Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about faith. Bible.com didn’t post any devotional scriptures today, so I wanted to write about what it takes to make your New Year the best it could be, faith. I was reading a lot of Facebook statuses today, and a few people mentioned that 2010 wasn’t a very good year for them, but 2011 will be a better year. I thought about how I used to say that every single year, but year after year, I would get the same results. I then thought about how 2010 was such a good year for me, despite going through a divorce, being bankrupt, and losing one of the most special people in my life, my Grandmother. The average person would’ve buckled under the pressure of these things, but I am a blessed child of God.

God has truly given me beauty for ashes. In every test I faced, I just remember that the Lord is in control, and I am still blessed. I know that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning, and I continued to praise God. I never hated anyone, or was even angry when people tried to purposely hurt me. I was quick to forgive, and I stepped away from negative people and negative thinking. As a result, I’ve never had to want for anything this year. I’ve been able to take several vacations, going to places I never thought I would go, moved into a new home, a new office, have a new love in my life, and have experienced great concert and plays; I could go on and on. I haven’t gone without anything I needed or wanted because I obeyed God, and embrace the seasonal changes that took place. I took them for what they where, lessons, and I learned from them. I rejoiced everyday, and not just when things were good.

One of my favorite passages in the bible is when He said, “Ask, Seek, Knock”. Jesus said: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8) I think this the key to having everything that you want and desire out of life. At the same time, it requires action—faith and works. So if you want a great 2011, you have to make it great. Pray and ask God to show you His will for you, ask Him for what you desire, and how you want things to go. Then work towards it, and He’ll give you everything you need to obtain it. Trust me; He’ll let you know if what you ask for is the right thing for you.

Nobody’s life is 100% happy and blissful all of the time, that’s unreal. If Jesus, the beloved Son of God, suffered you too will suffer; there’s no way around that. However, suffering is a state of mind, it’s temporary, and God has made it so that time heals all wounds. We have so much power, but don’t know how to tap into it. There are many different things out there to see and do. It wasn’t until I got out of my own world, that I was able to see the spiritual world that was introduced to me by Jesus Christ. Freedom is bliss! So no matter what you go through in life, know that you’re free. The more you seek the Lord, the more you’ll be able to rejoice through the trials of life. The more you seek pleasing Him, rather than pleasing yourself, the more you’ll be able to appreciated and spot His blessings. God knows what’s best for us, and He’ll answer our every prayer, but He’ll answer it how He sees fit, so rejoice in everything that comes your way!

Tomorrow I’m going to take a piece of paper and write down all of the things I want, and hope to accomplish, in the New Year. I’ll then reflect, and see how many of those things can and will be used to serve God. Then I’ll pray and ask, seek, and knock. I’ll seek His will, and pray for His wisdom. I’ll expect Him to give me all of the things I ask for according to His will, and I will see them manifest. It seems like James had all of the answers when he wrote this passage, the New International Version of the bible titled it “Submit Yourselves to God”; please take a moment and read this today. It’s written: You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:2-3) Please keep this in mind when you’re writing out your New Year’s resolutions.

Faith is like a muscle, it you don’t use it, it’ll weaken, and you’ll have no power behind it. You must exercise your faith every day. When you pray, know that you know that because you stamped that prayer with the Name of Jesus it will be answered. I remember when I used to pray with so much doubt, that I would end my prayer with “if you see fit please bless me with this…” That’s okay to say, but I said it because I doubted that He was going to answer my prayers, because I didn’t think that I was worthy. I used it as an excuse for my weakened faith muscle, so when my prayers wasn’t answered I could say, “I guess it wasn’t meant for me”.

I’ve learned over the years that I am worthy because I am a child of God. It has nothing to do with me, but it has everything to do with Jesus. When I pray in Jesus’ Name, God is answering me on the Merit of Jesus Christ—like I have the best co-signer in the history of the world! Anything His Name is stamped on will be heard. However, if you don’t know Him as Lord and Savior you have nothing, or no one to help you along the way. You’re living life on the roll of the dice, but with Jesus He’s a sure thing. Take the few moments to get to know Him, by taking the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:21-22)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about Understanding what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5:17 How many countless Christians are clueless as to what God’s will is for their life. I have to admit that even I get confused sometimes. On one hand I love to write [and some of you seem to think I’m pretty good at it], and on the other hand I love to cook, and that too brings me joy. I also love to serve and teach, and I feel so at home when doing both—so what is God’s true will for me? I’m sure I’m not the only person who wonders whether your gifts and talents, are what you’re supposed to use to complete God’s will for your life.

