Revelation 21:5 - Heaven is for real

"Behold I make all things new."

Revelation 21:5

Have you ever heard the saying that "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." I have heard this saying many times through the years. I have even said it myself. Doubt comes into play when we hear this saying. We question it and wonder if it could possible be true. But the nice thing about heaven is, is that it sounds good, it is good, and it is actually true! We know this for it is in the Word and we know that the Word of God is true and does not lie. We don't have to question if we should trust it. It is a fact. We have something to look forward to. At the dawn of eternity, Jesus will make all things new. Revelations 21:5 says “Look, I am making all things new!” (NLT). Everything will be made right. There will be a new heaven, a new earth, and a new order of things. The old order will pass away. Revelations 21-22 talks about the new city. It is a literal place. It will have streets of gold and we will be there. We will walk with Him, live with Him, and praise and worship Him along with the heavenly angels. Revelations 21:3 says “Look, the home of God is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will remove all their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” We will also be with all those that have gone on to be with the Lord. The city will be illuminated by so much light as the glory of the Lord will shine all about. There will be a Crystal River that flows. The tree of life will be there. I believe that God purposely put Revelations 21-22 in the Word because He wants you and I to anticipate and look forward to what is to come. Be encouraged today. Read Revelations 21-22 if you have time. Maybe you are sad for one reason or another. Life isn't always fair, and God didn't promise that it would be. But know that whatever has you down, it will be quickly forgotten once you reach that celestial city. You will cross the finish line and receive your reward. Jesus has gone to heaven and is preparing a place just for you. You are special to Him. He will come and get you when the time is right. Remember heaven may seem too good to be true, but it is not. Look forward to being there. Anticipate it.

Father, Thank You for the hope of heaven. We look forward to being in Your presence and worshiping You forever. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 11:29 - Lighten your load if need be

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

The only load we should be carrying is the load God has called us to bear. Less can be more. It can be what is spiritually best for us. Be sure that what you are doing is what He has called you to do. It is okay to say no to the world and other people's demands for us. It is okay to lighten your load if you are doing too much. God cares about you and He wants your soul to be at rest. He wants your heart to be at peace. He wants your mind to be sound. To be an effective witness for Jesus your soul needs to be at rest to experience His joy in your life so that you can pass that joy on to others. All of us need to be only carrying His yoke to be at our best. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me." Remember that Jesus is gentle. Remember that He is lowly in heart. God is never going to ask too much of you. Examine your life today. If your soul is at a stage of unrest, ask Him to show you what He desires for you to do. Then do just that. He is faithful. He will show you. Why? Because you are His friend. John 15:14 says "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." Carry His yoke and His alone. You will bear fruit for the kingdom and be blessed doing so.

Father, May we take Your yoke upon us and learn from You. We want our souls to be at rest. We want our hearts to be at peace. We want our minds to be sound. We don't want to be stressed out, overworked and overloaded. Give us the joy of walking with You and doing only what You will us to do in our lives. We want to be able to bear fruit for Your kingdom, and we want to be blessed for doing so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Acts 17:6 - Turn your world upside down

"Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down ..." they shouted.

 

Acts 17:6

 

As soon as Jesus died, He sent His Holy Spirit to the believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit set their hearts on fire. They carried the torch of the gospel everywhere they went. They weren't afraid to share their faith. Their hearts were not only set on fire, but they also made it their commision to set their world on fire for their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The gospel had transformed them from the inside out. They were made new in Christ. They were born again. They were not only born of water, but also of the Spirit. Their sins were gone and the only thing that mattered to them was proclaiming the news of Christ. Since they "carried the torch" everywhere, they ignited other hearts for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit set them ablaze. Jesus was living within them. He walked among them. And He worked mightily through them. They were filled with the Spirit and they shared the Word with boldness, even if it meant persecution. It was said of them that they "turned the rest of the world upside down." It was not intended to be a compliment, but, yet, it was.

 

God still wants us to turn the rest of the world upside down. He doesn't want us to be lukewarm or complacent Christians. He wants us to carry the torch of the gospel everywhere we go. He doesn't want us to be afraid to share our faith.

 

Father, May You set our hearts on fire. May we make it our commission to set our world on fire for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Help us to carry the torch of the gospel everywhere we go. May the Holy Spirit inside of us ignite other hearts for Jesus Christ. May Your Holy Spirit set them ablaze. May Jesus Christ come and live within them. May He walk among them. And may He work mightily through them. Help us to share the Word with boldness. May we not be afraid to share our faith with others. We know that we may be persecuted for doing so, but make us strong and courageous so we can withstand the persecution. Help us to "turn the rest of the world upside down," just like the early believers. Add to your kingdom daily! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 32:8 - Be a good person, be generous

"But good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do."

 

Isaiah 32:8 (NLT)

 

God is good. He is also very generous. As His children, we should have His characteristics. We should be good. We should also be generous to others. If we are, His Word tells us that we will be blessed for all that we do. The NKJV says that "a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand." Ponder that for a moment. "[A] generous man devises generous things." This means they are generous and they are constantly thinking on the Lord and devising different ways for them to be generous. It goes on to say "and by generosity he shall stand." Their generosity helps them to stand. May we make it a point to be good and generous, just like our heavenly Father is. We will not only be taking after Him, we will also be blessed in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." May this be our motto today.

