PODCAST: Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading #114: Numbers 28, Psalm 45, and Romans 12 (with Daniel Whyte III)

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #114. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. Today we are reading Numbers 28, Psalm 45 and Romans 12.

John Wycliffe said, “All Christian life is to be measured by Scripture; by every word thereof.”

Joyce Meyer said, “It is not about reading the Word. It is about obeying the Word.”

Numbers 28
1 And the Lord spake unto Mo’-ses, saying,

2 Command the children of Is’-ra-el, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.

3 And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.

4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;

5 And a tenth part of an e’-phah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.

6 It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Si’-nai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord.

7 And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the Lord for a drink offering.

8 And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:

10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot;

12 And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram;

13 And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord.

14 And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.

15 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the Lord shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord.

17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.

18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:

19 But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish:

20 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram;

21 A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.

23 Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.

24 After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

27 But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year;

28 And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram,

29 A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs;

30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.

31 Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.

Psalm 45
To the chief Musician upon Sho-shann’-im, for the sons of Kor’-ah, Mas’-chil, A Song of loves.
1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

9 Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of O’-phir.

10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house;

11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.

13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.

16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Romans 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

________

PRAY
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When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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Assyrian Christian among 85,000 Prisoners Released in Iran amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Assyrian Christian among 85,000 Prisoners Released in Iran amid Coronavirus Pandemic


Around 85,000 prisoners and political prisoners have been temporarily set free to avoid overcrowding and potential COVID-19 outbreaks in Iran.

One prisoner, in particular, is 35-year-old Ramiel Bet Tamraz, an Assyrian Christian who was serving a four-month sentence at Evin Prison for his participation in house churches. His sister Dabrina Bet-Tamraz confirmed his prison release to Article Eighteen, a nonprofit organization committed to Iranian human rights and religious freedom.

Remiel was released from prison on February 26 after only serving three months out of his initial four-month sentence. Additionally, he does not have to return to serve the remainder of his short-term prison sentence, unlike other prisoners.

Despite the good news of Remiel’s release, his parents remain in prison.

His father, Pastor Victor Bet Tamraz, is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for “conducting evangelism” and “illegal house-church activities”, among other charges amounting to “actions against national security.” 

He and his wife held church services at home after their church, Assyrian Pentecostal Church, was “forcibly closed” in 2009, where he previously pastored.

Remiel’s mother, Shamiram Issavi serves a 5-year sentence for “acting against national security establishing and managing house-churches, participating in Christian seminars abroad, and training…

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12 Powerful Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Fight Fear During the Coronavirus Crisis

The Bible is God’s Word and is full of truth for every situation we face in life. As the world endures quarantines, closures, and even panic during the coronavirus pandemic, God offers peace. His Word can displace anxiety and fear with hope and healing.

Jesus is described as the “Prince of Peace” for those who choose to let him reign over their lives. He offers peace for our troubled minds and freedom from fear. Here are just a few of the great verses in the Bible about God’s power to deliver us from fear – we begin with the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John:

John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:6-7 
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Deuteronomy 31:8
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Exodus 14:13
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today’.” 

Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 41:13
“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Psalm 23:4 
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

1 Peter 5:7
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Psalm 34:4
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

VERSES ABOUT GOD’S POWER TO DELIVER FROM PLAGUES

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 begins by talking about plagues, and ends with God’s power to heal and restore our land.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Psalm 91 is a classic and often quoted passage about God’s protection for those who seek refuge in the Most High God.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

 

Source CBN

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Pro-Choicers Urge Trump to Permit ‘Abortion by Mail’ During COVID-19

Pro-Choicers Urge Trump to Permit ‘Abortion by Mail’ During COVID-19


Pro-choice advocates are pressuring the Trump administration to eliminate restrictions on the abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the drug is the best option for pregnant women when an in-person contact may not be possible.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restrictions require that mifepristone – one of the two drugs involved in the abortion pill procedure – be dispensed in-person “by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber.” It cannot be mailed.

Further, 18 states require the clinician to be present when the abortion drug is dispensed.

But Daniel Grossman, an OB/GYN and abortion doctor, says restrictions should be loosened and the abortion pill should be dispensed via telemedicine during the pandemic – with pregnant women talking to their doctor remotely and with the abortion pill then mailed. Grossman is director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a group at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF).

