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.  

Psalm 23:3 - He restores my soul

“He restores my soul.”

Psalm 23:3

God tenderly cares for us. He not only takes care of our physical needs he also takes care of our spiritually needs. If we go to Him, pray, and read His Word, He restores our soul. He replenishes us. He refreshes us. He gives us a newness that comes from Christ. Just think of your spirit like a glass. Our glass gets empty from time to time. The last thing we want to do is to choose to let our glass remain empty. We aren’t filled that way. Many people do this all the time. They function this way. Then they wonder why they feel completely depleted inside and are sad, depressed, and not going forward in their walk with Christ. God doesn’t want us to be or remain empty. He wants to fill our glass till it overflows. Filling us to our glass overflows means that we are filled with His Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us strength and vitality. It helps us to walk in the Spirit. I don’t know how you are feeling today. I don’t know if you feel empty and completely depleted inside or not. What I do know is that if you go to Him He will restore your soul. He will replenish you. He will refresh you. He will give you a newness that comes from Christ. He will fill You with His Spirit and you will go forward in your walk with Christ. God is good … all the time. All the time … God is good. Thank God that He restores our souls!

Father, You are a good God. We love You. Thank You for the analogy of a glass. We can also think of a balloon. A filled balloon let go of flies around, lands, and is completely depleted of any air. Flat, useless. This is how we feel from time to time. You don’t want to leave us there. You want to fill us back up. Fill us up, Lord. Restore our souls. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

2 Timothy 2:23 - Keep Calm and Don't Argue

“But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”

2 Timothy 2:23

I don’t know about you, but I dislike getting into foolish and ignorant disputes. I don’t like to dispute with anyone, even those that live within my own home. I don’t like the strife that comes with it. I like peace. I like harmony. I like to have a “oneness in the Lord” with people. We can’t always keep ourselves from opposition though. Opposition happens from time to time. And opposition will continue to happen and will happen more and more as the coming of the Lord gets closer. When this happens, we need to be patient and in humility correct those that are in opposition with us. We need to rightly divide the word of truth. God may grant them a heart of repentance if we obey and do things His way. His Word may penetrate their mind and heart and they may come to know the truth. God loves those that are in opposition with us. He wants them to come to their senses. He wants them to escape any snare of the devil that he has them in. You may see things spiritually and know that they have been taken captive by the enemy to believe and do his will, but more than likely the people in opposition to us don’t see, know, understand or comprehend things spiritually at all. They see things the world’s way and they think they are right and that you are wrong. Your loving kindness, humility, and gentle words and instructions to the truth may help them become aware of the truth and escape the snare of the devil. Maybe not this second in time, but sometime in the future things will come to light. If you aren’t being gentle but are quarreling with them, they won’t be open to what you have to say. They will be turned off to the truth and what you have to say. God’s Word tells us that “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Timothy 2:24). May each of us, be patient and kind. May we correct in love those that are in opposition to us, and may those that are in opposition come to heed the truth and escape the devils plan for them.

Father, Your word tells us that a servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Be with us, Lord, and help us not to quarrel with others, even those that are in our own home. May we be gentle to all! May we teach with an attitude of love. May we be patient. May we be humble and may we humbly correct those that are in opposition to Your truths. We want You to “grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Chronicles 4:10 - God wants to bless you

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”

1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez was an honorable man. We are to be honorable men and women of God as well. Jabez prayed and asked the Lord to bless him. I don’t know about you, but I feel a kind of silly asking the Lord to bless me. According to this scripture verse though, we shouldn’t feel silly asking this from the Lord at all. God wants to bless us, especially if our hearts are pure and right before him. We are His beloved children. Think about the children that the Lord has blessed you with. Think about how you enjoy blessing them because your love for them is so great. This is how God thinks of us as well. We are the apple of His eye. Another request that Jabez had for God was for the Lord to enlarge his territory. God did. We should desire for God to enlarge our territory too. The best territory that we should desire for God to enlarge would be for God to give us more spiritual ground and influence in our world for Jesus Christ. We should always be looking for more opportunities to make Him known to those around us. People need the Lord. To do this, we need God’s hand to be with us. Jabez prayed and asked the Lord for His hand to be with him. It was. We should ask for the Lord’s hand to be with us too. Jabez wanted God to keep him from evil, so that he would not cause pain. God granted his request. We should want God to keep us from evil too. We don’t want to sin and we don’t want our actions or words to cause God or anyone else pain. Let’s call on our God. Let’s inquire of Him as Jabez did. May God hear from heaven and may He grant our requests.

Father, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” Please hear my prayer, and grant to me my request. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:15 - Don't live for yourself. Live for the Lord.

“those who live should no longer live for themselves.”