 

Father, You are good. You are generous. You have made us in Your image and we want to take after You. We want to be good men and women of God. We want to be generous. Help us to devise different ways that we can be generous. Whatever we do, may we do it all to the glory of God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs 3:13-17 - Be wise, not a hothead

“Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences] … Skillful and godly Wisdom is more precious than rubies … Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”

Proverbs 3:13-17

Today’s verses are like manna for my soul today. God wants me and He wants you to find skillful and godly Wisdom. He also wants us to get understanding. And we do this by learning from God’s Word and life’s experiences. If we walk in skillful and godly Wisdom our ways will be “highways of pleasantness.” God wants our ways to be pleasant. He wants our paths to be peace.

When we listen to the Lord, we make decisions that lead to pleasantness, peace. A hothead is not pleasant and lacks understanding. A hothead does not bring peace or care about keeping the peace at all. A hothead brings division, which is just the opposite of what the Lord desires for the body of Christ (as well as for our families). Acting out in the flesh, puts the enemy and his agents at work instead of the Holy Spirit and His plan for all our lives. We are called to submit and surrender to the Lord’s will and leading. We all know His will. It is found in His Word. He doesn’t keep it a secret from us. The hardest part sometimes is doing the Lord’s will instead of what our flesh would like us to do. The flesh wants to rule over us. As Christians we need to be careful that we never operate this way. If we do, then “we” are in the wrong. It is not a sin to have fleshly feelings or emotions. We all have a flesh and we have a spirit. God made us this way. The two are constantly at war with one another. We want to be sure to keep our spirit in check and not let the flesh rule or act out. If you do, you may do or say something that you will later regret. Consequences from acting out are not pleasant. They do not bring peace.

Wisdom is our friend. The Word of God says that it is like a sister. Love her. Trust that God knows best. It helps us not live in regret, and it helps us make choices now that we will be happy with later on. Choices that truly are best for everyone.

Father, Your Word says that “Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom.” May each and every single one of us find skillful and godly Wisdom. Your Word says that happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who gets understanding, drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences. May You bless us with understanding and may it make us happy. Your Word says that “Skillful and godly Wisdom is more precious than rubies.” May we know this to be true in our lives. We ask once again for your “Skillful and godly wisdom.” We want to walk in the highway of pleasantness. We want our paths to be peace. May we never be hotheads. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Luke 16:14 - Don't dearly love your money

“The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this.”

Luke 16:14

The Word of God has much to say concerning the virtues of wise saving and generous giving, but it’s easy to love money too much. In the New Testament, the Pharisees were the strictest adherents of Judaism, yet they loved money and scoffed at all that Jesus said. What did they scoff at? Jesus had just finished saying “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13). This is what they scoffed at. Jesus had insight. He knew the truth. He knew you couldn’t serve both God and money. The sad fact is that that truth sounded like foolishness to the Pharisees. As Christians, we have to be careful that we don’t fall into the same trap as the Pharisees. We need to heed His words, not scoff at them. It can be just as easy for us to love money too much as it was for them. The struggle is real and “No one can serve two masters.” No one can. Not even us Christians. May we not fool ourselves and think that we can serve both. Jesus once told the Pharisees “You like to look good in public, but God knows your evil hearts. What the world honors is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). God’s kingdom is different than the world’s system. Be wise. Love the Lord and serve Him only!

Father, we know that “No one can serve to masters.” Your Word says that we “will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.” We want our hearts to belong to You! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 16:11 - Joy is the presence of God!

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 16:11

Don’t you want the Lord to show you the path of life so that you can walk in it? I know I do. And He can do just that if we ask Him and are willing to surrender to Him as He leads. Don’t you want to walk in the fullness of joy? I know I do. We do this by walking in the presence of the Lord. The level of joy that we have is a good indication to whether we are drawing near to God or not. If you realize that you are not very joyful, you can always draw near to Him. If you do, He will draw near to you. James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” God tells us that at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. Hallelujah! May you experience the pleasures that He has forevermore! There is a quote from Jonathan Edwards that I like. It says “The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.” Isn’t this the truth!

