The Call

This week's blog was inspired by the scripture passage used in the message Sunday morning. 

If you want to hear the message:

Victory Baptist Church 7/20/2025 Jesse Sowa

Jeremiah was called BEFORE he was born.

📖 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.  Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 4:1-10

What purpose was placed on you before you were born?

Boy, that seems like a daunting question! 

We have the same response as Jeremiah...I am NOT up to the task!

There are moments in our lives when we know.

📖  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

For such a time as this. I am here, now, for this reason. 

But other times we wonder...God what am I doing here...I am helpless in this situation. Why am I in the middle of THIS.

I know God shows us. 

But I know also, that God knew us, formed us and CALLS US to Himself.

📖For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16

If for no other reason than to accept His love, His Son and to follow Him.

In that journey we may then see other purposes and "calls" upon our lives.

So rather than overwhelm ourselves with "what purpose am I here for"

Focus on these words from Jesus

📖 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

And remember, Jeremiah felt unworthy and God touched his lips and GAVE him the words.

We ARE unworthy but Christ will give us what we need to accomplish what is before us.

🙏🏼 Our Gracious Creator, I pray today, that You speak to the hearts of those seeking You right now.  Draw them to You. Fill their heart, soul and mind with love for You so that it overflows onto all they come in contact with. Amen❤️

When the Well Runs Dry

 What do you do when the well runs dry?

When you lift the bucket and it is empty? You turn the tap and there is nothing?

Well, you try and figure out if it is a bad pressure switch or a bad pump or the well itself has run dry. Something isn't working right to allow very important water to flow. 

How about in our spiritual life? Do we feel we cry out and there is nothing flowing? We fall to our knees yet we feel that things are empty?

We need to check things. 

Have we been filling the well with the Water that will never run dry?

📖  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:37-38

First of all coming to Jesus, accepting Him for who is is and what He has done for each of us. 

Then

Reading, listening, learning, communicating, desiring Him to reveal Himself to you.

📖  And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirst. Revelation 21:6

In those time we feel the well has run dry, we feel there is nothing to even draw water with..we just have to ask THE Living Water to fill us up. 

📖Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”John 4:10-14

 

🙏🏼 Lord, no matter how empty we feel today I pray we know we can cry out to You and ask to be filled!  Help us to remember that even if we feel empty we have a well that never runs dry. Thank you! Amen ❤️

Leave it to Him

 Leave it to him;

"to always forget to take out the trash." "To forget the anniversary."

Leave it to her;

"to knock something over at the store." "To hit the curb."

These are negative statements we have heard or even said something similar. 

But I thought about Leave it to HIM...meaning Jesus. And that is what we are to do and it is a very positive statement. 

We ARE to "Leave it..everything...to HIM!

📖 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)

📖“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

We are to trust HIM with ALL of IT!

All our cares, anxieties, worries, troubles,  hurts, sadness, fears...the list goes on.

"This is painful and hard." Leave it to Him.

📖 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

"Fear is consuming me, I can not move forward." Leave it to Him

📖   For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 2 Timothy 1:7 (CSB)

 📖 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  Hebrews 13:6 (CSB)

"I can't do this. I am so alone" Leave it to Him.

📖... for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Hebrews 13:5b (CSB)

"I have lost faith. I have lost my way." Leave it to Him.

📖  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Acts 15:8-9

📖   Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 24:6

"The darkness has consumed me." Leave it to Him.

📖 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

"I am not good enough. I am worthless, unsaveable." Leave it to Him

📖 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

🙏🏼

📖  Lord [Your grace] was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [I am grateful for the]  trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ❤️ 1 Timothy 1:14-16

Our VBS Journey

 This week is late...but I knew it would be. We just wrapped VBS...and as I have done some years..I am going to share some of the lessons I learned at VBS!

Funny...how life has been going and our theme was God is with us on the Journey!

No matter the detours or the difficulties or even what we have done. He is there, and we just need to turn to Him and He will be our Guide!

📖 The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1;9

 

Abraham and Sarah were told to pack up and move...with out a destination. Just follow where God told them. Unlike today we can Google any destination and see pictures and read about it, though it would still be a new and maybe unsettling experience. They had nothing for preparation. But they followed and trusted God.

God is with us on the journey

The Israelites went off course. God had a purpose in their 30 years of wandering, He showed them Who He was on their journey.  Even when they made wrong choices He was still with them on their journey.

God is with us when we go off course

Mary went to visit Elizabeth and both were joyful! As was the baby in Elizabeth's womb. 

Joyful because both women were aware of the importance of the child Mary was carrying. 

God is with us when we are joyful 

The old story of the little man who climbed a tree just to get a look at Jesus. A little man in stature, but not in power and wrong doing. But Jesus saw him, called to him and wanted to be in his company.  Zaccheous went to Jesus, brought him to his home and he was changed, never to be the same again!

God is with us when we are lonely

Paul, met Jesus on the Damascus Road and was changed. From a persecutor of Christ followers he became one of the greatest evangelists of his day, traveling wherever God led him and telling everyone about Jesus. He met friends along the way who did the same, telling people about the life changing love of Jesus. 

God is with us near and far.

I need those reminders, sometimes all of them, daily.

🙏🏼Whatever jouney you are on today, whether it is near or far, if you are lonely or joyful or you feel you have wandered far from God....He is with you! I pray you turn towards Him, and He will guide you.❤️

📖  “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9