The Near Miss

In this inaugural podcast episode, I talk a bit about what this podcast is all about, and share the story of God's supernatural intervention in my life in June 2011, when I was nearly killed in an auto accident. It is only by God's grace and mercy that I survived being hit head on by a car going 70 miles per hour, as the driver was fleeing police in Tacoma, WA.

​Thanks for checking this out! Please feel free to share this with others, and let me know if you're interested in being on the show. God bless you!

The Lord gave me a poem today called "Why?" - it explores the times that we ask that question about the things going on in the world or in our lives, but neglect to consider God. Please watch it and feel free to share. God bless you!

Today I was adding some great resources to New Christians - a section on resources, some great free tools for prayer, Bible reading, and devotionals. When I looked for something online that provided a simple overview of the TACOS prayer process, I couldn't find one. So, I created one. Talk about a great way to use your time while being quarantined in Paris! I hope you will find it useful. Please download and share.

I felt led to share another poem the Lord gave me. This one is about waking in His image. In this video, I read the poem and also share some encouragement and Scriptures.

I heard about the decision to continue to allow abortions to happen, despite the fact that there's a national stay at home order, and all other elective surgical procedures are not allowed. So instead of ranting online and getting into senseless arguments with people who will never change their minds, I prayed about it. God asked me to write Him a letter. So I did. Here it is.

A video marking the 5 year mark since I tried to kill myself. I describe what that was like, what led me there, and how God's sovereign and loving hand saved me. I share a poem the Lord gave me and a word for the body of Christ.

We've been given so much. When you actually take some time to think about all the gifts that God has given us, it's overwhelming. However, it's really important that we think about these gifts, and say thank you to Him for every one. This 31-day devotional looks at some of the amazing gifts that God has given us as believers.

Recently I was hosted again on the Transformation Podcast and shared some stories of how I've seen God work through my life while I've followed His callings to go to Mazatlan, Boston, and Macedonia. 

I awoke this morning and the Lord put this poem on my heart, and asked me to share it. I hope you enjoy it. God bless you, and your family!

The most dangerous mindset for Christians to have these days is the Laodicean mindset, which Jesus talks about in Revelations 3. In this short essay inspired by the Holy Spirit, I write about what this mindset is, how believers slip into it, and why it's so dangerous.

When reflecting on my first year walking with the Lord, I realized that He had shown me so many things that may be helpful for new believers to know. So, I decided to reflect, ponder, and wrestle with the top 12 things I learned during my first year. These things are really important, and I did my best to explain why I chose them.

​Obviously, the Lord's three commandments are paramount to our walk: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart, strength, and spirit, 2) Love your neighbor as yourself, and 3) the Great Commission to take the gospel to all nations, tribes, and tongues.

Here's an Epistle for Today

While I was in Macedonia on an 81 day mission trip, one day I woke up totally in the Spirit and the Lord put an epistle on my heart. The theme of this is the need, in fact the imperative, for unity in the body. So I typed it up and am sharing it with you to inspire, equip, and motivate you to look for opportunities for unity. God bless you!

What Reality Are We Walking In?
A poem by Derrick Rhayn
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
March 11, 2020
 
Today is a new day. Wake up!
The powers that be tell us to stay inside
Wash our hands
Enjoy a day off
On us,
But we stand in opposition,
Knowing there’s more to the story
Than some silly flu bug whose kill rate is less 
Than 2.5%
Rather we stand in awe
At the sheer gullibility of humanity
As fear descends
To you I say this:
Wake up!
 
Enjoy the day
A summer like breeze
Like never before
Like you actually appreciate life
For the gift of God that it is
Experience life anew
Freshly sprouting leaves sing praises
And flowers call Him by name Jesus
He stands atop of the mountain
Awaiting His Father’s direction
Awaiting the command
To set the captive free
Which technically He’s already done
Which technically you didn’t deserve
None of us did,
That’s just God’s love
Found seeping in John 3:16
Found waiting at the door
Inviting you deeper into who you were created to be,
Loved and adored.
 