Father, show us the path of life. Grant to us the joy of Your presence. May we have the pleasures of living with you forever! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Psalm 27:14

Waiting for the Lord is wisdom. Running ahead of him and trying to help Him to answer or bring something to pass is not. Let’s say you want to bake a batch of brownies for your grandchildren to enjoy when they come over. You preheat the oven. You spray your 9x13 inch pan with Pam. You add all the necessary ingredients to a mixing bowl. You pour the brownie batter into the pan and then you place it in the oven. As you wait for the brownies to get done, in your excitement you decide to take the brownies out early instead of leaving them in the oven for the appropriate amount of time for them to get done. Because of this, the brownies are only partially baked. They have gooey spots everywhere and they aren’t fit for consumption. This would be ridiculous wouldn’t it? Yet many times as Christians we try to outrun God’s timing and take ourselves out of His preparation time too soon. We do not let Him answer our prayer requests in His timing and in the way He knows best. We run ahead of him and try to help Him. Only doing this, we make a whole mess of things. I know this for a fact as I have been there and done this. I had to learn the hard way that we should do this, but thank God I did learn. Now I trust in Him to take care of things, in His ways, and in His timing. Look at Abraham and Sarah. They were promised a son. And then when the Lord tarried on the answer, they ran ahead of Him and tried to make the promise come to pass in ways that He had never planned. Our world is still suffering the consequences of their choice of not waiting on the Lord. God knows what you need. He hears your prayers. Let Him answer them in His way and in His time. Don’t give up waiting and try to satisfy that need in your own way. Wait on Him, and He will take care of you according to His greatness. Some Scriptures that will encourage you to wait are Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Be of good courage as you wait. He promises to strengthen your heart. Psalm 37:34 says “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way.” Keep His way as you wait on Him to answer and move on your behalf. Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” There are blessings in store for you as you wait.

Father, Isaiah 8:17 says “And I will wait on the Lord … and I will hope in Him.” Father, may I wait on You to answer all my prayers in Your timing and in Your ways. I trust You with my life and I put my hope in You. Help me to be patient as you work everything out. Strengthen my heart. Make me be of good courage. Renew my strength. I give you praise! In Jesus’ name I pray.

Proverbs 31:10-12 Looking for a spouse

“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

                                                                      Proverbs 31:10-12

When a man looks for a spouse they should look for someone that is virtuous, a lady that is of moral worth and excellence. If you find someone like that, today’s verse says that their worth is far above rubies. I like what it also says that “The heart of her husband safely trusts her.” He can put his confidence in her, he doesn’t have to fear what she is going to do. An added plus to this is that “he will have no lack of gain” as she will do “him good and not evil all the days of her life.” She will be a blessing. Your home, your life, and your children will be blessed because of her, the Lord, and her walk with the Lord. This is why it is so important that you listen to God and God’s Word when choosing a mate. If you chose someone that is not of moral worth and excellence, you will suffer the consequences of this choice for the rest of your life. You won’t be able to trust them. You will have a hard time getting ahead in this world. They will do evil things regularly and sometimes they will not be good to you because they operate and live in the flesh, therefore they are fleshly. If you make a mistake in this one area, it is a drastic one. Pray for yourself if you are single, pray for your children, and pray for your grandchildren to find a virtuous, Spirit-filled, godly mate. The right mate is one of the most important decisions one can make in their life, for it affects the rest of it.

Father, may You help us ladies to be virtuous women. We want to be ladies of moral worth and excellence. We want our worth to be far above rubies. We want our husbands to be able to put their confidence in us and be able to safely trust us in each in each and every aspect. Our men shouldn’t have to fear what we are going to do. Help our men prosper, having no lack of gain. And may we do our husbands good and not evil all the day of our lives. We want to be a blessing to our homes and we want your hand of blessing to be upon us all. Help those that are looking for a spouse, to find a virtuous, Spirit-filled, godly mate that You have handpicked for them if You so desire for them to marry. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.    

Ephesians 6:24 - Love the Lord with an undying love. If you do, His grace will be upon you.

“May God’s grace be upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

Ephesians 6:24

Many can live the Christian life with outsiders, or those that we have little contact with. It is in our homes and in our churches that we can find applying the Lord’s precepts to be difficult. Why, because our real self comes through to those who know us well. They see us for as we really are. Much of the time they see us at our best. Sometimes, though, they see us at our worst. We should remember that we should love the Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Having an undying love for Him should make us have an undying love for others, keeping us in check. I like today’s verse for it says “May God’s grace be upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love” (Ephesians 6:24). “May God’s grace be upon” you and “May God’s grace be upon” all your relationships. “May God’s grace be upon” me and upon all my relationships as well. The NKJV says “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” The Living Bible says “May God’s grace and blessing be upon all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ.” May we love Him in actuality, and may we love Him sincerely, with an undying love and heartfelt devotion.

   

Father, Oh, that we might have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, that we would love Him in sincerity. May Your grace and blessing be upon us all and all our relationships. We know that You are our all in all. We want and desire to be Yours through and through. May we love You day after day; and in the process, may Your grace meet our every need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs 26:20 - Getting rid of the strife that is in our lives

“Where there is no wood, the fire goes out. And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”

Proverbs 26:20

Do you have strife in your life? If so, examine your tongue. Proverbs 26:20 says “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out.” You may be fanning it and keeping it alive. It just may be that if you stop talking, the strife will cease and the fire may go out. Many of us don’t like to think of ourselves as talebearers. We don’t gossip, we say. But do we complain and grumble about someone to another party? Proverbs 16:28 says that “A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.” We really don’t want God to think of us as perverse. Do we? We really don’t want to sow strife. And we really don’t want to be a whisperer. Whispering separates. God wants us to unite and be held together by His love. Make a decision today to watch your tongue. Use your tongue only for His glory. Remember the old saying “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Apply that to your everyday lives.

