28. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

During the hunting season of 2010 I had achieved what I thought was a great success. I was very thankful to take 10 whitetails between Ohio and Kentucky. I’ve been an avid hunter since I was a young man and there have been many seasons when I have been able to harvest many deer and turkeys. Through my years of hunting, God has come to show me an important truth in my walk with Him. I’m like most hunters! From the time season opens until the time season closes, I think of how many I might kill, or will this years buck be bigger than the last. The devil does a great job to make us believe that our peace and rest comes from success, but God’s Word is the ultimate truth in how to find rest. Its important to note that the One speaking in this passage of scripture is Jesus Christ. Notice the end of verse 28 says: “..I will give you rest.” But lets go a little further, look at verse 29: “..rest unto your souls.” Life is so difficult! We look for rest in temporary things, but those things will never satisfy the soul. I’ve spent so many hours in the deer stand looking for that rest and that escape from the world, but even in the deer stand, my soul has become wearied because I continually worry and wonder about the things going on in my life. Even after a success, I quickly think that the next success is where I will find peace. The Bible says that our true rest is only found in Jesus Christ, but how do we find rest in Jesus Christ? First we must know Him as our Lord and Saviour, but second, we must strive everyday to keep our rest in Him. We must come to the place in our lives to realize that no matter what we face in life, God is in control. Look at verse 28 again, notice how the verse starts out: “Come unto me…” Can I ask you a question? Have you been finding your rest in Jesus Christ? Do you know that God is so righteous that He could never lie? Look at the end of verse 28 again; ” …and I will give you rest.” Remember, this is a rest unto your soul, a rest that you cannot find anywhere else. Are you resting in Jesus today? Some might ask the question; Where do I start? I’m happy to tell you that it starts with prayer! Tell God your struggles, tell Him your weariness and weaknesses! When your done praying, spend some time reading your Bible! God already has your answer, but you must seek Him with all your heart! Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” Where is your rest today? Is it at the lake? The tree stand? The bow shop? Those places will quickly come to an end, then its back to real life! The Bible says that finding rest for our souls is found only in Jesus Christ!

Darren Barnett

Memory Verse Week 7/22/19

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“1. Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 2. And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 3. That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. 4. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.”

Babylon has invaded Judah and carried away much of the people into captivity, but what we find in this passage of scripture is a remnant of the people left in the land. Remember, Judah has become captive for seventy years because of their sin, but even during the seventy years God would protect them and bring them home one day. Jeremiah is among this remnant: These left over leaders come to him and say; please ask God what we should do. Their biggest fault is that they had already made up their minds of what they would do, even if God didn’t give them the answer they wanted to hear. Verse six: “Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee: that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” Their hope would be that Jeremiah would return with the Word saying “Go down to Egypt and you will be protected.” God knew exactly what they wanted to do and Jeremiah gave them specific instructions. Verse nineteen: “Go ye not into Egypt…..” God was going to bring Judah back to their home land, He would have protected this remnant if they would have obeyed Him and allowed the king of Babylon to rule over them. The end didn’t turn out so well. Chastisement is always better than death. One thing we can see in this passage of scripture is that God had a plan for Judah. Sometimes God puts us in places we may not like, but being obedient is the most important decision we need to make as believers. What are some things you have been dealing with lately? Maybe a new job? A new area to live? Some new hunting gear or a piece of hunting land? Have you been praying and reading your Bible concerning the matter your dealing with? God will always answer you if you choose to seek Him! He might say no, He might say yes, He might say wait! Whatever He says, trust Him, He’s God, He knows tomorrow, you don’t! This remnant of Judah not only went back on their word, but they found themselves in direct disobedience. Read how Jeremiah ends this chapter. Verse 21-22 “And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor anything for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.” The king of Babylon later came and hurt Egypt! If this remnant would have listened, their lives would have been spared. God is faithful! We don’t always like His answers, but remember, He is the perfect one! The Word of God will give you an answer, make sure your seeking Him and not your own way!

