07
Jun '22
Bless Them and Pray
07
Jun '22
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Luke 6:28)
God, change the way I approach hard situations and difficult people. You have always had every right to hold Your anger against us—but instead, You died for us. In doing this, You blessed us with the opportunity to experience eternal life with You. Align my life with Your heart for the world. When I look at someone, help me see them the way You do and show me how to bless them. Amen.
I pray this is our hearts cry every single day, a new refreshing daily to love the seemingly unloveable and align our life with His heart for the world and those in our life at this very moment.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
05
Jan '21
Pray Back Scripture
05
Jan '21
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)
In Psalm 27, David cries out to God and reminds Him of how He protected and provided for him in the past. What a beautiful reminder to us to recall those things that God has done for us in the past.
When we pray back scripture and remember God’s goodness to us, it lifts our spirits. It gives us the encouragement we need to keep going, even under challenging circumstances.
David, himself tells God that he is turning his enemies over to Him. How often do we hold onto our worries and troubles, even when we have prayed about them? God doesn’t intend for us to carry those.
While we may not have armies coming after us today, as David did, we have diseases, financial stressors, heart pains, and emotional troubles.
However, we can go to God and ask with confidence for His goodness to us. We can expect Him to come through for us and be with us in our pain. While the outcome or answer may not be what we are anticipating or wanting, we can trust that God’s answer will always be best.
How can God use your pain to grow you so that you will be more effective for him?
When I read this devotion it blessed me. As we go into this new year may we remember this devotion, “We can trust that God’s answer will always be best”. God will always provide, it just might look different than what we had in mind.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
24
Dec '20
Prayer and Supplication
24
Dec '20
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)
Anxiety, stress, and uncertainty are three of the most common struggles plaguing people right now. Loss, fear, and worry surface in uncertain times. As believers, God tells us that we do not have to fear or be anxious about anything. Instead, God wants you to come to Him and tell Him your deepest concerns.
He wants you to trust Him – like a small child who climbs into their father’s lap, curls up and rests. You can give your anxieties and requests to God, knowing that He is working on your behalf. He has your best interest in mind. He is always good, always just, and ever present.
Jesus, I come to you with my burdens. I ask you to remove any heaviness in my heart. Please give me your peace as I trust you to provide for my needs. Thank you for your grace and love. Amen.
When I read this devotion I felt it was fitting for Christmas Eve, 2020 hasn’t been so kind and for some it has come with loss, fear and worry, just as this devotion says but I am reminded of Galatians 6:9, Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. My prayer for you this day is that in those moments of fear and anxiousness you are reminded of this one thing, if you remember nothing else from this devotion, I pray you remember this, He is always good, always just, and ever present.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
03
Sep '20
Your Prayers Make a Difference
03
Sep '20
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.(1 Timothy 2:2)
God doesn’t qualify praying for “kings” (earthly leaders) with who they are or if we agree with them.
God urges us to pray specifically; be bold in the way you are praying for yourself and others.
Your prayers make a difference for all people.
Whether believers or unbelievers, they are all His!
Intercession changes the direction of war, famine, death and darkness.
We need prayer in a great way right now so let’s pray for our leaders to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit!
Father, anoint me to pray. Bless me with the gift of intercession, the deep desire to pray and knowledge of what you would have me pray.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. (1 Timothy 2:3)
I felt this devotion went in hand with Tuesday’s devotion, we must pray. In the day and time we are living in, prayer is key for our leaders to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, believer or unbeliever, God is far greater than any earthly leader or politician. It’s our prayers that create change and weather we agree with them or not it’s our responsibility to pray for all those in a position of leadership and leave the rest to God. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting, Matthew 17:21. Pray and fast for our earthly leaders.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
17
Mar '20
Serving Others
17
Mar '20
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day. (Isaiah 58:10)
One of the greatest antidotes to depression, fear, or anxiety is service to others.
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
If you are struggling today, I encourage you to take your eyes off yourself, the circumstances around us, and instead look for ways you can be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Any amount of serving others will do wonders for your soul.
Whether time, money, or prayers; we can all be of service to our communities right now…today.
There are so many families who could use your prayers. Stop this morning and pray for your friend, neighbor, co-worker, bank teller, grocery cashier.
We can serve others through simple encouraging words.
“One of the greatest ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”
And, you can start serving right at home.
Look for ways to put others’ needs before your own and be assured of a miracle in your own life!
Lift others up who may need an encouraging word! Pray for all those around us and trust our God is sovereign and still in control! Amen.