“Abortion is obviously a time-sensitive medical procedure. It’s not an elective procedure that can just be rescheduled a month or two later,” Grossman told VICE.

Grossman made the same argument in a series of tweets.

“There are many abortion patients and providers who are scared right now. Just because a pandemic is upon us, people don’t stop needing reproductive healthcare and abortions – same for during…

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This Could Be the Greatest Moment for the Modern Church

COMMENTARY

As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks fear and tragedy around the world, this could be the singular most important moment for the modern church. 

As followers of Christ, we have a choice to make: we can allow fear to consume our thoughts and paralyze us, or we can live our lives fearlessly devoted to Jesus and His mission. The viral infection of fear must be defeated by the antidote of faith and hope. The church must be the carrier of faith and hope.

My friend David, a young believer in a communist nation, launched his church in 2010. By 2015 he had 78 followers of Christ. Then, the police began to harass the congregation, beating some as they attended on Sundays, throwing dead fish into the assembly, arresting David multiple times. He told me last month that today, in 2020, he has 387 Christians in his church. Passion defeated persecution. The church grows in times of crisis because the church is a refuge of hope and faith – the antidote for fear.

Luke recorded Jesus describing an age when “People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world.” Another translation says, “Men’s hearts will fail them because of fear…” (Luke 21:26). Fear can cause anxiety, apprehension, chaos, panic, and paralysis.

After losing everything including his health, Job admitted, “What I greatly feared has come upon me” (Job 3:25). Fear produced that which was feared because fear has power. 

Theologically, the opposite of fear is faith. Experientially, the opposite of fear is confidence. Jesus said, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33 TPT).

The viral impact of fear can quarantine cities. But more often, fear is used in our lives to close our minds and cancel our dreams. In these trying times today, we must live in the kind of faith that will give us the confidence that there is hope for tomorrow. 

When Joshua took the lead of the nation—a situation that could breed great fear—God repeatedly told him, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT). This was an actual command to be strong and courageous, to be filled with confidence. The Lord and Joshua’s own friends built up Joshua’s confidence, his resolve, his courage. As a result, he became a great leader and achieved his dreams.

The church has the ability to defeat fear by building men and women of great faith. Strong followers find faith and confidence through God’s Word and then build courage in community. In a world full of fear, this is the church’s moment to be bold and confident, to speak words of faith and strength to those around us. As a brotherhood of God, we must stand united and strong in faith at this time and proclaim that “God’s got this.”

Jesus said, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” John 16:33 TPT

This pandemic can be the greatest moment for the modern church. It must lead through this crisis by building strong followers who are ready to serve. Against the infection of a virus, the church can be the infectious carrier of hope and faith.

Paul Louis Cole is president of the Christian Men’s Network (CMN), a highly effective global movement of pastors and leaders dedicated to changing the hearts of men. Founded over 40 years ago by his father, Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, CMN has trained over one million men to be leaders in 138 nations to date. CMN recently launched Majoring in Men – Foundations, a twelve-week online training tool utilizing the most widely-used, time-tested men’s discipleship model in the world.

Source CBN

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They went rafting for 25 days and came back to coronavirus: How to face the future in faith

Stock photo: Rafting in the Grand Canyon

On February 19, Zach Edler and more than a dozen other people set out on a twenty-five-day adventure: rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

When they left, Bernie Sanders had a double-digit lead heading into that night’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas. Cases of coronavirus were showing signs of decline in mainland China. 

On March 14, when they pulled their rafts out of the river, a man who worked for a rafting company asked them, “Have you been in contact with the outside world?”  

They had not.  

Except for a few one-way text messages sent to their families on a satellite phone, they had not heard anything in more than three weeks. No cell service or news. Not even a passing word from fellow travelers. 

Then the man told them what they didn’t know: coronavirus had exploded in the US and around the world. Italy was under lockdown; the stock market was plummeting; professional sports were suspended; many schools were closed. Tom Hanks had the virus

‘How’d we go from paradise to hoarding rice and beans?’ 

“Half of us thought he was joking,” Edler said. “It’s like, here’s an old river guide pulling our leg. I mean, I’ve heard some pretty big tales out on the river.” 

However, as a nurse named Sarah Knaack said, “I think the girls believed it right away. He said it in this real ominous way but then he just walked away to see about lunch and we were left nervously joking with ourselves totally unsure what was going on.” 

