Monday
Trust?
Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock (Isaiah 26:4 NLT).
Are you trusting totally in God? In reality, probably not. We tend to trust in the things of this world. Folks, remember, anything of this world is only temporary. God is eternal. Stand through Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God, the eternal Rock and don't waiver. He will bless you and provide for your needs.
Dear Father, bring us to a deeper understanding of Your hand of eternal trust. In the name of Jesus, we ask and pray. Amen.
Tuesday
He Changes Us
No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people (Romans 2:29 NLT).
God works from the inside out, to change us so that He might use us for His glory. He starts a work in us when we let Him into our hearts. It's a great work. It's God's work. It's an amazing work.
Isn't it time for you ask Jesus to take up residence in your heart? He will take a broken, hard, torn and even mutilated heart and make it new. He will change you from the inside out. He can change a despicable man into a saint. He is capable if we are willing. This change may come suddenly or over a period of time, but when you let His light shine, from the inside out, your life will never be the same.
Thank You Jesus for coming to us as we are, but never leaving us as we are. With You Lord, there is total life change. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Wednesday
How to Fix America
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37, 39 NLT).
America needs a great awakening. America needs to return to God.
But, how do we change the continually drifting culture? How do we stop the anti-God movement? How do we return to God when we have a culture that ignores Him?
First, pray. I heard it said yesterday and totally agree, we can't do anything until we pray first. Many in the media and in leadership are saying "prayers are good, but they aren't enough". I beg to differ, we can do nothing of surmountable good without prayer first.
Christians, we must stand strong with love and show the lost world that we have a God that loves us so much that He will come to us in our time of need. We must come to Him and ask for His help, He will answer. We must bring our lost friends to the understanding they need a relationship with God. Through our efforts to show them His truth and love, these lost souls might begin to "love the Lord our God with all their hearts and with all their souls and with all their minds" and by doing this, learn to "love their neighbors as ourselves".
We desperately need revival in our nation. Where does this begin? Only by prayer. Prayer is and should be our first and most important response to a tragedy. After all, prayer should precede our every function in life.
John Wesley said, "God does nothing but by prayer and everything with it."
Please join me in prayer:
Father, we ask to give our nation peace. We ask for help in healing the division in our country. We ask that You will come to our aide and drive out the evil that has seemingly taken over the hearts and minds of our people. Father, you said through Your Son that we must love you with all our hearts, souls and minds, Father help us do that. Help us, Lord, to bring revival and a great awakening to our nation and our people. Lead us today, Lord, so that we might love our neighbor as ourselves. We pray and give you praise through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday
Evaluate Yourself
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us (Romans 12:3 NLT).
There is a question for each of us and it's a personal question. Ask yourself, “Am I saved?” Do you know and proclaim Jesus as your Savior? If you do, how does your life reflect Him?
Don't spend your time pointing at others when you should be concerned about your own soul. If you do claim to be a follower of Christ, demonstrate it by your life and lifestyle. When you live a life with Christ at the head of it, people will see the light of Jesus shining through you and want Him too.
Thank You, Jesus, for saving us from ourselves. Thank You for giving all people an opportunity to be saved. In Christ's name, Amen.
Friday
It All Turns To Rust or Dust
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8 NLT).
I still have many friends that are chasing the desires of this world. They are trying to outdo the "Jones" next door with the nicest house, car, dog, etc. They have not discovered what real life is. Folks, real life is having Jesus as your Savior. That is real, very real.
Father God, I pray many people will see that their worldly "idols" are just that; of this world and merely worldly idolatry. Dear Lord, lead us and direct us into Your desires and not ours. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Saturday
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 our strength to endure. Stay strong and pray.
Dear Lord, thank You for your unfailing love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Sunday
Comfort in Times of Tragedy
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT).
We should be reminded, continually of how blessed we are to have a God that loves us and will hold us up during our times of loss, trouble, and tragedy. He is there for us. He never leaves us. He will never abandon us. He is our Comforter. He is our Savior. Jesus Christ is our Lord and King. Trust in Him and let Him have control – get out of His way and let God be God.
After the loss of a dear, lifelong friend, I was reminded of how much God loved him and loves his family. I saw His love in the presence of my buddy's friends at the hospital. I saw firsthand how Christ administers His comfort, through us. I'm reminded of how God uses us to comfort others in times of need. We should also reflect on how God has comforted us in our times of need.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Remember to: Go and comfort someone that needs a hug, a kind word or just being there and standing with them in their struggle. Thanks be to God for using us as His comforters.
Lord God, go with us, go before us and prepare the way that we might comfort others in their struggles. Help us to be Your hands and feet. Lord, be with those who are experiencing tragedy, trouble, and loss. Hold them close to You and bring us alongside them to hold them up. I ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
