Monday
The Power in His Name
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death (Romans 8:1-2 NLT).
Being a follower of Christ has its privileges.
Lord God, thank You for the privilege of Your love, mercy, grace, and power in our lives. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.
Tuesday
Are You Feeling Lonely?
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).
When you feel alone, troubled, sad, frustrated or depressed, just remember you are loved by the Creator of all things. Our Father in heaven cares for you more than you can humanly understand.
Dear Lord, fill the emptiness of those who are feeling alone. Lead them to find Your presence in their lives. Amen.
Wednesday
God's Promises
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT).
God doesn't hide His promises. He doesn't make them obscure or hard to figure out.
God's promises Himself. It's up to us to seek Him. We have to look for Him.
Dear God, forgive us for not seeking You in all things and at all times. Thank you for being there for us and never leaving us. Amen.
Thursday
Key Words
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them (John 14:21 NLT).
Listen - Listen for God to speak
- Acceptance - Accept His Commands and Truth
- Obedience - Obey His instructions
- Follow - Follow His Word, as a road-map for life
- Consequences - Living outside of His truth brings consequences
- Revelation - He will reveal His plan at just the right time and place. You will also have a true revelation that you can't do this life without His help.
- And the number one word is:
LOVE - God accepts us just as we are, but loves us too much to leave us as we are.
Lord God, thank You and we praise You for Your love, mercy, and grace. Help us to come closer to You and learn to listen, accept, obey, follow, understand consequences, experience revelation, and love You with all of our heart, mind, and soul. In Jesus' name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
Friday
Glorifying God
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (Colossians 3:17, 23 NLT).
We should always strive to glorify God in everything we do. Everything. If you work with your brain or your brawn do it to the best of your abilities. We should strive as Christians to do our best in work and leisure.
Lord, thank You for coming into our lives and giving us the desire to be more like You each day. We ask today and everyday that we might succeed in being more like you today than we were yesterday. Lord, we are broken, help us. In Your mighty name, we pray, Amen.
Saturday
Light vs Darkness
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7 NLT).
It's our choice on whether we are going to live in the light of Christ or the darkness of Satan. What will we choose? If we say "light" are we prepared to stand strong and fight the temptations of this broken world?
Let me tell you, my life, living in the light, is so much better than my life of darkness. No, things don't always go well, but by having Jesus in my heart, life is sure easier to deal with.
Father, help us to stay in Your light. Help us to understand that many times, it's a battle to stay in Your light but if we remain vigilant and fight, the darkness can not overcome Your light. Lord, give us strength and stamina to accomplish what You have called us to do. In Christ's name, Amen.
Sunday
Why Trials and Tribulations
Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb? Why didn’t you let me die at birth? (Job 10:18 NLT).
We could be like Job and ask God "Why?" when we hit what feels like the "bottom."
Problems are going to happen. Even horrible life changing incidents. But I ask this question: Why not you or me?
Why do we think all things must go just as we want them to go? Just because we are Christians, do we think things will be wonderful? On the contrary, we are promised trials and tribulations.
Paul says it well, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance" (Romans 5:3 NLT).
Paul says "when" not if we run into trials. We are broken people in a broken world. Get ready for the wildernesses and the valleys. They will come but our God will not leave us there. He will bring us through those hard times.
Father God, lead us through the dark valleys and carry us to the hilltops. We ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (Psalms 23:4 NLT)