Father, we are tired of the strife that is in our lives. We want it to stop. We are reminded today that “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out.” Help us to watch our tongues and say only that which is good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Genesis 7:1 - Be a righteous person

“… I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”

Genesis 7:1

Noah lived in the midst of a very perverse generation. We live in the midst of a very perverse generation in this day and age as well. But just because the people were evil in the Lord’s sight, didn’t mean that Noah was. God’s Word says that Noah was a just man. It says that he was perfect in his generations. It even goes on to say that Noah walked with God. It says this in Genesis 6:9 “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (NKJV). The NLT words it this way. It says “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him.” The Word of God may use the words just, righteous, perfect, and blameless, but this does not mean that Noah never sinned. What it means is that Noah wholeheartedly loved and obeyed the Lord. He was a godly influence and example to his family. His right heart not only saved Noah, but it also saved Noah’s wife, his sons, and his sons wives from the worldwide flood that destroyed everything living that was not brought into the Ark. Be encouraged today. Even though many in the world are evil, doesn’t mean that it has to affect you. You can stand apart from the crowd and be just. You can be perfect in your generations. You can walk with God. God can and will see this, and He can encourage you with the very same words that He encouraged Noah with. He can say “I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” Live your life for God. Be a righteous man. Be blameless. Consistently follow God’s will. Enjoy a close relationship with Him. It will make a difference in this life and in the life to come, for you and for others!

Father, above all I want to be known as righteous. I want to be blameless. I want to be just. I want to consistently follow Your will and enjoy a close relationship with You. It’s not money, fame, nor power that I desire. I desire to be Yours and Yours alone. Help me to make a difference in the lives of others by my sincere and heartfelt walk with You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:17,18 - The hardships we face

“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

I read today’s verse and it just jumped out at me. It strengthened me in the faith and it seemed to have “power” in it when I read it. Ponder this verse a moment. See if it does the same thing for you. I have another NLT Bible in my house (dated a different year) and it words this verse a little different. It says “For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!” Last forever! How great! It goes on to say in verse 18 “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” Hallelujah! “For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Our troubles should not diminish or dampen our faith. God loves us. Just because we are facing something, does not mean that He doesn’t care or that He has withdrawn His love from us. We should know without a shadow of a doubt that God always has a purpose for our troubles, difficulties, and trying times. They draw us to Him, causing us to have a closer walk with Him if we respond accordingly. Not only that but we can be certain that we are going to receive “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

Some of our troubles are not small in our eyes. They can seem to be very big. To God, though, they are small. Why, because He see’s the whole picture. He is doing something behind the scenes (and in our spiritual lives) that only He knows what He is doing, only He knows what He is accomplishing through it. He wants us to bring our troubles to Him in prayer and to lay them at His feet. Then He wants us to keep our eyes on heaven, what we have not seen, and the glory that will be ours when we get there.

I don’t know what you are facing today. I don’t know what hardship you are being asked to endure. Just be sure to endure it for His sake and by His Spirit. Remember that you will be rewarded in proportion to what you have suffered. Not only this, but know that your very life will be a positive example of His love, mercy, and grace for others to see His greatness and power flow in!

 Father, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” To this, we give thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Acts 20:36 - Be a giver

“And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 20:35

Most of Jesus’ words were written about in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The above words were not written about in the four Gospels. This tells us that not all of Jesus’ words were written down by the disciples. Although this spiritual truth wasn’t written down by one of the twelve, it still circulated. Paul heard it and knew it in his heart to be true. Most of the time the Bible uses the words “Blessed are …” and it leads into a spiritual truth. This verse says “more blessed,” meaning that there is a greater blessing to be had if we are to know this truth for ourselves. Yes, it is always a blessing to receive something from the hand of God. But you are more blessed when you choose to give of yourself, or something, to others as the Lord leads. When we receive, we’re taking something for ourselves. It is a “me” thing. But when we give, we’re acting like our Heavenly Father and it is a “Christ-like” thing. Oh, that we should be more and more like Christ. Oh, that we would give, and give, and give. Remember Christ’s words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Let’s know the truth of these words for ourselves.

Father, You love a cheerful giver. May I be a cheerful giver each and every day. May I seek to give of myself and whatever You so desire. May I know in my own heart the truth that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I want to be “Christ-like.” I want to think of You and not just “me.” In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.   

1 Peter 4:8 - Our love for others should be at full strength

“Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8

Women get married and have the belief that they are going to live “happily ever after.” The years go by and before we know it we can begin to take our spouses for granted. I was blessed by the verse for today for it tells us “Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength.” What excellent relationship advice. We should not let our love wane or wax cold. God’s Word even goes on to say that if we keep our love for one another at full strength, then our love for one another will cover a multitude of sins. This makes for a healthy marriage and a happy home. It also makes for a healthy and happy church. Colossians 3:14 is another verse that starts with “Above all.” It says “Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity.” Love always unites hearts. It also leads all parties to spiritual growth. Today, let’s choose to let our love for one another to be at “full strength.” May we also be encouraged to let our love for God to be at full strength as well. If we do these two things, we will be keeping the two commandments that Jesus has given us. These were given in Mark 12:30-31 “‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Father, Thank You for the reminder from Your Word today. Above all, may we keep our love for one another at full strength. May we do this with those we are married to, those that we have relationships with, and, last, but not least, those that we attend church with. Christ’s blood covers over our sins with His great love, may we be willing to allow our love for others to cover over their sins too. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Joshua 1:8 - God wants us to be strong

“Above all, be strong.”