2 Corinthians 5:15

Jesus Christ died for all so that those who receive the new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please the Lord. Jesus Christ didn’t live to please Himself. He lived to please the Lord. This should be our hearts desire and aim in life as well. Even when facing death, Jesus surrendered to the Father’s will. God’s Word tells us that in the last days people are not going to be concerned with pleasing the Lord. 2 Timothy 3:2 tells us that “people will love only themselves and their money.” As members of His body, we are going to have to guard against doing that very thing ourselves. We will need to walk in the Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not be living for our flesh.

Father, May I forever live to please You. Help me to continually be surrendering to Your will in all matters. It would be easy to think for ourselves and to do what would make our flesh happy. Help us to guard against this. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Philippians 3:14 - Always be pressing on

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:14

In this life we are to continually be pressing “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” To do this, we have to know what He wants us to do. This can change from day to day, so that is why it is so important that we spend time with Him each and every day so we can know just what it is that He wants us to do. We can always add to our day some earthly responsibilities that need to be done as time permits, but we need our main goal and focus for the day to be on what He has called us to do. We want to be “in tune” with His Spirit so He can guide and direct our steps. Pressing toward the goals He gives us each day, flood’s our heart with joy. It gives our 24 hour period a sense of meaning and purpose, taking away any mundane feelings that we may have. How do you feel about your life? Are you tired of the same ol’ same ol’? Then let God bring some excitement into your life. Walking with Him is exciting. Jesus is alive. Let Him live His life through you. Spend some time with the Lord today, if you haven’t already. Enjoy being in His presence. None of us have attained perfection, but we should always be “pressing on.” God wants us to “lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). Yesterday is in the past. We shouldn’t live there. We shouldn’t keep looking back. We should continually be reaching “forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13). We all want to win the race Christ has called us to run. We all want to achieve our prize. May we.

Father, May I always press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Reveal to me daily what Your will is for me to do. I want to find joy in doing it. May I be “in tune” with Your Spirit all day long. I want Your Spirit to guide and direct me throughout the day. Father, I want to win the race Christ has called me to run. I want to achieve my prize when my journey is done. I want to do all of this to the glory of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

John 8:36 - God wants us to be free

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:36

The thing to note about today’s verse is the first word, “Therefore.” The verse says “Therefore if the Son makes you free.” Can you honestly say that you are free? Are you free from sin and/or sin’s control of your life? Do you suffer from native thought patterns? Many of these negative thought patterns are depression, anxiety, fear, worry, guilt from past sins, or guilt over things that you know you should have done that you didn’t. Just because we are Christians, doesn’t mean that we are free from all these things. We have to learn how to walk in the freedom that He has provided. This comes from spiritual growth. Once we are free, we are free indeed. John 8:36 says “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Hallelujah. We may struggle with sin or one or more of these negative thought patterns from time to time, but we know how to confess these things to God and leave them with Him. I don’t know if you have been bound by sin or what you have been thinking about today. I don’t know if you have been walking in the freedom that Christ has provided or not. Only you can answer that. If you are free, then thank God and rejoice! If you are not, then give everything over to the Lord and ask Him to set you free from any bondage that you may be in. He has the power to set you free, and He wants to. Let Him.

Father, May I be free, free indeed. May I walk in the freedom that comes from Christ each and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

John 11:25 - People don't die, but live

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

John 11:25

The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. God’s Word let’s us know that there is a resurrection. This is revealed to us in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. In the Old Testament God reveals the resurrection to us in the life of Moses when he saw the burning bush. God said to Moses “I am the God of Abraham and … of Isaac and … of Jacob.” He was letting Moses know that all these men were still alive, yet they had died. God didn’t say “I was the God of ….” He said “I am their God—right now, even though they haven’t walked on this earth for hundreds of years. They are still alive. At this time, I am actively their God.” Think of your loved ones that have passed away. They may not have walked on this earth for many years. Know in your knower that they are still alive. God is not a God of the dead, but of the living—for all who are in Christ are alive and enjoying His presence. John 11:25 says “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” Luke 20:38 says “For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” I like what the New Living Translation says “So He is the God of the living, not the dead. They are all alive to Him.” Be encouraged today. If you have lost a loved one, you can be certain that they live. You also need to not fear death for yourself. When you die, you will live. God’s goodness and unfailing love will pursue you all the days of your life here on earth, and you will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Father, Thank You for the life You have given us now. Thank You for all those You put in our lives to know and love throughout our lifetime. Some of these people no longer walk this earth. It blesses me to know that they live on with You. It also blesses me to know that when I die I will live with You forever as well. Thank You for Psalm 23. In this psalm is the promise that Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. Your loving kindness is so great. This psalm also gives me the assurance that I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Psalms 91:11 God gives His angels orders to protect YOU in all YOUR ways

“He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.”