Yes, I say to you this day
Celebrate
Awake and celebrate
As the fall leaf falling gently to the ground causes the seed of sorrow to turn in your heart
So thus the spring leaf brings forth new life.
The invitation to go from death to life
Beckons us all
To celebrate
I say celebrate
For our Father is near
And His glory guards our rear
For when we see this day for what it is
We see it for what it’s not:
A day to recede.
But rather a day to celebrate
For God is nearing us
Drawing us out of the darkness
And gently calling us into the Light
 
But now if you forget these things
And draw yourself indeed back to the new reality TV show
The search for the last roll
That’s your choice
And fear will rule you
But those who have woke to the devil and his scheme
We say no!
We have not been given a spirit of fear
But of power and love and a sound mind
And this time we known we’re one
Because it is written for us to stand strong in that day
That we shall not fall
Because we have victory.
Awake and ascend
And let your yes be yes
And your no be no
For in the valley of the shadow of darkness
Is One who knows
Who’s in control
Who knows how and why and when
You will stand up and sing
“I celebrate today!”

It's been a while.

And what I know is that when you walk with the Lord, time flies.

I wanted to share this brief post because our testimonies are one of the most useful tools that we have to minister - as it is a personal witness to how Jesus has interceded on our behalf. 

Revelation 12:11 KJV
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
​
For me, He not only saved me when I accepted Him as Savior, I also recognize that He was there with me all along the way, in my darkest moments, and even when I thought everything was simply A-OK.

Here's a link to a podcast called the Transformation Podcast, which I was interviewed on a few months back and shared the shocking goodness of God throughout my life. Enjoy!

Just over a month ago, I was getting out of the shower, getting ready for church. As I picked up the towel to dry off, Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV) came to me. 
 
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
 
I paused for a couple seconds, pondering the clarity of the message. Trust in the Lord. At that point in my walk, I didn’t really understand what trusting the Lord meant. But it was a message I needed to hear. I recognized that I didn’t know many scripture verses given that I was a new believer. But this was one that I was familiar with, and I felt compelled to hear it.
 
Later that morning, I went to church, and as the worship service ended, and the pastor came to give the sermon. He gave his usual opening announcements about the church, asked us to greet our neighbors, and then he began: “Open your Bibles. Proverbs Chapter 3 is where we’re going this morning.”
 
Throughout the sermon, and since then, it’s become clear to me that God wants our trust. He wants us to know that He is in control, that He is sovereign, and that He loves us. Beyond simply understanding these things is what we do with that knowledge. Do we trust God with everything? Or do we give lip service to trust and rely on our own understanding to navigate the world, the choices we face, and the ways that we serve?
 
I think it’s important to gauge where we are in terms of trusting the Lord. That’s what God asked me to do that morning, and I think He’s asking each of us to do so in our own ways. Though at times it may be difficult to trust, putting unfettered trust in the Lord produces fruit. I invite you today to inquire inside where you are in trusting the Lord, and what it means to trust the Lord within everything.
 
Psalm 143:8 (NIV)
 
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.

On my walk with Christ, I have sought to understand how His example of how to live applies to my own life. In this seeking, I have encountered a couple passages of scripture that succinctly, and eloquently, capture the spirit of how Christ walked, and how He instructed us to follow in His example. To me, these scriptures illustrate the tension between walking with the Spirit and walking in the flesh. These are common differentiations, yet even in reading them, they highlight the very real distinction between two ways, and in many ways two worlds, that we all walk. 
 
2 Peter 1 (NKJV)
 
Fruitful Growth in the Faith
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
 
I think the most important thing about this passage is that as we walk with Christ, emulating His example, we must not backslide into our old way, lest we forget that we have been cleansed from our old sins. As new creations, we walk in Spirit, not in the flesh.
 
 
Galatians 5 (NKJV)
 
Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
 
Isn’t it amazing that the scriptures can show us the distinction between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh so clearly? These are certainly something to meditate on throughout our journeys.