This devotion blessed me. Right now, some of us are confined to being at home and we could easily think our power to serve is limited but prayer changes things. If you are breathing you can pray. Start serving right where you are. The most powerful weapon against trials, the most effective medicine against sickness and the most valuable gift to others is PRAYER.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
27
Aug '19
Step Away and Pray
27
Aug '19
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (Romans 16:17)
Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance who you thought was going the wrong direction with their beliefs? Maybe these beliefs seemed like they were somewhat Biblical, but with a little bit of study you knew that they were wrong.These false teaching or beliefs can cause divisions in your relationship with them. All you seem to do is argue with them about what the Bible really says and how they are wrong. This can happen in the church as well when it comes to false teachings.
What are you supposed to do then when you encounter false teachings or ideas that cause division? Paul tells the Romans to avoid them. Paul is not telling the church to accept just any doctrine, but that at times it is better to avoid those people all together than argue with them. When we start to argue with them, the worst in us can come out and it does not help our point. Many times we need to just step back, pray for them, and let the Holy Spirit deal with there heart when it comes to conviction and repentance.
When I read this devotion it blessed me. No one person is perfect and we have all struggled with this very thing from time to time in different ways. I felt this devotion gave wise instruction, just step back, pray for them and allow the Holy Spirit to work in them. We can’t always avoid those in our lives we may struggle with but we can take a step back, pray for them and love them through it. When you do this you will see The Holy Spirit turn frustration, even anger, into peace. Don’t gossip about the situation to others or post about it on social media, turn it over to The Lord and allow The Holy Spirit to convict. Who have you been arguing with that you need to step away from and pray for?
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 26:3
06
Jun '19
Abby’s Prayer
06
Jun '19
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. (1 Timothy 2:1)
When Abby was a sophomore in high school, she and her mom heard a news story about a young man who’d been critically injured in a plane accident—an accident that took the lives of his father and stepmother. Although they didn’t know this person, Abby’s mom said, “We just need to pray for him and his family.” And they did.
Fast forward a few years, and one day Abby walked into a class at her university. A student offered her the seat next to him. That student was Austin Hatch, the plane crash victim Abby had prayed for. Soon they were dating, and in 2018 they were married.
“It’s crazy to think that I was praying for my future husband,” Abby said in an interview shortly before they were married. It can be easy to limit our prayers to our own personal needs and for those closest to us, without taking the time to pray for others. However, Paul, writing to the Christians at Ephesus, told them to “pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). And 1 Timothy 2:1 tells us to pray “for all people,” including those in authority.
Let’s pray for others—even people we don’t know. It’s one of the ways we can “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Who are the people—some you may not even know personally—who need your prayers today? How will you carve out some time to talk with God about their needs?
Jesus, open my heart to the needs of people around me—even those I don’t know. Take my heartfelt concern and intervene for them as only You can. Amen.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 3:19
18
Sep '18
The Cure to Worry
18
Sep '18
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)
There is nothing more prevalent in the age in which we live than the increasing problem of worry. Worry is a powerful force to disintegrate the human personality, leaving us frustrated, puzzled, baffled and bewildered by life. Sometimes you hear the expression: “sick with worry”, and anyone who has experienced it knows it is no empty expression. You can be literally sick with worry. Paul’s answer to this is a blunt, “Do not be anxious about anything.” The entire Word of God is a constant exhortation to believers to stop worrying. It is everywhere forbidden to those who believe in Jesus Christ, and I think one of the most serious areas of unbelief is our failure as Christians to face the problem of worry as sin. Because that is what it is. Worry is not just something everyone does and therefore it must be all right. It is definitely labeled a sin in the scriptures, and the exhortation is everywhere: stop it!
Well you say, this is all very well to say don’t worry, but how do you stop it? Every time I try to stop worrying I worry all the more. You can’t stop it just by the exercise of will power. Again, that’s the secret of running the race — here it is: “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I love those words “in every situation.” That means there is nothing too small to bring to him. Someone asked, “Is it alright to bring small things before the Lord? Is he concerned about the small things in our lives?” The answer is: is there anything that looks big to God? Everything is small to him, so take everything to him in prayer. Prayer is the expression of our dependence upon his promises. It isn’t necessarily on your knees, or in the closet, but it can be simply that quiet, “arrow prayer” of the heart, in continual recognition that you need to lean back upon his grace and strength in everything, constantly relating to that indwelling life of God the Son in you.
“Petition” means, keep it up, over and over again. Whenever problems develop lean back again in prayer to the one who is able and competent within you through his indwelling life. Thanksgiving is that forward look of faith that thanks God for the answer before you see it. Knowing his character, you know something — the right thing, the perfect thing — will be done.
God is not saying we should ask for everything we want. Instead, we’re to ask for everything we need. Frequently we find ourselves praying for things he never promises. For instance, if you are up against some kind of trial, or some catastrophe strikes in your life, our perfectly understandable, natural human reaction is to say, “Lord, take this away.” But God never said he would do that. He does not always want us to have it taken away. Sometimes he will, sometimes not. That kind of prayer must always have appended to it what our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.”