This weeks memory verse is not from the devotion, but has great application:

Memory Verse Week 7/15/19

Ecclesiastes 12:13

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

“3. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6. O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

In this passage of scripture the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said to go to the potter’s house to see how he was working the clay. What Jeremiah saw was a vessel that was once used being remolded into a new vessel. The picture being painted here is God’s chosen people, who were once a righteous nation, but now marred into the hand of the potter due to the sin they were living in. Sin leads to a path of destruction. There is never a time that God is happy with believers who knowingly live in sin and make no effort to fix it. Though Israel is wayward, He sends Jeremiah to warn them that if they turn from their ways He will mold them into a new vessel. What does God see in your heart today? Are you more excited about your trail camera pictures than being right with God? Is the fishing season the heart and soul of your summer. You are the only one that knows what sin you are dealing with in your life. One of Israel’s problems is that their worshiping false idols and trying to serve God the way they choose. It doesn’t work that way, we must worship Him according to the Bible. John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Getting sin out of your life is impossible without Jesus Christ. Many sportsman say that they have a relationship with God in the deer stand or at the lake on a Sunday morning. That’s a lie from the depths of hell. The New Testament was about building local new testament churches, not about hunting and fishing. To some, you may need to set hunting or fishing aside for a little while, to others, it may be about having a better balance in your life and making sure Jesus Christ is the center of it all. He is here to help you and most importantly He is here to forgive you. Sin will always cause a barrier in your relationship with God. Revival is one thing many churches and even our country is missing today. Psalm 85:6 “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Vance Havner said a revival is the church falling in love with Jesus Christ all over again. The Lord will bring revival, He will forgive you, He will help you with the things you cant do! What is God seeing in your heart today? Does it look like a marred vessel? The tragedy of this story is that Judah refused to listen to Jeremiah. Babylon came in and burned the temple, the wall, and the houses of the rulers. It didn’t just stop there, they were also in captivity for 70 years. God will deal with your sin if you choose not to, but remember that God is long suffering. He wants to have a relationship with you because he loves you! What is keeping you from revival? “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” The answer is yes, but you have to make the choice!

Memory Verse Week 7/8/19

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

“3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”

There are many believers today that will never experience this perfect peace we read about in Isaiah. Why is that? The devil tries to make us think that our peace comes from things in this life, but the Bible tells us so differently! Peace is not found in the materialism of this world or even creation for that matter. The Bible says that perfect peace is found in God, but notice how it says, “whose mind is stayed upon thee”. The word stayed simply means fixed or settled. Notice how it doesn’t say to those who have a nicer car, bigger house, a fishing boat, or a new deer rifle. There is a reason for that! You cant find perfect peace in those things, because it can only be found in God. Does that mean new cars, fishing trips, and big bucks are wrong? No! Of course not! But its important to realize some truths: cars don’t stay new, fishing trips end, and though big bucks get hung on the wall these things only bring peace temporarily. What gets you through your struggles? It has to be God; the Bible says He is “everlasting strength”. Lets look at Apostle Paul for just a moment: next to Christ, Paul was a missionary that suffered more than anyone we read about. Though he suffered, we can see that his strength was found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased(reduced to a low state, humbled, or degraded), and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” No matter what Paul faced, his perfect peace was found in God, whether on a mountain top or in the lowest valley. Don’t fix your strength and joy in yourself or this world. It will never last! God is faithful! He will give you a peace that you cant find anywhere else! It must start with Jesus Christ and it must stay with Jesus Christ! Remember, the boat will break down, you may throw the shot opportunity, or the home may even fall apart. What is your everlasting strength? Or even better asked; Who is your everlasting strength? If its God, you have nothing to worry about!

Memory Verse Week 7/1/19

Isaiah 26:3

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

“7. And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Juda, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horseman? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 9. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”