The group packed up their rafts and gear and drove out. Ninety minutes later, they picked up a cell signal and the texts poured in. “It was this feeling of disbelief,” Ms. Knaack said. “It’s like, ‘How’d we go from paradise to hoarding rice and beans?’” 

Another rafter searched Amazon on her phone for toilet paper and saw it wasn’t…

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Gov’t Closure of Churches During COVID-19 Is Legal if Temporary, Group Says

Gov’t Closure of Churches During COVID-19 Is Legal if Temporary, Group Says


Government restrictions on churches during the COVID-19 pandemic are almost certainly legal provided they are temporary and don’t target congregations, according to a new memo by a leading defender of religious liberty.

First Liberty Institute issued its guidance this week on “Churches and Religious Institutions Facing Coronavirus Restrictions on Gathering,” asserting that churches should continue to serve their local communities but do so while following government guidelines. 

“Church and state have an opportunity to work together to reduce the impact of the virus on our communities while encouraging calm and preserving liberty,” the memo says. 

Restrictions on churches are likely constitutional as long as they are “temporary” and “evenly applied” to other large gatherings, the memo says.

“Government may not substantially burden the free exercise of religion unless it has a compelling reason for doing so, and even then, it must use the least burdensome approach that achieves that compelling interest,” it says. “Temporary action to reduce the spread of a global pandemic is almost certainly a compelling reason, so long as the government is not treating religious institutions unfairly compared with how it treats other comparable gatherings.

“For instance,” the memo says, “if state officials require churches to ensure that each service has no more than…

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Lecrae Conducts Homeless Outreach & Releases New Single Amid Coronavirus Quarantine

Gearing up to drop a new single, Lecrae would normally be traveling to New York and LA, performing on talk shows and late-night TV. Instead, he’s filming TikTok clips in his basement.

In between posting reports about coronavirus on social channels, swapping jokes about quarantine in group text threads, and helping out his three kids as a sudden “homeschool dad,” the award-winning artist weighed whether to go on releasing new music as scheduled. With so much of normal life put on hold, is now the time to push out a new song?

“I initially was taken aback thinking about how this affected me. That’s everyone’s first thing: Oh my gosh, what does this mean for my life ?” Lecrae said in an interview with CT. “Then I don’t know what happened, but I just sat back and thought, ‘Wait a minute.’”

Lecrae reached out to a friend who runs the Atlanta charity Love Beyond Walls. On Thursday, they teamed up to install portable sinks throughout the city to help slow the spread of the virus among people experiencing homelessness. “When people living on the street don’t have the means … we should step in to wash their hands. #Setmefree #corona (my man did get a meal btw),” he wrote on Instagram. “This is not the end. #Restoration is coming.”

Restoration is the name of Lecrae’s album due out in May, written after a period of personal and spiritual strain led him to appreciate God’s promises anew. The debut single, “Set Me Free,” releases today. The more Lecrae thought about his music, the more he realized it was exactly the encouragement he wanted to share right now.

“The thing that has been consistent, even before coronavirus came, is we spent a lot of time in prayer about this project,” said Lecrae, co-founder and president of Reach Records. “We all felt like this was very beneficial and needed for the world, and I think now it is obvious why in some ways that God would have put this project on our hearts and have me want to put it out.”

“Set Me Free,” featuring YK Osiris, opens with the familiar line from the gospel duo Mary Mary’s “Shackles (Praise You)” and repeats the theme of breaking from shackles: Shackles on my feet, you broke the hold and now I’m free / Even in the darkest times, you kept your light on me.

Many fellow Christian artists, hard-hit by canceled tours and shows, have also made the decision to keep putting out their work as a way to bring hope and joy to fans.

“Social distancing doesn’t mean spiritual distancing. There is no Resurrection Sunday without a Good Friday. This is Good Friday for a lot of us,” he said. “We are figuring that out now, and hopefully some creative things happen in light of it.”

When you announced your decision to release the single, you referenced the line from Joel about how God redeems the years the locusts have eaten (2:25). What were some of the scriptural themes that came through as you were preparing this new song and new album?