Joshua 1:8

Above everything, God wants us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He doesn’t want us to be weak or our faith to be small. Psalm 28:7 says “The Lord is my strength … therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” Being strong in the Lord gives us a reason to sing and causes us to greatly rejoice. If we begin to get weak in our faith or to falter, God is faithful and He can strengthen us once again. Ephesians 3:16 says “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” We are blessed. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The joy of the Lord can be ours, and this joy will give us strength.

Father, above all You want us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of Your might. May You grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, that we be strengthened with might by Your Holy Spirit in our inner man. We are reminded of Nehemiah 8:10 today. This verse says that this day is holy to You. We are not to be sorrowful, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. Father, may we have this joy of the Lord. Above all, we ask You to make us strong. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:11 - God is a God of love and peace

“Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you”

2 Corinthians 13:11

God wants us to be complete. We can only be complete if we are complete in Him. God wants us to be of good comfort. We can only be of good comfort if we have Him. God wants us to be of one mind. We can only be of one mind if we have the mind of Christ and think according to His Word. God wants us to live in peace. We can only live in peace if we have a close relationship with Him.

We recently got a new cat from the humane society. He was a barn cat before he went the humane society. Then he was mainly around other cats. He wasn’t used to people. When we went to the pound  to chose a family pet, the health department worker told us that Kristoff wasn’t a lap cat as he wasn’t very social. We wanted a lap cat, but we took him home anyway (as he was the one that came to us – and yes, sat on my lap). When we first brought him home he hid behind the entertainment center for most of the first and second day. He warmed up to Brittney and I, but was not ready to receive love from David and Nicole. We encouraged them to be patient and not to force themselves on him. We knew that eventually he would warm up to. Now he loves them and everyone that comes into our house. He sits with them on the couch, plays with them, and even lets them pet him.

God sole intent is to be close to us. He longs for and desires for all of us to love Him in return for the love that He has for us. But one thing He does in love is that He give us time to warm up to Him and His love. He doesn’t force us to return His love. He waits for it to be from our heart when we are ready.

I don’t know if you return your love to God or not. If you do, praise God! If you don’t, realize that the Father wants to become Your Father today. He has loved you from the very beginning. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He wants a relationship with you. He is a loving God. He wants your life to be complete. He wants you to be of good comfort. He wants you to be of one mind with Him. He wants you to live in peace. If you receive the love He has for you and love Him in return, you will make Him very happy; and He (the God of love and peace) will be with you. What more could you want?

Father, thank You for making us complete. Thank You for making us of good comfort. Thank You for making us of one mind with You and those that are a part of the body of Christ. You want us to live in peace and we want this as well. We thank You for loving us enough to wait for us to respond to Your love. We respond to Your love in the name of Jesus Christ right now, and we thank You that You-- the God of love and peace-- will be with us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Acts 20:28 - Have a balanced life

“take heed to yourselves.”

Acts 20:28

One of the things we do often is check our balances in our checkbooks to see if they balance out and come out to be even. Since it is important for us to see if our checkbooks balance out, how much more important it is to see if our lives balance out. We have a private life and we have a public life. We are to keep the two balanced. Jesus spent a lot of time interacting with his disciples and with people, but He also spent a lot of time with the Father. He rose up early to be alone with Him, and He also often withdrew from the crowds to be with Him some more. His time alone with the Father gave Him a sound mind and the strength He needed to interact with others so He could sup with them, instill and teach them, as well as heal and bless them. If it was important for Jesus to do this, how much more important is it for us. We should “take heed” to ourselves. If we see that we are alone too much, we should ask the Father what we can do for Him. His Holy Spirit can reveal to us who we can call, visit, invite out to lunch, or do something with. If we see that our life is much too busy, we can ask the Father to show us how we can slow down a bit so we can spiritually be recharged. We were created in his image, but we were also created to be balanced. Today is as good a day as any to check your balances. God loves you and He wants and desires for you to have a balanced life.

Father, may we “take heed” to ourselves today. Reveal to us our hearts true condition. Show us if we need to spend more time with You or not. If you show us that we are unbalanced and need to spend more time with You, may we heed this and make You our number one priority. We know that it will bring more peace within our lives. If we see that our time with You is great but that we need to interact with others more, may we “heed” this and reach out to every person that Your heart desires for us to. Above all we want to know You and have a balanced life. Thank You for Your love. And thank You for guiding us by Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 3:28 - We should encourage and strengthen our brethren

“But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before his people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

Deuteronomy 3:28

We each have a job to do for the Lord, and each of us need to be encouraged and strengthened from time to time. Without the encouragement and strengthening of our brothers and sisters in the Lord from time to time, we may get discouraged and feel like we should give up. Moses was a man of God. Even though he was a man of God, he was forbidden to enter the promised land. God had called Joshua to lead them to the promised land instead. Moses could see the land, but he could not enter it. Moses knew that Joshua was to lead them there, and Moses was supposed to be the one to encourage and strengthen him.

