Monday
Real Answers
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9 NLT).
Our Creator, the Creator of all things, loves us and has a plan for us.
Do we think we have a better solution for our problems than God has for us? Are we seeking His presence and direction for our goals? Are we searching for His truth in our broken existence? Are we giving Him our problems and praising Him in our successes?
Our God is able. Are we willing to give fully of ourselves and our problems to Him? Are we praising Him through our trials and celebrating with Him on the mountaintop? I will repeat it. Our God is able.
Dear Father God, help us not to look to man for the answers but instead look to you. Help us, Father, to trust and have faith, even when things look bleak. Dear Lord, open the eyes of those who deny you and bring your lost sheep back into your fold. Father, help us to glorify you in our daily lives, so that many might see your amazing grace. I ask and pray in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, Amen.
Tuesday
Obedience
The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him (Acts 8:29-31 NLT).
As followers of Christ, we must be willing to not only listen to God but be obedient to His calling. Sometimes that calling is far from our own plans.
I know that I've had a lot to deal with that lately. But as soon as I accepted that my ideas were different than what God wanted from me, peace came over me.
I wonder what Philip's first thoughts were when he was told to go and walk beside a carriage that was carrying a high-level eunuch. I know that God's Word said he not only went but ran to the carriage. But I wonder what his first thought was. Mine might have been, "What, you have got to be kidding me." That would have been my doubt or pride kicking it. We must put those things away when God calls.
Sometimes it isn't easy to do that. We must listen and be obedient.
Are you listening? Are you being obedient?
If Philip had not listened and obeyed, that eunuch might never have been saved; and if he hadn't found the love of Jesus, many, many others might not have found the saving grace of Christ. Because of Philip's willingness to serve God, the eunuch carried the gospel back to his home country, where he founded the church in Ethiopia. Many were saved!
Lord God, help us to listen and be obedient. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Wednesday
Face To Face With Evil
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).
Sometimes evil is in our face and we can't miss it, but more often than not, it's the warfare that is going on in the spiritual realm around us. Most of the time evil is doing the most damage.
Satan and his henchmen are at full attack. They are attacking all that is good and right. The Devil is doing a great job at deceiving and destroying us one soul at a time.
Even so, we know Who is victorious! He is our Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ.
We just have to be ready to fight not only the physical battles but also the spiritual battles. We also must know that we have God's Truth at our fingertips. His Holy Word, the Bible, ensures that we have Truth so that we will have victory. God's Word clearly states that our victory is in Jesus, the victor and our Savior!
Lord God, thank you for giving us victory over demons both physical and spiritual. Lord, we claim your victory for our lives today and every day from this moment forward. Lead us and direct us, Lord God. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A suggestion for more victory:
Humbly read and pray Ephesians 6:10-18 at least once a week. These verses have meant a lot in helping me battle life's issues and Satan's attacks.
Thanks be to God for His powerful Word! Amen!
Thursday
Sin Is Not Hidden
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me (Psalm 139:1 NLT).
Psalm 139 is one of my favorite Psalms. It tells us so much about the love, mercy, grace, and justice of our God. We might hide our sins from human eyes, but we cannot hide them from the eyes of God. We also can't out-sin the grace of God. His grace covers all transgressions of the repentant sinner.
We should praise God and give Him glory for His continued blessings on our lives. He loves us far more than we can ever understand. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is ever-present, all-knowing, all-forgiving, and all-loving. He is God.
Thank you, Lord, for your unending mercy, grace, and love. I praise your holy name.
Dear Lord, heal our land, heal our people, and draw us closer to you. Let us never forsake or deny you, as you have never or will never deny or forsake us. Father God, you are the Creator of all things. I praise you and fall to my knees, lifting my hands high to honor you. Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to save us from ourselves. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I praise you, Father. I pray and ask these things in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday
Jesus Is Always With Us
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
…
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35, 37-39 NLT).
Jesus Christ is there with us no matter the illness, trouble, tragedy, financial issues, marital trouble, or sin. God didn't cause our problems, but He will use them to bring us to a deeper understanding and reliance on Him. He will teach us and show us things during the valleys of our lives that we might never learn any other way. Thank you, Lord.
May God meet your needs and His wonderful name be glorified. Amen.
Saturday
Don't Drift Away
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1 NLT).
Folks, it's so easy to lose sight of God in this godless society. The seduction of the Devil is stronger now than I can ever remember. The broken world is telling us God's Word is just a book with good ideas, but we must remember that it is the infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God.
Right is being called wrong. Wrong is being called right. Evil is being called good, and good is being called evil. Friends, we are living in a state of pure mess and delusion.
Now is the time to get into God's Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct your understanding as you read, study, and explore God's road map for life.
Thank you, God, for giving us your guide, the Holy Bible. It is the only truth we can be sure of in this dark and dying world. We pray that you will open the eyes of the lost and bring them to you. We ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday
Kindness and Trust
When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves” (Mark 11:15-17 NLT).
Don't mistake my kindness for a sign of weakness. As a follower of Christ, I am to be kind and love all who come to me, but I also must speak the truth about Christ in this world and not pull my punches when it comes to His Word.
Jesus stood up for truth. He is Truth. He is the Word.
Lord God, thank you for your Word and the truth it speaks into our lives. Help us to learn to live according to your instructions and help us to stand strong with you. We ask in the mighty name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Editor's Note: "God Has a Gift for You" is the good news that restores the broken relationship we have with God because of our sin.)
