Monday
Ever Present Darkness
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12 NLT).
When you are driving into the darkness of night, what do you do?
You turn on your headlights.
As you walk into the darkness of this broken world, what do you do?
You turn to Jesus!
Lord God, help us to turn on the switch for Your light, so that we might see Your brightness instead of all the darkness that surrounds us. Lead us and direct us today that we might follow Your path of light. We pray in the mighty name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Tuesday
It's Temporary
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT).
Whatever we are struggling with is only temporary. Our struggles are just part of a broken world we live in. Just know Jesus paid the ultimate price for us so that those who know Him, really have nothing to fear or worry about.
One of the key points here is "those who know Him". Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Choices must be made. Choose wisely.
Lord God, may you bless all those who read this today and let them know no matter what is going on in their lives You are with them and will bring them through the fire. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wednesday
Our True Strength Is Only Found in God
I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety (Psalms 18:1-2 NLT).
I am nothing without God. I tried that before. I never want to go back. I once tried to make the pleasures of this world my savior. It didn't work at all. I tried to make stuff my god. That was also a very bad choice.
But finally, I stopped running from God and ran to Him. I love you, Lord, for never forsaking me and never giving up on me. Have you been running from Him? Try running to Him. Thanks be to God.
Lord, thank You for saving me from myself and my poor decisions. I pray today for those who are continuing to run from You that they might put their pride behind them and run toward You. Lord. I pray today that someone will invite You into their heart so that You can do miraculous works in them. I ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday
Child of God
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 John 4:10 NLT).
Wow, it doesn't get any better than being a child of the most high God. We can look near and far but we will never find anyone who loves us more than our God, our Creator. He loves us so much that He accepts us as we are. But because of that love, He will never leave us as we are.
Father God, we praise Your holy name. We give thanks for the fact that You love us so much that You provided a way for our cleansing through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We give You all the praise and glory as we are so undeserving, but You have called us worthy. Lord God, help us to trust in You and follow Your instructions. Lead us and direct us, Lord God, in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Friday
Trouble Is Trumped by Christ
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).
No matter the trouble (valley) that we are going through, we are not alone. We praise you, Lord God. Not only will You wrap Your arms around us while we are in the valley, You will never leave us in the valley. We know that You have a mountaintop experience just over the next hill. Praise God!
Father God, thank you for staying with us during the bad times in life. You will never leave us and you certainly won't leave us in that valley. Father, thank you for the mountaintop. Help us, Lord, fight the battles in the valleys of life, but may we always remember the mountaintop that you have waiting for us. Lord God, thank You. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Saturday
Our Intercessor
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (Romans 5:8-11 NLT).
Jesus gave His life for us. Why is it so hard for us to give Him our heart? Without the "heart knowledge" of Christ we cannot have a relationship with the Father. It is a decision that each person has to make. Decide wisely.
Lord God, thank You for Jesus, our King, our Intercessor, and our Savior! Without Christ Jesus, we could never have a relationship with You, Father God. We praise You, Father. We worship You and we love You. Lead us this day by Your Holy Spirit and deliver us from evil. Forgive us of our transgressions and hold us close to You. We ask in the mighty name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Sunday
Control: Sin or Jesus?
So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).
An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied,
"The one you feed."
Author – Unknown
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Are you feeding the sin(s) in your life or are you letting Jesus feed you His glory? Are you letting Christ direct your path? Are you going to rely on God or on yourself? From my experience, I know that I'm in real trouble when I rely on myself and my abilities. I bet your experience is basically the same. We must remember, as in today's scripture, Paul writes about his battle with the thorn of the flesh. If the Apostle Paul struggled with this, I know all of us will fight this battle.
Trust and rely on God and ask His help. He will help each of us turn from the evil that is trying to destroy us from inside.
Lord, may we fully rely on you. In Jesus' mighty and matchless name, Amen.