God is so good. He provides lessons when you need them, through the scriptures, through prayer, and in other ways. He speaks to you. And through this, He reinforces His word. One lesson for me this week is to acknowledge His creation – specifically others and their gifts. Often times, in our enthusiasm for Christ, we don’t understand why other people don’t see Him in the way we see Him. To be reminded of His grace, and that He has a plan for everyone, is helpful. For it is through His grace that we are saved, and in His time do we come to Him.
 
It is with this in mind that I contemplate gifts, both His gift of salvation, and the way that he has beautifully crafted the kaleidoscope of humanity in His image. In that, everyone has gifts, spiritual gifts, that can be used to glorify Him, and to live out His word. For in doing so do we acknowledge His gift to us, serve Him in a way we were created to, and show our gratitude for His sacrifice.
 
Romans 11 (NKJV)
 
Serve God with Spiritual Gifts
​
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

One of the things I’ve always been drawn to is environmental causes. This has been true since I was a child. There was always a sense of grief, and utter confusion at the witnessing of the destruction of God’s creation. This led me to participate in many groups, organizations, and efforts dedicated to ‘saving the earth’ if you will. Most of the efforts sought reconciliation between man and earth, mostly through the advocacy of man’s acceptance of the sacredness of the natural world. To me, it seemed reasonable.
 
As a new Christian, I now rest assured in Jesus. Despite the world around me, in its chaos and destruction, I know without doubt that Jesus renews. One issue that has come up in partnership recently is still this need to bring about renewal on earth through preserving, respecting, and honoring creation. I’ve wrestled with this, in part because I have not encountered much through my reading of scripture about this. Until this morning.
 
In reading Romans 8 (NKJV), I came to understand that even creation awaits eagerly for Him, as “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption.” This speaks of Jesus’ authority over everything, and is truly cause for celebration. Through His return, creation is renewed.

From Suffering to Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
 
After encountering this, I recalled many instances where the earth trembles before the Lord, as it expresses in amongst other places, Nahum 1:5 (NKJV). The earth is intelligent, as some say, not only because it is God’s creation, but also because it recognizes Jesus.
 
5 The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
 
It’s important to recognize that even in the destruction that we see, in whatever ways we encounter it, we must remember that all of creation eagerly awaits His return, and respects His authority. It is certainly cause for reflection when encountering the morning song of the bird, the cool mid-day breeze, and even the breathtaking setting sun. He subjects creation to hope. And in that, we can release the anxiety and stress of the chaos, and instead rest in a place of extreme gratitude and full recognition of His glory and fulfillment. It speaks to God’s kindness and love. It speaks to God’s grace.

1.23.19
 
In being a follower of Christ, I seek His word and guidance, through prayer, fellowship, and scripture. It is in these moments, I reencounter God’s grace, and see how limited I am in my own understanding. It is also through continual renewal of myself that I understand how He walked, and how He asks me to walk with Him.
 
Yesterday, I deepened my understanding of God’s grace. In seeking counsel on a relationship, I became judgmental, and sought to push my own understanding based on my journey onto another. But in counsel with another follower of Christ, I had insight into the ways that God works in the hearts of each and every one of us. 
 
He knows His time. He knows what to say and how to say it and when to say it unto each of us so that we understand. In the trials and tribulations of the heart, He is there. In our everyday conveyances, He is there. In our sweat, passions, tears, and actions, He is there. Therefore, I must give it up to Him above that He understands how to talk to the hearts of everyone, more so than I do. 
 
So, it was in this counsel that I was reminded that God’s grace is extended to each and every one of us, and that gift in Jesus Christ is such an amazing blessing that He would have each of us come to know it. He does not want me to be casting judgement on those who have yet to come to Him, as He is doing works in their hearts just as He has done in mine. It is on me to pray, to listen, to witness, to act, and to walk with Him as He would have me walk with Him.
 