Just to be clear, God’s will is the same for each of His children—to love Him and fellowship with Him, to love His Son Jesus Christ, and to strengthen His Kingdom. At the same time, the path to accomplishing these things is different for each person. The way you show you love may be different from the way I show love. I show my love through feeding someone a good meal, and you may show your love by singing to them to uplift their spirit. You have a gift to sing and I have a gift to cook. To strengthen His Kingdom, I was called to write daily devotional emails, and serve as a Deacon at my church. Yours may be to show Jesus through you, by speaking uplifting words to those in need, or doing mission work in underprivileged countries. Ultimately we’re each Disciples of Christ, and just as it’s written: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

God created us for His own personal reasons, so there’s a purpose or will for our life, and your part is just as important as mine. He wants us to stay near to Him at all times, so He gives us the resources to receive all of the wisdom and knowledge necessary to complete His will for our life, all we have to do is seek Him. Praying without ceasing allows us to keep that connection, and avoid being vulnerable to sin. Studying His Word allows us to truly know what He expects from us. As we know, His will could change each day, so we must look at each day as a present, a hidden treasure or gem, because God has something special planned for us that day. You are the light of the world, and He will place you on top of a hill where for many to see, so that those who are in darkness will turn toward the light (Matt. 5:14).

Following God’s will is an awesome responsibility, but it comes with great rewards. In one of my favorite verses in the bible it’s written: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph. 1: 3-6) God has blessed us with EVERY Spiritual blessing in heavenly places, just because we believe in Jesus Christ, so our faith and works is a very small price to pay, for such a grand reward. The beauty of all if this is that we’re blessed no matter what. As long as we believe, we’re blessed even when we mess up or fall short, because He already knew you and everything you were going to do before He chose you. As we learned yesterday, don’t allow mistakes and sin to allow you to give up, because He’s still here, life goes on, and you have a job to do. Repent!

See, it isn’t that complicated after all? All God wants from you is love, but how you show that love is something the He’ll show you in due time. Jesus says to love Him is to do whatever He commands of you. I love the story of when Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler—this man had every earthly desire, and was asked to sell all of His possessions, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus; the man went away unsaved. I used to be at point in my life where I honestly thought about it. If I was the rich man, and didn’t know anything about Jesus, would I have made that sacrifice? Back then I honestly said no, but today I can seriously say that I would rather face being penniless, homeless, and without food, to spend one day with Jesus Christ, than to have all of the riches in the world. You may think that that’s extreme, but I know in my heart that as long as I’m following Jesus [which would no doubt be in God’s will], I’ll have everything I could ever desire for all eternity.

Do you get it now? Dr. Stanley said it best, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him”. The only way to know Gods will is to first accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz today! My favorite verses today are: The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ... give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about being forgiven of sin. It’s one thing to say “Jesus died for my sin”, and it’s another thing to actually believe that. You might be thinking what I mean by that, but you know that I’ll explain. There are so many believers that live in the bondage of sin, even though Jesus has set us free. The fact that sin doesn’t have to slow us down somehow doesn’t always register. Sin is no longer an issue for a child of God, and we don’t have to be a slave to it. Sin is like an addiction, we can overcome it, but it’ll constantly be an issue for us for awhile. Sin is appealing, and the world dresses it up as if it’s the cool thing to do, but it could be detrimental to our lives mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When you’re addicted to something—whether drugs, alcohol, money, other people, etc.—it becomes something that you’d risk your life for. You start living in the moment, and the only thing that matters is getting that next fix, regardless of the repercussions it’ll have on you, and the people you love. Sin has the same exact affect in the life of a believer.

We’re born into the flesh, which is made from the dust. It’s weak and frail, and not meant to withstand the test of time. In the flesh we’re weak by design, but by the Spirit of Christ, we’re stronger than we could ever imagine. The Apostle Paul wrote: The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. (I Cor. 15:44-49 NLT) Sin to a believer is like kryptonite to Superman, because we are indeed still in the flesh. At the same time, we’ve received the Spirit of Christ, and He lives within us, so we are working toward becoming “the heavenly man”. Each day we seek righteousness we become stronger and wiser, regardless of sin. However, if we allow sin to consume us, we stray, and become stagnant, and are no longer growing in the Spirit.

The enemy will have us believe that we are the worst people in the world when we sin. He uses guilt and fear to his advantage, that’s why it’s so important to continue to seek the face of the Lord. It’s important to remember the Lord’s promises, that He died so that we can be cleansed of all unrighteousness, and it’ll never have dominion over us again. God has called us to complete a very special task in this life, and sin is the only thing that can separate us from His grace. The awesome news is that He’s taken care of that once and for all, so there’s truly nothing in our way. Please don’t allow the enemy to deter you any longer, because you think you’ve done something extremely wrong, or you’re too bad, or have too many bad habits to be saved. There’s nothing you can do, big or small that can separate you from the love of God. Once you believe, and confessed Jesus as Lord, you’re a child of God forever. There is no turning back, however the enemy will always have you believing that you’re always falling short. Today is the day where you can stand up and say enough is enough. Each day is a new day, repent for your past sins, and ask the Lord for help and guidance to stay on the narrow path of righteousness, and He will, He promised.

