MONDAY
Submit – Submit – Submit – Submit
Why are we such a hard headed people? We must listen, obey and submit to God before we can experience His fullness in our lives. He has so much to offer us but we, stiff-necked children, decide that we want it “our way” and do it “our way.”
Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you (2 Chronicles 30:8).
“Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you (Job 22:21).
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me (Exodus 10:3).
Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:12).
Lord our God, please help us develop a deeper relationship with you by my submission to Your will. Lord, we know that you have much more to offer us than what we can do by ourselves. We know this to be true, but we still try to do things in our own without Your guidance. Father God, that usually doesn't work out too well for us. Lord, we pray for all who are reading these words. We pray that they will be convicted on how they need to fall to their knees, accepting You as their King and submitting to your authority. Father, we also pray for our nation as we continue to not follow Your direction and are moving down a path that takes us away from Your guidance. Lord, have mercy on us. Father God, please save us from ourselves. We ask and pray in unison by the power of the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
TUESDAY
Denying God and His Word
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts (2 Peter 1:16-19 NLT).
Those who deny God and His word have a real hate for truth. His word is infallible and perfect. He gave us His word, so that we would have a road map for life. A life that is not just about eternity but also a guide on how to live in a broken world that hates truth.
There are historical, proven first hand accounts of God's miraculous events. They are not just stories. It's God's account which is written for our benefit.
Many of the anointed writers personally witnessed God's hand as He did miraculous things on earth. Many witnessed Jesus as He walked this earth and without a doubt, knew He was the Son of God. He was the Messiah.
Don't let those the unbelievers sway your belief. Stand firm.
I am still amazed at how an atheist, who hates God, can say in their next breath, they don't believe in Him. How can you hate something that you don't believe in?
Lord God, I thank You for Your word and Your never ending love. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
They Hated Jesus First
We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors (2 Corinthians 6:8 NLT).
In today's politically correct environment, people are going to hate you and make up lies and deception regarding God's truth. Are you going honor God or man? Who are you willing to please?
Dear Lord, give us the strength to stand firm in Your truth. Help us to never waiver. Lead us beside Your still waters when we are under attack and use Your rod and staff to guide us and protect us. I ask and pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
THURSDAY
Don't Stop Reading
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (John 3:16-21 NLT).
Many people stop reading this Scripture after the first verse. People will say, I know that by heart. Some will say, I've heard that before. Some will just not pay attention to this at all. There might be a few that have never heard this Scripture at all, much less read through the entire context of Christ's words. These are great, life saving, words from the lips of Jesus. Read it, learn it, live it.
Lord God, help us to delve deeper into Your holy word. Lead us to opening the Bible more and reading. We ask that You send the Holy Spirit to prompt us in reading and understanding Your word. We ask and pray in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
FRIDAY
A True Friend Speaks Truth
“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others” (Proverbs 12:15 NLT).
Sometimes we have blinders on and can't see that the path we are on is not a good one. We must be willing to listen to a good friend who is speaking truth to us. Sometimes that truth cuts deep into our core. When that happens, compare your friends rebuke with God's word. If they agree, you must adhere to your friends rebuke. Remember, it's for your own good.
Dear Lord, help us to accept correction from credible sources. We all go astray. Lord, help us to be open to rebuke by our friends. Father God, help us get back on track. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
SATURDAY
Walking in the Light
Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light” (John 11:9, 10 NLT).
This broken world is full of darkness, during daytime hours and at night. The darkness that Jesus is speaking of is not the literal nighttime darkness but the darkness of Satan and his demons which drag us into the dark world of sin and eternal death. There is an answer to this world's darkness, and there is only one answer - the Light of Jesus Christ. Satan can't extinguish the flame of Jesus. Christians are given the task to be the hands and feet of Jesus, so as followers of Christ, we are challenged to shine Christ's light so that people will see His truth and find direction for their lives.
Father God, help remind us, daily, that we are to shine Christ's light into this lost and dying world. We are to shine His light, not to glorify ourselves or anything we do, but to glorify Jesus and His sacrifice for our lives. Help your lost children see Your light and follow it to repentance, forgiveness and salvation. I ask and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
SUNDAY
Reign Us in, Lord
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good (Titus 1:15-16 (NLT).
Where are you walking? Are you walking down a path full of mud and muck? A path of destruction? Or are you walking the path that Jesus has laid out for you?
In the past, I have posted about being a "fruit examiner" of other peoples lives. That "fruit examination" should also be applied to our own lives. Are you claiming to be something that you're not? Are you claiming to know Christ by only head knowledge of Him or do you truly know Him in your heart? Tough questions, but questions we should deal with and sincerely ask ourselves.
Lord, help each of us search our hearts to see what fruit we are producing. Lord, be honest with us about how our “walk” with you is going. Father God, reign us in, if we have drifted away from Your desires for our lives. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