In reading Acts (NKJV) after this counsel, I read about the exact type of encounter that Peter had in Chapter 11.
 
Peter Defends God’s Grace
11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. 6 When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ 10 Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
 

 Today I watched a testimony of a man who had been widely influential in the new age movement. His influence had brought him great wealth and prosperity, yet he was not happy, and in fact was deeply troubled. He had been led astray by seeking his own understanding. While he did not discard Jesus, he did not embrace Him fully either. After going through a period of trial and battle, he accepted the Lord. The testimony was powerful in that it showed how the Lord can gently guide us back to His path. I pray that those who are embattled with such strongholds seek the Lord, for His way is full of mercy and forgiveness. 
 
In reading scripture after watching this testimony, I came across I Corinthians 2, which speaks of spiritual wisdom. The man giving his testimony in the video thought that he had great spiritual wisdom, and that it was a gift from God. Instead, he did not fully root himself in the ways of the Lord, and found out the hard way that it is not safe to do so. For in seeking the Truth, God will provide for us and reveal to us things that we should know.
 
 
1 Corinthians 2 New King James Version (NKJV) 
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
 
 
In receiving the Spirit of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, which guides us, teaches us, and helps us to walk with Christ. It’s important to know that these are all gifts from God that we must accept so that we can receive His wisdom.
 
 
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
 

The scriptures call on us to follow Jesus with unrelenting dedication, to seek Him and constantly be waiting for Him, and as a result to learn from Him. It is through this dedication that our hearts experience His Light, and that we are guided in our journeys to discover His truth, compassion, mercy, and teaching. We are better as a result, and come out of the darkness of sin and desires of the flesh, which only serve ourselves.
 
As a learner, I am always seeking to be better in my understanding of following Jesus. Reading scriptures is the best way to do that. In my reading over the past couple days, it became clear to me that the following Jesus puts a light within us that gives us confidence, insight, and understanding. 
 
John 8 (NJKV)
 
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

As someone who has accepted Jesus as his personal savior, I delight in His light. In the very words I write here, I am guided by His light. I encourage anyone who reads this to embrace His light, to embrace His Truth, and to boldly claim your alignment with His light.

Luke 8 (NJKV)

The Parable of the Revealed Light

16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him morewill be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
 
It is incredibly important to understand and come into alignment with His light. By doing so, you are shown His ways, and He walks with you. This process of aligning with His light and walking with Him is continual. Through devotion, we find solace and are humbled to His ways. And, truly, we develop our ability to discern what is of His light and what is of this world.
 
Luke 11 (NJKV)

The Lamp of the Body
33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
 
When we develop our understanding through His light, and walk with Him, we receive His lessons, mercy, and gifts. Therefore, we must praise Him and share our knowledge of Him with the world. It is in doing so that we give others the opportunity to know Him through our alignment with His light. And, hence, we give others the opportunity to then glorify and praise Him as a result of knowing Him.
 

I awoke from a dream of reading scripture, Matthew 4 (NJKV). In the dream there was a sense of urgency, a completion of sorts. A perspective shift that needed to expand.
 
I turned on my light and opened to the scripture, which I had read before, but to which I had forgotten its detail until I laid eyes upon it. Then I understood:

​Satan Tempts Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
 
I immediately understood these words, as they were the next step in my understanding. You see, yesterday I wrote about Faith from the Beginning, where God told Satan in the Garden of Eden of His Son to come, which took place at the very, very, very first instance of sin against God. The passage for today, which illustrates the next step, is that upon being baptized and having the Spirit of God descend like a dove and alight upon him (Matthew 3:16), he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 
 
In other words, upon being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit, the very, very, very first thing that happens is the temptation is beset upon Him. And being the most righteous One, He of course resists, and in resisting shows us that the temptation to nourish himself of this world is fleeting and that the word of God is eternal and should be where we rest our hearts. Even in His rebuking, He instructs us.
 