I was going through a difficult time a couple of years back where I just felt as if, “Man, there is nothing I can do to change my circumstances. God, you’re going to have to do this. There are some broken things in my world and in my life—I’m having marital issues, I’m having financial issues, I’m having faith issues—and you’re going to have to restore this because I don’t have the wherewithal to do it.” And he did just that. He led me to those verses, to Joel, where I’m remembering that there is nothing that God cannot fix, that he is consistent with mending a broken world. That’s just what he does. Looking at Jonah, Jonah’s life is big to me, how he was at his wit’s end but yet God had a greater narrative in mind and took him through all of that pain and turmoil to bring him out on the other side, refined and better.

I’m witnessing God change circumstances that I couldn’t change, and I want other people to experience that. I want people to have the freedom to say things are not like I planned them to be, and it hurts, but I trust that God is good and that he has a greater plan for this. I think about Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” and that God has good plans for us, but there is no 29:11 without 29:4–10, where they’re exiled, they’re prisoners. God is saying you can have this promise, but the promise is for you because of these problems.

I think people can relate to that. Everyone has had times where they thought, “What am I going to do now? Is God going to come through?” For you, how does that mindset affect your creative process?

I was writing songs saying, “God, help me get out of this dark place,” and then he was faithful to do it. I realized he is so devoted to me that that brought me joy. Even though my circumstances hadn’t quite changed, there was a joy in knowing that God was walking with me through it, and that sparked a lot of creativity and a lot of desire for people to know, man, he is with me right now, he is with you. Songs just started coming and coming and coming.

A lot of times people [think differently about] someone like myself who has had some musical success—Grammys, No. 1 albums, and dinners with Kanye or dinners with Jay-Z or Selena Gomez or whatnot. I wanted to strip away all those things and say behind all that was a person dealing with insecurities, and God had to show me what really mattered.

Source: Christianity Today

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Dealing with doubts: Coronavirus and my favorite prayer in Scripture

There is so much we don’t know about the COVID-19 pandemic.

We don’t know when cases in the US will peak or how long they will last afterward. We don’t know if surviving a COVID-19 infection means we gain long-lasting immunity or if we can become reinfected. We don’t know if the virus will be affected by warmer temperatures in the spring and summer, or, if it is, whether we will see a second onslaught of infections in the fall. We don’t know if measures to keep us from infecting each other will work. We don’t know if vaccine and therapy trials now underway will work. 

At a time like this, it’s easy to wonder if prayer does much good. We pray for our leaders, for our healthcare providers, for our friends and families and ourselves. But if you’re like most of us, there’s an unstated, perhaps unadmitted doubt in the back of your mind—will my prayers really make any difference? They can fall into the “why not” category: something that doesn’t cost us anything but a little time and might make a difference. But who really knows? 

In my spring sermon series, we are following Jesus to Easter and watching him change lives along the way. Last week, we saw him save Peter from drowning on the stormy Sea of Galilee in response to the fisherman’s prayer, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). The Greek is really just two words: “Lord, save!” 

It’s the shortest prayer in the Bible, and one we can pray any time in any storm. 

Today we’ll shift from the shortest prayer in Scripture to my favorite prayer in Scripture. It’s one that I’ve prayed many times over the years. It’s one that you may need to learn to pray in these hard days. 

Before we learn it, let me ask you: What questions or doubts or struggles are most on your heart today?

They may be about the coronavirus pandemic, but they may be about something else. One tragedy about disease epidemics is that other diseases don’t stop being…

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Coronavirus Cases in China Decline as Number of Deaths in Italy Surge

Coronavirus Cases in China Decline as Number of Deaths in Italy Surge


The death toll in Italy surged past China’s death toll on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. the Army started making plans to set up mobile military hospitals to be placed in major cities. Other medical centers in the U.S. are setting up drive-thru testing sites.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the United Nations in New York that the world is “at war with a virus” and that “a global recession, perhaps of record dimensions, is a near certainty.”

“If we let the virus spread like wildfire — especially in the most vulnerable regions of the world – it would kill millions of people,” he said.

In Italy, which has a population of 60 million, there have been more than 3,400 deaths, about 150 more than in China, which boasts a population over 20 times larger.

However, Wuhan, the Chinese city where coronavirus first emerged, has since recorded no new infections.

Health officials have said Italy’s high death toll is because of the city’s population of elderly people. Italy has the second-oldest population in the world, and about 87 percent of its dead have been over 70 years old.

Meanwhile, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine said the death rate is also because of a “collapse” of Italy’s health system.

There have also been reports of people still using public…

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