Sozo Today

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].”  Psalm 91:1 (AMP)  In the sparcly populated county in Eastern North Carolina where I live, our 911 Call Center Telecommunicators have undergone some significant training in recent years resulted in lives saved. Not to long ago our local Telecommunicators underwent intensive training in the Emergency Medical Dispatch Interface which allows them to interact with the callers to the 911 center, by giving them medical instructions to assist victims of heart attacks, strokes, choking, childbirth and more. This training[…]

“God had richly blessed Obed-Edom.” 1 Chronicles 26:4b According to Wikipedia, “The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.” People literally picked up everything they had and moved entire families west for just the hope that they could get in on this gold rush before it all ended. Many called it “Gold Fever.” In 1 Chronicles, we see a man by the name of Obed-Edom. He and his sons were assigned duties as gatekeepers and musicians at[…]

“Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you can bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple built to honor the Lord’s name.” 1 Chronicles 22:19  In 1 Chronicles 22, the Temple of the Lord was sizing up to be quite a magnificent thing. David had furnished Solomon with an abundance of only the best building materials that would be used in the Temple’s construction, and all the skilled workers were ready to start this incredible project of building a house for the[…]

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.” Psalm 30:11 There’s a Rhode Island judge who’s become pretty famous, but not for his harsh sentences, but rather for his mercy. Judge Frank Caprio is the Chief Municipal Judge in Providence, Rhode Island. Someone took note of Judge Caprio’s bent toward mercy and decided to create a You Tube channel and Facebook page. His philosophy, as seen from the bench, differs from the typical “tough on crime” approach and instead leans heavy on mercy. Not only do defendants often leave[…]

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” 2 Samuel 22:31 In 2 Samuel 21, a severe drought hit the land and David needed answers. He knew that, as God’s chosen people, they weren’t supposed to live in lack, so he sought the Lord. The Lord showed David that, because of the previous king, Saul’s, failure in breaking a covenant that had been in place long before him to live at peace with the Gideonites, a curse had come upon Israel. Saul, in his anger, had mercilessly killed many of[…]

“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22  Have you ever been betrayed and wanted to get even? Or, at least maybe you’ve felt like you needed to get the word out in your defense? Through the years, I’ve discovered that in those moments I can trust in and rely on my Heavenly Father to take care of it. I know it’s hard, in those moments, when you feel as though you’ve been misjudged, mistreated, or misunderstood, but the truth is our Father is big enough and good enough to make[…]

“For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.” Psalm 56:13  Everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the cost of twenty-thousand lives, the rebellion was over. But not everyone was celebrating. As we see in 2 Samuel 18, instead of shouting and dancing in victory, David walked away in great sadness. Despite Absalom’s open betrayal and effort to kill him, in David’s eyes, Absalom, “young Absalom,” was still his son and David’s heart ached at the news of Absalom’s death. While[…]

“Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God?”  Psalm 71:19 Have you ever found yourself doing the very thing, or things, you swore you’d never do? Such was the case for Peter. On their last night together, just before His crucifixion, Jesus warned His disciples that one of them would betray him. They all looked around among themselves trying to figure out just who it could be. It was then that Peter spoke up and told the Lord he would never betray Him. He swore that even if[…]

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8  In the age of the “selfie,” true loyalty has become harder and harder to find. The Apostle Paul defined it as “perilous times” as he wrote to his young protégée Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, which says; “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult (perilous) times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money (own interest.) They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful.[…]

“So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him.” 2 Samuel 14:33  Family tension can be the worst. When one family member won’t speak to another, or even come around, it can put a damper on everyone. Being forced to pick sides isn’t easy either, especially when you see things from both sides. That’s exactly the situation David’s family was in.  In 2 Samuel 13-14, we see the whole story of how Jonadab became fixated on and obsessed with the beauty[…]