Sozo Today

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. No, they really had no idea what they were doing. As the religious leaders of Israel demanded that Barabbas be released, and Jesus be sentenced to death, they were, in fact, demonstrating, through that one act, exactly what Jesus came to earth to do. His main purpose was to be the “Once and for all sacrifice” for all mankind, so that all who were guilty and deserving of death could be set free. Barabbas was[…]

Psalm 88:2  “Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry.” Have you ever just had a big ole cry? You know, one that comes from the very depths of your being, either from a broken heart or desperate need? The words penned by the Psalmist, Jesus’ description of end times, and the plight of the Egyptians all looked pretty dark and bleak. Desperate situations can cause one to pray and cry out to God from the depths of despair. And, it can seem in those dark moments that God is nowhere to be found and that our cries for help[…]

Psalm 8:5 (NLT) “Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.” Many, through the years, have had a hard time grasping this verse. Even King James, when translating the Bible into English, substituted the word “Elohim,” which means “God,” with the word “Angels.” But, regardless of how hard it may be to grasp, God makes it clear, through the Psalmist David, that He has crowned us, His children, and has set upon us a place of special honor, second only to Himself. So how should we react and respond to such a position[…]

Psalm 10:18  “You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,    so mere people can no longer terrify them.” It may seem, at times, as though the just are forgotten and the wicked just get away with any and everything. It may even appear as though the righteous are forgotten while evil ones continue to plot and plan. The Psalmist David felt that way and cried out to the Lord to right the wrongs and set the record straight. At times, just like David, it can be hard for us to see that God is still at work and on[…]

Luke 18:27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” There was one thing Jacob and the blind beggar, in Luke, had in common; they both wanted to see. For Jacob something was missing in his life and had been for years – his son Joseph. Even though there were 67 family members represented in his household, because of Joseph’s absence, the family wasn’t complete. But that happy reunion finally came, and for Jacob, he saw with his own eyes what he thought would have been impossible. The blind beggar in Luke 18 wanted to[…]

Luke 17:19 (KJV) And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. A bonus is always a great thing. It may be for hitting your sales goal, for the company’s quarterly profit share, or what the company gives out at Christmas, but a bonus is something everyone enjoys. In Genesis 38 we see one such bonus being handed out to Benjamin, the youngest brother of Joseph. Benjamin received five times as much food on his plate as his other brothers. Five, is the biblical number for grace. We’ve been called the “Benjamin Generation.” Just like[…]

Genesis 39:2-4  “The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.” From the rebuke of his father, the hatred of his brothers, the false accusations from Potiphar’s wife, and prison; Joseph’s life looked like a complete mess. It was not at all like he had thought things were going to work out for him based on the dreams he had. Two dreams, back to back, led him to believe that there was greatness in his future, but instead he was experiencing the worst kind of failure. But, in spite[…]

Luke 15:7  “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” From the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, Jesus goes to great lengths to express the importance of just how much value our Heavenly Father places on just one. Certainly he cares about the multitudes, as seen when Jesus feeds the five-thousand with just a few loaves and fish, but it seems as though his heart rejoices even as much, if[…]

Genesis 35:15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.  God called Jacob back to a place I’m sure he had heard of before. No doubt his father had passed down the story from his grandfather, Abraham, and his encounter with God at this place called Bethel. It was the place in Canaan where Abraham first arrived and where he offered up the first sacrifice to God in this land God had called him to. Now, God was calling Jacob back home to this same place.  Jacob had been a[…]