experienced.

So do what Herod did:

Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him. – Lk. 9:9

Come and see Him! Because once you see Jesus for who He really is, and not just through the lens of who other people tell you He might be, your life will be forever changed.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for being so wonderful! You are unlike anything or anyone else I have ever experienced in this world. I love You so much! And I will spend my life encouraging the world to come and see You for themselves.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, March 30^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23
Luke 8:40-9:6
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 12:5-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, … you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him…” – Deut. 13:6, 7

A “friend” who tries to lead you away from God is not your friend at all. Look at the stern warning Scripture gives us. Even if your friend is “as your own soul” – the person who is absolutely closest to you out of everyone in the world! – you should not “consent” or “listen to him” if he leads you away from God. Verse 9 goes so far as to say, “…you shall surely hill him.” It doesn’t get more serious than that!

Do you have friends who try and pull you away from Jesus? Who try and pressure and/or convince you to do things that you know aren’t Scriptural and profitable? Don’t consent. Don’t even listen to him! I wouldn’t necessarily advocate for killing him…but it would be wise not to spend time with him. Witnessing to an unbelieving friend is one thing; but allowing a friend who knowingly wants nothing to do with Jesus to pull you from Him is never going to end well!

You become like the people around whom you spend your time. Are you spending time with people who pull you away from Jesus? Or are you spending time with people who lead you closer to the Cross?

Prayer:

Father, give me discernment to know who in my life is a good friend. If there is anyone with whom I shouldn’t be spending time, let me know! I will gladly walk away from any relationship if it means being closer to You. Please send me good friends who will lead me to the Cross, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, March 29^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32
Luke 8:22-39
Psalm 70:1-5
Proverbs 12:4
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. – Lk. 8:24

The storm is a picture of your life without Jesus. Wind. Waves! Raging water. But notice what Jesus is doing in the middle of the storm. Is he panicked? I don’t think so. Uncertain? Absolutely not.

In the middle of this severe storm, Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the wave. “And they ceased, and there was a calm.” This is Jesus’ will for your life. He wants a cessation of conflict and drama! He wants to put a complete stop to panic and strife. He wants calm: tranquility and absolute trust as you look to God to deliver you from the fiercest of storms.

Arise and rebuke the storm in your life. It is not of God! And it has no right to be there. Use your voice. Do what Jesus did! He “commanded” the storm (v 25) and it obeyed Him. And He has given you His authority (Lk. 9:1) to speak to the storms in your life, just as He spoke to the storms in His.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for giving me authority over the storms in my life. I am so grateful! Thank You for showing me in Your Word that You don’t want my life to be filled with drama. You want me to be drama-free! And I am grateful for that, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Sunday, March 28^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable… – Lk. 8:4

A great multitude gathered to Jesus. They came from “every city” and He began to speak to them. His topic of choice? Evangelism. Jesus spoke to them about sowing seed (v 5). He was arming his listeners with encouragement to reach the lost with the Gospel!

I have never been a big fan of church conferences. I prefer the quiet strength of the local church to the often-aggrandized hype of a regional conference. But this passage convicted me. We should have corporate gatherings in which people come to hear Jesus “from every city” all at once. We should have evangelism conferences where the gifts of God are stirred up in believers to go out and win the lost!

There is a place for the local church, and there is a place for regional conferences. Attend both, and be set ablaze for Jesus like never before.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for all the various ways and methods in which You call us to gather. I will go to church. And I will go to conferences! And I trust You to receive from You in every setting to which You call me, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Saturday, March 27^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20
Luke 7:36-8:3
Psalm 69:1-18
Proverbs 12:1
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, …and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.” – Deut. 7:1-2

It is not “if;” it is “when.” When the Lord your God brings you into the land. When the Lord your God delivers your enemies over to you. When. Victory is a foregone conclusion when God is with you! So, how do you make sure God is with you?

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. – James 4:8

When you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. When you are with Him, He is with you! To “draw near” is the Greek eggizo (Strong’s G1448), which means to approach, or to join one thing to another. If you’re waiting for God to make the first move, stop waiting! He already sent Jesus Christ – His only Son – to die on the Cross in your place. God has already moved. He has already done everything He could do to prove He loves you! And now it’s your move.

Will you receive Jesus? Will you draw near to Him, so He can draw near to you? Will you receive God’s open-door promise to take you into the Promised Land? It’s your move. What will it be?

Prayer:

Father, I receive Your love today. I am laying my life at the feet of Jesus like never before! I know when I draw near to You, You will draw near to me! You already did it. You sent Jesus to die for me; and in response, I give my life to You as an offering, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, March 26^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25
Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:19-35
Proverbs 11:29-31
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!  – Ps. 68:19

It’s a new day! And I have good news for you. The Lord your God “daily” loads us with benefits. He wants to load you up with His benefits today! Do you know what the benefits of His salvation are? Check out Psalm 103:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. – Ps. 103:2-5

His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23)! And if you woke up today with breath in your lungs, I have a message for you: God is still good. He is still God! And today is a new day.

