Hitch Your Wagon To A Star

Hitch your wagon to a star...

The phrase to hitch one’s wagon to a star was coined, in reference to idealistic aspirations, by the U.S. poet, essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) in American Civilization, an essay published in The Atlantic Monthly. A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics (Boston (Massachusetts): Ticknor and Fields) of April 1862 [Vol. 9, No. 54, page 505, columns 1 & 2]:

People use it to mean; follow or connect to someone who is rising, headed for goodness or fame, to have high ambition, ideals or purpose. 

But in our Christian walk we are to yoked ourselves to Christ himself.

📖 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

We are "hitching" ourselves, not to a star but Light Himself.

Paul, in speaking to the church of Corinth, addressed the issue of who they wanted to follow. Apparently there was discord over those who felt they should follow Apollos and others to follow Paul. 

📖 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.  1 Corinthians 3:3-9

Paul said that they had not matured in their faith. They were "hitching their wagons" to the wrong place! 

Apollos, Paul, any of us who are followers of Christ, are servants; planting, watering the seeds of salvation.  We, none of us, make it grow.  None of us can save anyone. We can just spread the word and leave the rest to our Great God!

We need to follow, connect, graft ourselves to the true source of goodness, power and love. 

📖   Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:4-5

🙏🏼Lord, I am nothing apart from you. Remind me daily where to keep my focus, where I need to "hitch my wagon" so that i can accomplish much for You and Your Kingdom. ❤️

Ear Plugs

 

If you notice the ears...the inspiration for this blog. 

Ear plugs, sound protection, the kind you squish up and place in your ear, are necessary to keep out damaging levels of noise.

However...as we have them in, it becomes harder to hear crucial or critical information.

Please, stay with me...and understand I am not talking about ear protection. I am speaking in figurative terms. ALWAYS protect your hearing!

I believe Satan helps insert "ear plugs". They are made up of hurt, anger, jealousy, stubbornness, pride....and once in they just continue to inflate as we add more to the list, as we hang on to those things. 

But if we allow God to take them from us,

📖  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

And we are repentant, we seek restoration 

God will remove those plugs.

 

Instead He covers us..our whole being

📖 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.  Psalm 91:4 (NKJV)

📖 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Exodus 33:22 (NKJV)

With HIS cover the dangerous sounds are muted. 

But our ears are still open to hear Him. 

We need to remain under His protective hand so that we can hear His voice over any other. 

📖  So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

📖 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Another analogy; there are a form of ear protection that have radio and Bluetooth connection. They may protect us from the harmful noises around us, but we must make sure what we listen to isn't drawing us away from His voice.

📖 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:2-5

 

📖  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

🙏🏼

I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.

Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, 

O You who save those who trust in You

From those who rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings

From the wicked who oppress me,

From my deadly enemies who surround me.❤️

Psalm 17:6-9 (NKJV)

And remember ALWAYS protect your hearing!👂

Today's Idol

For the past couple of weeks, at church, idols have been discussed. 

Some idols in scripture:

Moses and the golden calf

📖 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”  Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32:1-4

Elijah and Baal

📖 Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.  Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”  With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.  He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” 1 Kings 18:26-39

What are our idols? Well that is easy...I don't have any! I don't have a golden statue in my yard or house!

Hmmmm, but what might be a bit shiny or glittery that catches our attention more than that Bible sitting there... or distracts us before we take the time to spend with Jesus?

What have we allowed to take space in our day or even our heart while we have waited on the Lord?

Many speak of technology and how we begin our days with the phone, or tablet, or television. But in today's world those may be our access to spending time with the Lord. That can be good, but is that the page, the app, the channel, we go to FIRST?

I would dare say the worst idol many may have today...and it basically was the same in Moses time...is/was "self". 

We want gratification now, we are obsessed with how our outward bodies look. We want to feel comfortable and happy all the time. We don't want things to be difficult or messy. So many walk away from relationships because it is difficult, it doesn't make ME happy, why should it be so hard?

Everything becomes about ME and how I feel, how I look, how things affect ME.

Even in churches; 'That message didn't make me feel.good". "I don't like the music." "The people that sit over there annoy me."

We want to be soothed, coddled and our egos stroked. 

Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself, because He knows that we place ourselves in high regard."

📖  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

Paul reminded us to have the attitude of Jesus; not to look to our own needs but the needs of others

📖 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11

📖  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

🙏🏼Dear Lord, if we, who call ourselves followers of Christ, can humble our hearts before You, can fall to our knees in prayer and seek You and Your will and purpose and in repentance, ask for Your forgiveness we trust You will show us any "idols" that stand in the way of fully worshipping You. 

We want our attitude and heart to be like Christ, so we see others as You do; with love, mercy, grace, and compassion.  We will see Your might and strength and say, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

❤️

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