But there are things for which we can immediately ask, and know that we will receive. His grace, his strength, insight, wisdom, patience, love and compassion. And as we lean back upon him in that inner dependence of faith which is prayer, we can also begin to give thanks that the answer has come, and in our thanksgiving we discover the experience of it as well. So, as in everything where we let our requests be made known to God, the result is peace. The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I confess, Lord, that I so often prefer worry over prayer. Thank you that you invite me to cast all my cares upon you. I pray that I may learn to do that with a heart of continual thanksgiving. Amen.
Today’s devotion is a bit lengthy but I felt every aspect of it was so very relevant to our lives today and I needed this reminder myself. My prayer is someone, somewhere, also needed to hear this and is blessed and inspired by it. Let your requests be known to God and the result is peace, Amen! PUSH, pray until something happens, FEAR, false evidence appearing real. Pray!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Philippians 2:3-4
19
Apr '18
Standing Firm
19
Apr '18
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
A couple of months ago, I shared my faith with my neighbor. The conversation went well (from my point of view). The next thing I knew she hosted a luncheon and invited all the neighbors but me. After hearing about the event I felt sad and discouraged. I thought about what I had said to her and wondered if I had offended her. As I prayed, the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me that persecution comes in various forms. I am responsible to speak as the Lord leads me; but I cannot always expect the outcome to be as positive as I would like. The Lord softened my heart to pray for her and to ask for another chance to speak to her again, not in anger for being left out of the party, but in simple love for her.
It is not always easy to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm and not give up. Are you standing firm? We have to learn to praise God and share Him and talk about Him, especially when times are calm. Today we have the Holy Spirit and we have free speech. If we cannot stand firm for Him now when times are easy, how will we handle persecution leading to death when times become tough? God will protect you in His way with His results. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Do not allow your pain, pressures, problems or even persecution to separate you from pleasing Him.
I feel we have all experienced some form of persecution because we stood fast in our faith and will continue to but I love today’s devotion. We need to be encouraged to stand fast in our faith, pray for and show love to those who persecute us and know that in the end He is faithful and He will strengthen you to run this race. I am reminded of 2 Timothy 4:7, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Stand firm, don’t give up and go to God in prayer.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is James 1:21
09
Apr '18
Don’t Look Back
09
Apr '18
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)
I have come across this verse four times in a week so I am getting the feeling that the Lord wants my attention. There are so many things that compete for our attention. The home, the kids, work, our health, keeping the car tuned up, relationships and of course, the things that entertain us. If we continue to just try to stay afloat without thinking or praying, we find ourselves surviving instead of thriving. It is so easy to not get rid of bad habits because we at least know what to expect and what to do. When God starts helping us to focus on something better and healthier, we are at a loss for awhile on how to live with the change. That’s why it is so much easier to look back.
The Israelites really struggled with this when leaving Egypt. They struggled with looking back so much that they never made it forward. All they could think about was the comparison between the luxuries in Egypt with the barrenness of the desert. Even though God completely provided miracles for them and freed them from the cruelty of slavery, they could not stop thinking of the comforts of their bad lifestyle over the freedom of their new lifestyle. And they never learned to work it out with the Lord. They just complained about it. As much as we hate to admit it, we struggle with the same things at times.
If we really think about it, life was not better before we became a Christian. The difference is that we didn’t have anyone to blame our issues on then, but now we can blame them on God. How silly but how true! Life is so much better knowing the Lord. We have the power of prayer, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the promises of hope for an everlasting life. We have fellowship with Him, and we should have a great attitude. But we need to learn how to put the Lord first in everything and have Him lead us, instead of figuring out our own needs and asking the Lord to meet them. By giving our lives to Jesus, we should never look back. There is nothing back there worth living for any way. If you are struggling with bringing the past into the future, ask the Lord to help you become more fit for the kingdom of God. Confess that sin and ask the Lord to help you open your heart to receive all He has for you. Then move forward in His Name!
I love when confirmation comes through God’s word. This devotion couldn’t be more fitting for what was preached in service yesterday. We must go to God in prayer with complete honesty and an open heart to receive His forgiveness and His guidance. Choose to put God first today, go to Him in prayer. If you find yourself saying, I don’t have time to pray then pray while your brushing your teeth, pray while your getting your kids ready for school, pray while your working out, pray during your morning commute, pray at your lunch hour, find time to pray, all He’s asking is that you make time for Him and He will meet you right where you are. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us (1 John 5:14). Don’t just survive, thrive, by making Him your priority. Keep looking forward.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Revelation 1:8