If your not sure what a seer is, he simply is a prophet from God. Today, we have the completed Word of God which is the King James Bible to the English speaking people. In the Old Testament God used prophets to speak to His people. We no longer see God speak this way because we have the completed and whole Word of God. Hanani is giving some instruction to the king about his terrible decision he made in trusting in man rather than God. Verse eight reflects back on the battle king Asa had with the Ethiopians. He was out numbered by far, but because he cried to the Lord, God delivered him. God is always concerned about how much you trust Him and not by what the situation may look like. Time and time again the Bible shows us that God takes the little things, the impossible things, and turns them into great victory’s! Though king Asa had already witnessed God giving him great victory, he decides to team up with Benhadad king of Syria, which is a very wicked nation. The seer in this passage of scripture, through the leading of the Spirit, tells him how foolish he was in partnering up with the wrong guy. King Asa begins to push God out of his life and it causes him to have more wars down the road. Verse nine is a powerful verse that we can apply to our daily lives; “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him….” How is your relationship with God today? Is your heart perfect toward Him? Though no one is perfect on this earth, this verse is telling us we need to trust Him completely, without doubt, without fear, without worry. God would have delivered king Asa just as He did at other times, but the king chose to turn from God rather than trust Him. God is in control of all things! He wants to do impossible things in your life, but your heart must be perfect toward Him. What are you worrying about today? What is getting the best of you? God already knows what is going on in your life and He certainly knows what the outcome will be. Why doubt Him? Could it be that your not trusting Him? Don’t turn to the world for your answers. Let God be God! The Bible tells us again “…to shew himself strong…” Whatever your burden may be, give it to God, and allow the Word of God to instruct you in what you should do! If you want to have a perfect heart toward God, you must trust Him with all!

Memory Verse Week 6/17/19

II Chronicles 16:9a

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”

“1. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2. I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3. And haste borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Its important first to understand the angel of the church, the seven stars, and the seven golden candlesticks. Jesus Christ is the one holding the stars in His hand and walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. First, the angel is referring to the pastor of the church. The church of Ephesus is a real church that you read about in the book of Ephesians and also Acts chapter 19. Second, the stars are the pastors of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). Third, the seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1:20). Jesus first addresses the church at Ephesus and continues with the other six through chapter three. Notice how Jesus first starts out with positive. As Christians, we tend to find the negative in everything and everybody. Though Jesus has some very important things to deal with at Ephesus, He first starts out by naming off the things that they are doing right(vs 2-3). Try to be an encouragement to others! As Christ begins to deal with the serious issue, its important to take note that His order still shows love and appreciation! Ephesus is appearing to be a very spiritual church, but when we come to verse four it must surely grieve the heart of our Saviour that they are falling away from the most important topic as a church; “thou has left thy first love.” Jesus Christ must be the center of everything we do. The only thing that will help the church grow is soul winning. We have many churches today that may fit the part of spirituality, but there is no soul winning going on. The church is the body of Christ, those who have trusted Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. When was the last time you gave out a gospel tract? When was the last time you won someone to Christ or even shared the gospel? There are a lot of churches today that look like Ephesus; they have a strong biblical stand against the world, they are patient, they identify with the liars and false teachers, they don’t faint in the work of the church, but yet soul winning gets neglected. A church that is not soul winning is dying, regardless of what it may look like, but that also applies to a believer as well. Have you been soul winning? Verse five says Christ will move the church out of its place. If a believer doesn’t soul win, what good are they for God? Don’t lose focus! There are people around you everyday that are bound for a devil’s hell. If you don’t tell them about Christ; how will they know how to get to heaven? Don’t be like this church at Ephesus. Keep your eyes on the cross and go witness to someone! Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Memory Verse Week 6/10/19

Mark 16:15

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

11. Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13. And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.”

Israel has come to a place where they don’t know what to do, though its a very uncomfortable time, its the best place they could be as God’s people. God is not interested in you trying to figure everything out yourself, but He is interested in you trusting Him. There is a great enemy rising against Judah and though they are scared, they respond with a heart that God wants every believer to have; Verse twelve: “but our eyes are upon thee.” What difficulty are you facing today? As believers, its very easy to get discouraged when you get put into a situation you don’t like, but remember God is in control of all. Could it be that God is trying to strengthen your faith? Have you truly set your eyes upon Him? As you continue to read II Chronicles 20 you will find that God spoke to Judah through a man by the name of Jahaziel. Verse fifteen of the same chapter, he says; “…..Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” God told Judah to stand still and do nothing. The enemy was actually defeated by other enemies. Judah didn’t have to do a thing and they walked away from a battle they never fought. God even blessed them abundantly with material goods. Remember that every battle is God’s battle. If you don’t read your Bible to find God’s answers, you will never be able to trust God through your situation. Set your eyes upon Him and let the Word of God tell you how to handle your difficult situation!