The question still remains, “why do so many believers allow sin to consume them?” It’s due to a lack of knowledge, and a lack of faith. There’s no way to live in freedom if you don’t know how. The only way to live free is to live for the Lord. Do your best to be righteous, and repent when you aren’t. Hunger and thirst for the wisdom of the Lord, and He will give you the key to living a stress free life. Notice I didn’t say “sin free” because as long as we’re in the flesh we’ll fall short, but as we grow it will become less consuming and life altering. If you’re consumed with sin, then it’s time to do some self-reflection. Ask the Holy Spirit for help in identifying those crippling sins that affect your daily life, and repent for them. Surround yourself with positive people, as it’s written: Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33)

Paul goes on to say: The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:56-58) In the Name of Jesus you are delivered from the law! All of the “thou shalt not’s” are no longer that scary, thanks to Jesus Christ. He’s given us a way to trample over the enemy and live in victory, by one selfless act; all we have to do is believe in Him. If you don’t believe in Him, then sin equals death for you. There’s no way around it. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now, and be free! My favorite verse today is: Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:14,18)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about being focused on the things not seen. There are so many things going on in this world, if we stay focused on them, we’ll lose our mind. There’s so much evil—when you turn on the News there are constant reports of terror. Evil runs rampant, so I often opt out of watching the News day in and day out. I’d rather focus my time and attention on the “things not seen”, which is helping me store my treasures up in Heaven. Reading the bible, we know that there was evil from the beginning of time, starting with Cain and Able—a story about one brother killing the other because he was jealous. King Solomon wrote: That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9) King Solomon was said to be one the wisest people in history, but what He didn’t know was that Jesus would one day overcome the world. Currently, all who believe in Jesus have something new to look forward to. At the same time, the enemy hasn’t changed a bit, so he’s still up to his same ole tricks.

By the blood of Jesus, we no longer have to worry about the evils of the world, because we have a great reward waiting for us once this life is over. On earth, we will suffer as Jesus suffered, but we’ll also rejoice as He rejoices. We can live amongst this evil and perverse nation and never fear, because we have Salvation through Christ. Having a Savior we can trust in and rely on gives us everlasting peace, joy, and happiness all the days of our life. Without Him we are of the world—the enemy will use us in ways we never thought possible—and we become lost. Even believers, who lose sight of the Kingdom of God, fall victim to the world. That’s why it’s important to stay in the Word daily. It’s important to fashion your life around the kingdom of God, because it’s so easy to get caught up. We must make it a point to make the unseen seen with our Spiritual eye, and watch for the leadership of Jesus Christ. He shows up in ways we could never imagine.

I’m at a point in my faith walk where I recognize when I’m straying off of the path of righteousness; I can feel in the weight of the world. Have you ever felt that way? You know the times when you’re doing things you know you shouldn’t be doing, a little too often, and you can feel a heavy conviction in your heart? Once we get used to living by the spirit, there’s no other way to live. The Holy Spirit continues to remind us that He’s present, and His conviction is noticeable. Especially when we’re with a group of “worldly” people, who lives a life way different than ours, we can still feel their influence. The enemy makes the worldly things look way more appealing, and if you don’t know any better, you’ll fall into his trap. Always know that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We don’t have to wait until we die to experience the utter bliss of Salvation, but the more we focus on it, the more we experience it. For example, if you’re on a diet, and you vow to give up cake for one month, you cannot hang out in the bakery—eventually you’ll succumb to the temptation. However, if you’re hanging at the gym, and surrounding yourself with other health conscious people, you’ll be able to stay focused.

The world offers glitz and glamour, but you know the saying, “everything that glitters isn’t gold”. Jesus offers freedom, inner peace, and eternal life, but there’s a road of growth you’ll have to walk down to receive your rewards. On that road, you’ll be tempted and tried, you’ll stumble and fall, but Jesus is right beside you to help you along the way. When you fall He’ll pick you up, and when you’re tempted, He’ll give you the strength to endure. We just need to stay focused, and His love permeates our heart, and allows us to see. We begin to see the “unseen things”, things that we couldn’t see when we were lost. We begin to be able to better discern between good and bad, and recognize when people mean us more harm than good. Remember, there’s always a lesson or a test behind everything. God has so many blessings in store for us, but He wants to make sure we’re focusing on the “unseen”, and that we realize this life is more than material possessions.

Jesus is your key to true happiness. I know there are many naysayers who make valid points about your faith, Christianity, attending church, etc. Those are people who are “seen”, and are only looking for things that are “seen”. We are children of God, heirs to the Kingdom, and there’s nothing here that can stop of from getting there. There’s no problem to big for God, and there’s no hurt that He can’t heal. You must first trust Him. The biggest act of faith, to God, is for you to believe in Him, and love Him, without ever seeing Him. When you accept Jesus as Lord, and start to focus on the “unseen”, then He’ll start to reveal Himself to you, and you’ll come to a point where you’ve never seen anything so clearly in your life. If you’re still confused, take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verse today is: We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

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