I once heard a story about the famous baseball legend, Lou Gehrig. When he was first starting his baseball career, he went into a slump and almost quit. One of his friends heard about it and went to him. Lou Gehrig poured his heart out to his friend. His friend listened. After a while, his friend began to encourage Lou by telling him that he was a good hitter. He told him that every good hitter gets into slumps from time to time. This was okay. He told him that when you get into a slump eventually you will out of it. The next day, Lou started hitting the ball well again. Over the next eleven games he had twenty-two hits. Six of those hits were home runs. From there, his career took off.

Lou had a good friend. Thank God Lou had that friend. That friend made a difference in the outcome of Lou’s life. Because of that one friend’s encouragement, Lou got out of his slump and he even went on to become one of the greatest ballplayers that ever lived. Who around you could use you as a friend today? Who could you encourage, strengthen, and build up in their most holy of faith? Ask the Lord to bring someone to mind if no one comes to mind. Then reach out to them. They aren’t meant to walk their walk alone. Your loving care and concern for them may just be what they need. Who knows, you may even be blessed as well.

Lord, use us all to bless and encourage the body of Christ. Reveal to us anyone that may be in a slump spiritually. Give us an opportunity to listen to them and to give them words of life. Deliver them from their slump and move them onward. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Joshua 1:8 - True Success and Prosperity is Applying God's Word to Your Everyday Life

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Joshua 1:8

Who doesn’t want to have good success? Who doesn’t want their way to be prosperous? To be successful and prosperous we need the Book of the Law to be upon our mouths. To have it upon our mouths we have to have it in our hearts. We need to meditate on it day and night. And we need not only observe it but do according to all that is written in it. This means that we have to apply it to our everyday lives. It is not enough to just read the Bible. It is not enough to just know it. It has to be in our bloodstream. To have it in our bloodstream means that we must, first, read the Bible on a regular basis. Then we need to continue to read it. The Israelite's had to eat the manna from heaven each and every day. God wanted their manna to be fresh, not stale. We need a fresh Word from God each and every day as well. The Lord’s Prayer says “Give us this day, our daily bread.” When God gives us our daily bread for the day, then we are to meditate on it. We are to meditate on it day and night. Meditating on it will help us to not only observe it but it will also help us have the power in Christ to believe it and do it. It will be “at home” in our hearts and it will make a difference in our lives. Reading the Bible is worthless if it doesn’t lead us to obey it by following through with what it says. Seek God today. Ask Him for a verse to ponder on. Then apply to your very life. He will be glad to steer you in the right direction. Then your way will be prosperous, and you will have good success. Glory be to God.

Father, may the Book of the Law not depart from our mouths. May the Book of Law be in our hearts. May we meditate on it day and night. May we observe and do according to all that is written in it. Thank You for the promise that if we do this then You will make our way prosperous. Not only that, but You promise us that we will have good success. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word and promises. It makes such a difference in our lives. We love You! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Judges 16:20 - May the Lord never depart from us

I usually am led to write a fresh, daily word from God each day. Today I wasn’t. I was led to share a devotional that I had read when I was spending time with God. I pray that it blesses you as much as it blessed me. It was taken from Experiencing God Day-By-Day by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby. To God be the praise.

“And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ So he awoke from his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!’ But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”

Judges 16:20

One of the signs of a heart that has shifted from God is the absence of spiritual power. If you are like Samson, you will not be immediately aware that God’s power has left you. Only after he tried to defeat his enemies did Samson recognize that something was wrong. He went against the Philistines as before, expecting their swift defeat. But this time the Philistines easily prevailed over him.

If you allow sin to creep into your life, if you refuse to obey your Lord, if you do not reconcile with those who have hurt you, your spiritual vitality is waning. You may assume everything is fine, but when you pray, answers do not come as they once did. You once had a positive effect on those around you, but now your influence is negligible or even harmful. Your life once brought reconciliation, but now you experience problems in your relationships. Those around you who have relied upon your strength are discovering that you are not as helpful to them as you once were. Your lack of spiritual power is not crying out for attention; but you are seeing subtle changes in your spirit and in your relationship with God.

How can you stop this spiritual decline? You must regularly repent of any sin. You must invite God to search your life to see if there are attitudes, relationships, or activities that need to be removed. You must fervently obey His will. If you walk with God in this manner, you will grow in spiritual strength and be used mightily by Him.