Psalm 91:11

Psalm 91 is one of my many favorite passages. I love this psalm. I would read this psalm to Brittney and Nicole when they were little whenever there was a bad thunderstorm. This psalm always gave them complete peace within their hearts. They were never children that worried, cried or got afraid. They knew God was with them and that He was going to keep them safe. To this day, Brittney actually loves a good thunderstorm. She get’s excited when God uses lightning bolts to light up the sky. I don’t know if you are afraid of thunderstorms and the chance of tornadoes or not, if so … I encourage you to read this psalm the next time it storms. Maybe you aren’t scared of storms, but you are scared to drive in snow and/or ice. If so, read this psalm before you leave your house. Psalm 121:7-8 is another good promise from the psalms to cling to when you’re are afraid to travel. It says “The Lord keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” You never need to fear. God is with you. Give God thanks for your protection. See if God doesn’t give you a peace within your heart and mind as you know that He can and will keep you safe. Psalm 91 is a promise. It is a promise we can cling to. It shows God’s love for us, His very precious people. It informs you and it informs me of how He gives His angels orders concerning us in all our ways. Notice that this psalm says “in ALL our ways.” This means that He does this for us everywhere we are, as well as everywhere we go. We may not be able to see His angels with our own two eyes, but they are there. His Word’s confirm this. We can know and trust His Word as His Word is truth, absolute. These angels hover about us constantly. They have been and will continue to protect us from dangers of which we are unaware. YOU are the “you” of Psalm 91:11. Cling to this promise from God to YOU: “He will give His angels orders concerning YOU, to protect YOU in ALL your ways.” Rest and be assured of these thoughts today. Let Him give you His peace.

Father, Thank You for ordering Your angel angels concerning me, to protect me in all my ways. I can’t see the angels themselves, but I can know that they are there. I want to thank You for all the many times they have protected me. Bless them Father. And thank them for me. May they continue to protect me my whole life long. It is nice not having to worry, fret, or be afraid. It is nice having a peace and an assurance in my heart that comes from You. Thank You for Your great love. I love You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Jeremiah 8:18 - Heartfelt pain from the loss of a loved one

“My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken.”

Jeremiah 8:18

Jeremiah once said that his grief was beyond healing and that his heart was broken. I can understand. When we lose a loved one, God may bring comfort in our lives, but when we fondly remember them we may get misty-eyed and cry. This happened to me today. I was remembering our beloved cat Trigger who passed away shortly after the girls got home from college this year. Our whole family still talks about how much we miss him. When we talk of the good times our eyes often get misty. Sometimes we just laugh and can relate with one another. Today, I was missing Trigger a lot. When I was talking to Brittney about the special times Trigger and I shared, I got misty-eyed. Later on today, after taking a nap, I came downstairs and Brittney was working on a project. She was sorting through old family pictures. She told me that she had a pile of pictures with Trigger in them. I immediately grabbed the pile and began to look through them. My heart broke. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed looking at each and every one of them. I went to Dave so he could hug me as I was hurting so bad. There was pictures of Trigger that was just him. Then there were pictures of Trigger with Nicole. Nicole was only about 7 years old at the time. She was holding him (as a 7 year old would) and she was smiling from ear to ear. Trigger didn’t seem to mind being held that way either. There were pictures of Trigger with Dave. Dave looked so young! You could tell that Dave, too, was happy to be with the little guy. And the little guy was happy to be with Dave too. He was his bud. There was also a picture of him with Dave and Brittney. The only person in our family that there wasn’t a picture of Trigger with was me. And he was my perfect “little buddy.” God was good to have blessed us with Him for 13 years. And God is good to comfort us whenever our hearts ache and we feel deep pain.

I thank God that God changed Dave’s heart in the thought of getting another cat. Dave allowed us to adopt Kristoff from the humane society. I am excited and look forward to the special times we will share with him. We just got him yesterday. He has already been a blessing. We had to take him to the vet this morning to get him declawed. We get him back tomorrow morning. There is a newfound joy gladness, and excitement that God has put into all our hearts. We appreciate the fact that the Lord has gifted us with him. Even though we have a new cat in the home to love, Trigger will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Maybe you still grieve over the loss of a beloved spouse, mother, father, child, and/or pet. Maybe you can relate with Jeremiah. Although God comforts you, and time does seem to heal some wounds, you still ache over the loss of your departed one. My heart goes out to you. I can sympathize. I pray that God blesses you with many good memories with your beloved ones to cherish forever. I pray that God comforts you. I pray that He puts all your tears in the bottle that He has filled with all the other tears that you have ever shed since the day that you were born. Just knowing that He has this bottle with all the tears you’ve ever shed should help you to realize just how much He loves you and cares for you. Please, take some comfort in this. And give Him thanks.

May God bless you today. May God bless you always. May He put His loving arms around you and hold you close. Know that He loves you. Know that I love you! You mean not only a lot to Him, you also mean a lot to me.

Father, we can relate with the prophet Jeremiah’s words. We know that our departed loved ones will always have a special place in all of our hearts. The ache of their being gone will always be there. Comfort us always when the fond, heartfelt memories come. We know our brokenness opens the door for Your love and healing power to flood in. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.