Memory Verse Week 6/3/19

II Chronicles 20:12

“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”

“12. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 13. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.”

I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Remember the devil is the cause of all trouble. Some might ask why would God allow trouble in our lives? We have this idea that when we are saved and serving God we shouldn’t have to deal with trouble, but as you study the Word of God you will come to realize that God allows trouble in our lives because He wants us to trust Him. Many believers never see God’s glory and power because they quit and run to the next church or job as soon as trouble arises. God is faithful! He allows difficulties in our lives because He wants us to trust in Him, and not man. Its very important to have godly friends and walk separated from the world, but even a pastor cant tell you how the end of your situation will turn out. Do you believe God’s Word is perfect? Why doubt Him then? God cant fail! He is perfect! His Word is perfect! This passage in Psalm 108 says “vain is the help of man.” That means man cant get you through your trouble, but the Bible says “Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.” What trouble are you facing today? Only you can answer that question! Have you put it in God’s hands? Have you asked God to give you some scripture that will help you through the situation? God wont speak to many people about their trouble because they refuse to open their Bibles and allow God to give the answer. God is faithful! He will deliver you! Trust in the LORD!

Memory Verse Week 5/27/19

I Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”

Where do you find your encouragement today? In this verse of scripture we read about David, who is soon to be king, in bad standings with the people. David was innocent, he had don’t nothing wrong. As they came to Ziklag they all discovered that the city had been burned and their wives and children had been taken captive. David’s wives were also taken captive and somehow the people are blaming David because of the emotional distress they were all feeling. Be careful about how you deal with the man of God. It seems like every time there is difficulty in someone’s life they are quick to blame others for the problems they are facing. That is so foolish. It would be wise to put your trust in God and seek him for direction. As the people are ready to stone David, notice how he didn’t allow mans lack of faith to get him down: “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” If we didn’t put so much faith in people we wouldn’t be let down so much. We need to be careful about trusting in man more than God. Every time you deal with a matter its important that you encourage yourself in the LORD. It seems through this trial that God wanted his people to simply trust in Him. After David encouraged himself in the LORD, God gave him direction to the exact location of the enemy. They wiped out the Amalekites and recovered everyone and everything that they had lost. I Samuel 30:18 “And David recovered all…..” God is faithful. Its so important to trust God first when trials arise, it will make your faith so much stronger. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Memory Verse Week 5/6/19

Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

“1. And Hanna prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 3. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

I Samuel chapter 1 tells us the story of a woman by the name of Hannah that had a great desire to have a child. As she goes to Shiloh, to worship the LORD, Eli the priest sees her anguish as she calls upon the Lord to answer this prayer. The Bible says that her womb had been shut up by the Lord. There are things that God does not give us right away because He wants us to seek Him for the matter. As she begs God for a child, He answers her prayer. Sometimes God says no and sometimes God says wait. I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” If God has not given you an answer, continue to pray. God was teaching Hanna that He wants to be glorified in all that He does for her. It is the same way with us. Keep praying about those things that are heavy on your heart. God wants to do great things in your life, but right now He may be testing your faith to see how true to Him you really are. In the main context of scripture, God has answered this prayer of Hanna’s. She has already had a son, his name was Samuel. Its important to see how Hanna responds to the Lord after this great answered prayer. How do you respond to God and to others when God answers your prayers? Hannah thought she was never going to have children, but God answers a huge prayer! To her, it probably felt like God moved a mountain! In the lives of many believers the blessings of God do come, but through the blessings also come pride and arrogance. Turkey hunting could be a very good example. Maybe you’ve never killed a turkey, never killed a turkey with a bow, or even never killed a grand slam. God gave us turkey hunting to enjoy life, but be careful about the glory when God blesses you. Don’t let your blessings draw you away from God’s will for your life. Hannah didn’t glory in the fact she had a child, she gloried in the goodness of God! She gloried in her salvation! God can answer any prayer in your life, whether a turkey, a spouse, or maybe even a child, like Hanna asked for. When the blessings come, praise God for how righteous and holy He truly is! God answers prayer! Don’t let the blessing be above the One that blesses.

Memory Verse Week 4/22/19

I Samuel 2:2

“There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is their any rock like our God.”