Father, Sampson is an example of a man that You had departed from. Be with each one of us and may we never allow this to happen in our own lives. May we keep sin from creeping into our lives. If we have any bad attitudes, make us aware of it so we can make them right. If we have any relationships that are not spiritually good for us, give us wisdom on how to handle those relationships. If we are doing any activities that we shouldn’t be, may we be willing to lay those down. If we start to say something that we shouldn’t, stop us. We want to be right with You at all times. As soon as we sin, make us aware of it so that we can confess our sin to You and repent/turn from it. May we obey You and Your Spirit’s leading, counting our relationship with You to be above all. Help us to keep our spiritual vitality. We want to walk with You. Help our faith in You to be strong. We want to do mighty things for You, bringing you glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Ecclesiastes 9:10 - May God bless "Whatever You Do."

“Whatever you do.”

Ecclesiastes 9:10

There are so many things we have to get done in a given day. We should "do" them with all our strength. The words “whatever you do” can be found in lots of different places in the Bible. These scriptures can help guide our way. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says “Work hard at whatever you do.” 3 John 5 says “Do faithfully whatever you do.” Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” What a wonderful promise. Another verse that is a promise from the heart of God to us is Proverbs 4:26. It says “Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right.” Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from … the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:17 says “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” May you be encouraged today. May the hand of God bless "whatever you do."

Father, be with us today. May we work hard at whatever we do. May we be faithful at whatever we do. May we commit to You whatever we do. May we plan carefully whatever we do. May whatever we do be done enthusiastically, as something done for You and not for men. May whatever we do, in word or in deed, be done in the name of Jesus. May we give thanks to You through Jesus Christ, Your Son. May our plans succeed. May they turn out right. May we receive the reward of an inheritance from Jesus Christ. We give You thanks through Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 1:21 - Don't be discouraged

“do not fear or be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 1:21

Today, when I was singing to the Lord, the Lord impressed upon my heart that some of His people are discouraged. He ministered this to my heart when I was singing the second verse of “What a Friend we Have in Jesus.” The second verse says “Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a Friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.” When the Lord impressed on my heart that this is what I should share with the body of Christ today, the song “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” came to mind. The first verse says … “Oh, soul are weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” I don’t know if you are discouraged or not. It is my hope that you are not. If you are though, know that God cares, He’s your Friend, and you can take your troubles to Him. He will not only listen, but He will give you His solace. Hallelujah.

Father, we are human. Sometimes we get discouraged. When we get discouraged, we need a Friend. The Friend that we need is You. Father, may we always take all our concerns and sorrows to You in prayer instead of holding on to them. We ask for You to intervene so that Your will will be done in each and every situation. May our eyes be turned upon You, and may we look full in Your wonderful face. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Ephesians 6:18 - Pray at all times and on every occasion

“Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.”

Ephesians 6:18

We are told to “[p]ray at all times.” We can pray from the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we lay down on our beds to go to sleep at night. We are told to pray “on every occasion.” This means we are to pray over every little thing, whether big or small. We are to do this in “the power of the Holy Spirit.” Praying helps us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. Being in tune with His Holy Spirit helps us to know how to pray. Our very lives should become a prayer as prayer can and should be a natural part of our life, as natural as breathing is to us. We can and should pray anytime, anywhere. God’s Word also encourages us to “Stay alert” and to “be persistent” in our prayers. One of the things we should pray for is “for all Christians everywhere.” We need the prayers of others, and others need our prayers as well. Let’s make it a point to apply this verse to our everyday lives. It will make a difference in our lives as well as in the lives of others.

Father, we are told to ‘[p]ray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Help us to do this. Help us to stay alert. Help us to be persistent in our prayers for all our brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere. We want to pray from the moment we get up till the moment we fall asleep. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 73:25 - God, Our Hearts One Desire

“[This] earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

Psalm 73:25

While reading today’s devotional by Joni Eareckson Tada I was immensely blessed by her prayer at the end. Her prayer stems from the above verse. I am going to share her prayer with you in hopes that it blesses you as much as it blessed me.

Father, not everything I desire is necessarily good for my soul. I pray that you will only give me what is good for my eternal well-being and my happiness in this life. Help me to subtract my wants, so that eternal rewards might be added. Then I shall be content. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Matthew 20:28 - We were made to serve

“For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28

We are to be servants of the living God. This means that we are to perform any tasks for Him that He directs us to, just like Jesus continually did. We are to do this enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 says “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.” We are also to serve others in love. Galatians 5:13 says “For you have been called to live in freedom—not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.” It goes on to say in Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Deciding to make life’s mission to serve others in love means that we are to help meet their needs. We can do this for those that live under our own roofs, those that are part of our church,  those that live near us, those that are a part of our community, and those that are a part of our world. Jesus was and is Lord. And He came to serve, not to be served. He also gave His life as a ransom for many. May we be willing to do this too.

Father, Give us a servant’s heart. Give us a heart that wants to serve You enthusiastically. Give us a heart that wants to serve others in love. Even Your Son came not to be served but to serve others, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Guide and direct our hearts so that we will make it our mission do this each and every day. All to the glory of You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Mark 11:22 - God can move the mountains in your life

And Jesus, replying, said to them, “Have faith in God.”