Say this over yourself today: Nothing is impossible with God (Lk. 1:37). I will experience His benefits! Nothing is impossible for God. Now put your eyes on Him, and believe that you will see His goodness in the land of the living (Ps. 27:13). God still works miracles. Why not you? Why not today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for waking me up ON FIRE this morning! Today will not be business as usual. Anything is possible for You! I am believing for a miracle. I know I will experience your benefits, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, March 25^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 4:1-49
Luke 6:39-7:10
Psalm 68:1-18
Proverbs 11:28
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice… – Deut. 4:30

The children of Israel finally made it to the Promised Land! After 40 years in the wilderness, they had arrived. But they still had a problem. Though they had made it, they wouldn’t be staying long:

“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. – vv 25-26

God knew that His people would get too comfortable in the Promised Land. They would forget about Him! They would worship the gifts they had received instead of the Giver of those gifts (v 19). They would stop obeying His word and listening to His voice, so the land God had given them would vomit them out. They would enter into the Promised Land! But not long after they entered in, they would be cast out because they stopped listening to God.

Verse 30 tells us that we have two tasks. We are not only to turn to the Lord; we are also to “obey His voice”! When we turn to Him, He will take us to the Promised Land! But we only get to stay in the promise by obeying His voice.

What good is making it to the Promised Land if you are ejected as soon as you get there? Keep listening to God: not only on the way to the promise, but even – and especially – once you arrive.

“You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” – Deut. 4:40

Prayer:

Father, keep me in the Promised Land. Open my ears to hear Your voice! I am humbling myself today. Remind me to listen to You when things go poorly, and still listen to You when things go well, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, March 24^th, 2021
Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29
Luke 6:12-38
Psalm 67:1-7
Proverbs 11:27
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. – Lk. 6:12

When was the last time you “continued all night in prayer to God?” We know persistent prayer works!

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. – Lk. 11:8

And we all like to think we’re persistent. But are we? We all like to think we’re dedicated to the things of God. But are we really?

You should absolutely live in freedom from performance. You don’t need to impress God to learn His love! But you should also always live with a desire for more. There is always more time to dedicate to Him. There is always more of yourself to give to God! There is always more you can lay at the feet of Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, today I am re-dedicating myself to pursuing You with my whole heart. I have more to give You. I do! And I won’t hold it back any more. You can have all of me: my whole life, all that I have, and all that I am, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, March 23^rd, 2021
Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46
Luke 5:29-6:11
Psalm 66:1-20
Proverbs 11:24-26
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. – Deut. 1:10

Do you remember what God told Abraham many generations before Moses?

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” – Gen. 15:5

Generations later, as Moses reflected on God’s faithfulness, he noted that God had done everything He promised to do. He promised multiplication! And then He multiplied. He promised to raise up a nation more numerous than the stars of heaven! And then He rose them up.

You will have this moment one day too. God will do what He promised to do. You will look at everyone and everything you have in life and confess, “Here you are today.” God will do what He promised to do! But when He fulfills His promise to you, will you be able to honestly claim that you waited in faith until it happened? Will you be able to say you were just like Abraham, trusting God completely? And if you can’t say you always waited in faith, isn’t today as good a day as any to make a change?

Here you are today. The Lord has blessed you in so many ways! Will you stand in faith so He can bless you with so much more?

Prayer:

Father, without You I would not even be alive! Every victory I have experienced in my life is because of You. Help me to wait in faith for every promise You have spoken over me that has yet to manifest! You were faithful then, and You will be faithful now, in Jesus’ mighty name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, March 22^nd, 2021
Numbers 33:40-35:34
Luke 5:12-28
Psalm 65:1-13
Proverbs 11:23
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. – Lk. 5:27-28

Matthew did well. As a tax collector, he collaborated with the Roman occupational forces to levy taxes on the Jewish people. Tax collectors were hated because they usually charged a tax rate in excess of what Rome demanded, and then pocketed the premium. By the time he met Jesus, Matthew had likely amassed great personal wealth at the expense of the Israeli people.

But when Matthew saw Jesus, everything changed. All Jesus said was, “Follow Me,” and Matthew stopped what he was doing, got up, and followed Him. What an absolutely insane response! In one moment at the drop of a hat, Matthew “left all.” He left his entire life behind to follow Jesus. He left what we can only assume was tremendous wealth and a very comfortable life to follow a Man who claimed to be the Son of God.

But this is what happens when you meet Jesus face to face. You will be forever changed! You will see Him and know Him for who He really is; and from that moment forward, you will never be the same.

I pray you meet Jesus today. I pray you see Him for who He really is! I pray you would know that you are intimately known. You are fearfully and wonderfully made! And once you experience His presence, your life will be forever changed.

Prayer:

Father, I want to experience Your presence today! I pray I would see You and know You for who You really are. Make me like Matthew, Lord. I want to have such a dramatic encounter with You that I will leave everything with a moment’s notice and follow You with my whole heart!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.