Monday
Hope
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12 NLT).
Our hope is not in this world but in God. We will have trouble and trials as we walk on this earth, but God provides us the strength to endure. Stay strong and pray.
Dear Lord, thank you for your unfailing love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday
Prayer Time
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter (Psalm 24:9 NLT).
What does your prayer life look like? Are you getting quality time with God? Are you getting some "alone time" with Him? Are you coming to Him with praise or just your wish list? Are you spending time listening for Him to speak? If so, then when God speaks, do you act in obedience?
These are all valid questions that every follower of Christ should ask themselves. We should spend time each day with a devotion and prayer. Being a Christian is so much more than going to church on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesdays. We must develop a personal relationship with God. This relationship is founded on speaking and listening to God. He does hear our prayers. His timing is perfect and might not line up with our time table. By waiting on His timetable, we will be challenged to rely on our faith. By our wait, our faith will grow.
If we want to grow deep in Jesus, we need to begin or extend our personal prayer time. Bring Him all your needs no matter how small and be sure to praise Him for answered and unanswered prayer. It's been said that unanswered prayer is sometimes the best answer we can receive. God knows the big picture, but we don't. Trust in Him.
Father God, help us to realize that we need our daily prayer time. Help us to be still and listen to your instructions. Help us, Father, to understand that we can bring you any request, whether it be tiny or huge. Lord, help us to pray in your will and not necessarily our wants. Father, thank you for loving us and hearing our pleas. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
Wednesday
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 cut 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.
Thursday
Judgment
In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right (Isaiah 26:9 NLT).
The questions are: Are you right with God? Have you begun your personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
One day all the earth will face Jesus when He returns to claim His church. Are you part of His kingdom?
It's for each of us to choose, and I pray each of you will make the right choice. That choice has eternal consequences.
Thank you Lord for holding open the door for us. We pray that all will walk into your grace, mercy, and love. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Friday
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 (Psalm 18:1-2 NLT).
I am nothing without God. I once tried to make the pleasures of this world my savior, and it didn't work at all. I never wanna go back. I tried to make stuff, my god. That was 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 that are continuing to run from you so 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 this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saturday
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, we can look far, but we will never find anyone that loves us more than our God, our Creator. He loves us so much that He accepts as we are, but He will never leave us as we are because of His love.
Father God, we praise your holy name. We give thanks for the fact that you love us so much that you provided a way to become cleansed of our sin 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.
Sunday
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 (Psalm 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, but you also 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.