Mark 11:22

I like today’s verse “Have faith in God.” The Amplified Bible adds the word “constantly.” It goes on to say “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:23-24). Jesus tells us that we are to speak to our mountain in faith. He even goes on to tell us that if we don’t doubt but constantly believe that it will be done, asking for it to “Be removed and be cast into the sea” we will have whatever we say. This can be hard for us to fathom at times. It may seem impossible. God used this illustration so that we can be assured that He can do the impossible. He is able. It is important to note that we aren’t to use this verse out of context though. We can’t hurl “our will” at God and expect the mountains to move. We need to be certain that it is the “Father’s will” for what we are speaking, and His Word is His will and this is what should be coming out of our mouths. His Word’s are spirit and they are life. Our words are just flesh. Another thing to note is that things don’t always happen overnight. During these times our faith is given the opportunity to rise up more and more in our spirits. Know during these times that God is still faithful. Just because the mountain hasn’t moved yet, doesn’t mean that it won’t. He can and will honor His Word in His time. I heard Roma Downey share a personal testimony last night. She shared how she longed for a Christian mother figure to be put into her life that would mother her and wrap her loving arms around her, holding her close (as her mother had passed away). She faithfully and persistently prayed and asked the Lord for this for years. Finally, 20 years later when the Lord opened the door for her to be on “Touched by an Angel” she met the lady that played Tess. Della Reese is the name of the lady who played Tess and she was a Christian. Della knew in her spirit the moment she met Roma that she was to take her under her wing and mother her. She held her close and wrapped her loving arms around her. She even called her “Baby.” Even though the show was cancelled a long time ago, she is Roma’s adopted mother to this day. Have hope today. Think about any situation that you may need a mountain moved. Search God’s Word for some promises. And then cling to them, stand on them, hold them close, and say them in a prayer to the Lord. Do this each and every day until your mountain is moved and cast into the sea. As you wait for the Lord to bring this to pass, your faith in God will grow in strength. Your faith in God will be sure. And your faith in God will be constant. And remember Jesus’ very own words “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Let these words flood you with hope and may these words give you His peace and assurance today.

Father, Thank You for being a God that can do the impossible. Nothing is impossible for You.  Sometimes we find ourselves having a mountain in our lives that needs to be removed. Give us the Scriptures that we need to use in a prayer and may we speak those Scriptures in faith. We thank You that You can and will move our mountains in Your due time. May You keep us in the center of Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 6:8-13 Applying the Lord's Prayer to Our Situations

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus gave us the model prayer. It is a wonderful section of scripture that can keep us humble and right with God. Today the Holy Spirit keeps bringing these very verses to my mind. It all started when I was washing my hair this morning. Bent over the tub the Lord brought all of Matthew 6:8-13 to mind and I prayed the Lord’s prayer from the bottom of my heart, meaning each and every word. Later, when praying to the Lord about both of my daughters’ futures, the Holy Spirit had me pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I had a complete peace and a full assurance in my heart that He was totally in control of what is to come to pass in their lives. When walking into the kitchen and being reminded about all the food that is in the house, the Holy Spirit had me pray “And lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.” Immediately the temptation was gone and I was delivered. When disappointed by someone I love, the Spirit had me pray “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” The disappointment was gone and His love flooded my soul, even for this person. I was even able to bless them. I don’t know what you are facing today. I don’t know what is happening in your life. More than likely, at least one, if not more, of these verses can be used to bring life into your situation as well. Pray that section of scripture to the Lord. Your heart will change and you will have and experience His peace. God is not a respecter of persons. His Word is alive! It is powerful! And it does not return void. It accomplishes what it was sent out to do. To Him be the praise!

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Romans 12:11-12 - Never give up

“Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.”

Romans 12:11-12

I don’t know if you feel like giving up or not. If you do feel like giving up, don’t. Sometimes it would be easier to just quit or to flee, but God’s Word tells us to “Never give up.” Never means never. There are seasons for everything under the sun. We continually go from one season to another. This is fine. It is just that God should be in charge of those seasons. Rash decisions are often fleshly ones that often lead to regret later on. One of today’s verses tells us to “never stop praying.” Don’t do anything without praying and seeking God’s will first. You may feel unsettled in your spirit. You may feel like something isn’t right. Just because you feel this way doesn’t mean that God wants you to quit, even though your flesh may be screaming for you to. God has given you his Holy Spirit and His Spirit is giving you the spiritual gift of discernment. This discernment is what is being impressed upon your heart. When you are discerning something, this is the time to be in an attitude of prayer. Wait for Him to reveal His will to you in the matter before you do anything. Don’t quit before He reveals to you the next step you are to take. I like how today’s verses instruct us to “Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.” We have to know what the Holy Spirit wants before we can follow it and serve the Lord. We can only know this if we are praying. I want to encourage you today. Be patient in any time of trouble you find yourself in, and let the hope that you have in the Lord rise up and make you glad.

Father, May I eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and love and serve You with all my heart. Be in charge of all my seasons. Give me spiritual discernment so I can discern Your will and plan for my life. I want to let You lead. Keep me in the center of Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.