Now, I could end this post there, but alas, God had an illustration for me. A dear friend of mine was in line at the ferry terminal this morning, some few hours after this dream. She called me, and we were talking, when a rental truck in front of her backed into her front bumper. She told me what happened, was clearly jarred, and abruptly ended the call. 
 
I was concerned, and asked if she wanted my presence. She called back, flustered, asking what to do. Without thinking, a key phrase, I entered the habitual mind, thinking of the norms of this world, and without reflection I suggested to get his insurance information and even to call the police if the situation warranted. She then said he was uninsured, and offered her money. Again without thinking, I told her to call her insurance and to see if she had uninsured motorist coverage. These are suggestions that most often would make sense, but what I had failed to do is to seek God in the situation, to seek His guidance and His Word. Immediately upon recognizing this I sent her a message saying “You can also choose compassion if it’s not a big deal to you and let God sort it out.” She replied she had indeed did that. Upon getting on the ferry, she explained that the driver of the rental truck was lost, had thought he was taking a road to the city, and was frustrated to be in line to get on the ferry. He was trying to turn around, and accidentally ran into her car. He was clearly confused, was new to the area, and was trying to make the situation right by giving her money.
 
Upon hearing this I sought the Word, and was shown Micah 4:2 (NKJV)
 
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
 
She again called seeking advice. I shared this passage with her and suggested that she give the money back, wish him a good day, and say God bless him. To this end, she did these things, saying he received her well, and that his eyes were kind.
 
What I realized in this moment is that temptation sometimes even presents itself veiled in what is seemingly good, what will seemingly nourish us. I discovered through this experience that God asks us to truly seek love, to love our neighbor, and to move from a place of love in all our dealings, even in the situations that jolt us and make us enter into habitual mindsets. It is through doing this that we will find true nourishment and shall truly live. 

​As a new Christian, I’m learning what God has in store for me every single day. What’s clearer by the day is that dedicating time to reading scriptures is the most useful tool for discerning God’s will for me. Today I turned to read Genesis, the beginning of creation, and made it through the first five chapters. Then God stirred in me and I seemed to recall that Jesus was referenced in the beginning of Genesis. I looked it up, and sure enough in Genesis 3 (NKJV), The Temptation and The Fall of Man, speaks about Jesus. It says:
 
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
 
            Because you have done this,
            You are cursed more than all 
                        cattle
            And more than every beast of
                        the field;
            On your belly you shall go,
            And you shall eat dust
            All the days of your life.
15        And I will put enmity
            Between you and the woman,
            And between your seed and her
                        Seed;
            He shall bruise your head,
            And you shall bruise His heel.”           
 
I found this important because then I asked for guidance for God’s will for me, and he showed me the following passage from Habakkuk 3 (NKJV):
 
12 You marched through the land
            in indignation;
You trampled the nations
            in anger.
13 You went forth for the salvation 
            of Your people,
For salvation with Your
            Anointed.
You struck the head from the
            house of the wicked,
By laying bare from foundation,
            to neck.
                                    Selah
 
God’s guidance for me today is to know certainly a few things. 
 
First, He has a plan for me. As is written in these scriptures, His plans have been such from the beginning. By putting my trust in Him and in His plan for me, He will deliver me from sin into salvation. I trust this inherently.
 
Second, God knew from the beginning that He had to send Jesus to redeem us from sin. God says this in the very, very, very first instance of sin against Him. Think about that for a moment. This shows God’s omniscience, and His acknowledgement of the way of salvation as He knew what would happen as a result of the fall of man.
 
Third, God shows me that the Bible is a living document. He gave me insight, and showed me how these scriptures were tied together. These speak of Jesus coming, marching and trampling the enemy for his propagation of sin, and saving His people. It is with this insight that you can see why in Genesis 3 it says “And you shall bruise His heel.” It is because Jesus will march and trample the enemy.
 
Together these two scriptures give me insight into how God works, confidence that taking time every day to read scriptures will guide my life, and that God has a plan for everything. These lessons are important to me as I continue my journey with Jesus.