THURSDAY, JANUARY 22
Scripture: Isaiah 40:3-5

Isaiah 40:3-5 says, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” When we are preparing the way of the Lord, then the judgment of God raises every valley, brings down every mountain, straightens out the crooked places and makes the rough places smooth. That is what judgment does. Judgment always prepares for a manifestation that results in salvation. Once people see the judgment, then they have a motivation to grab onto salvation. If they do not see the judgment, they have less motivation for salvation. John the Baptist fully shouldered it. Now since Jesus is coming again, we have the opportunity to fully shoulder it in our generation. The question is, will we? Are we ready for that adversity? We need to be!