Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about respecting the Holiness of God. We are forever in the presence of the Lord, because He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere. As His servants, we believe that He is the Creator of all things, and the reason we breathe each day. Knowing this, why don’t we live as if He’s the core of our life? We sometimes get comfortable with the fact that He’s always there, and also lose sight of that same fact. I too am guilty of that, because I talk to Him all the time, but one minute I’m praying, and the next I’m singing along to latest Jamie Foxx song—these two things conflict. God wants us to recognize that He’s Holy, and He lives within us, which in turn makes us Holy. He wants us to respect His holiness to the point where we’re always aware of His presence. In every decision we make, and every word we speak, we should have Him in mind. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to try, for His sake. He expects us to repent for our sins, out of respect for His Holy place, and as a result, we would be less and less susceptible to sin.

How many of us change our demeanor, the way we talk, and dress when we go to church on Sunday? You know you were the same person, who the night before, was at the club wearing your shortest skirt, and lowest cut blouse, letting it all hang out. We know how to conduct ourselves accordingly when we go to church, because it’s considered a Holy place. We go there looking for answers, and to spend time with fellow believers, praising the Lord. The same amount of respect we give to the church house, our fellow Christian peers, and our Pastor on Sunday, need to also be given to ourselves every day of the week. We too are the “church” of God, which Jesus gave His life to protect. It’s written: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Eph. 5:25) Jesus died to afford us His holiness, and we have that living inside of us, but we must learn how to respect that. We’ll be able to tap into so much power once we learn how to respect His presence in our life.

What God asks us to do, and how He expects us to live, is by no means easy. If it was easy, everyone would be perfect, and we know, just by looking in the mirror, that that isn’t true. However, Jesus took care of the hardest part, and through Him we find freedom, choices, and chances. Through Him we’re giving the option to choose life over death, and that’s not just a onetime choice, it’s a moment by moment choice. Each opportunity, choice, scenario, etc. has the option to choose life or death, right or wrong, God or the enemy. If we keep that in mind, we’ll be able to make better choices, and be aware of our weaknesses and strengths. We must have a plan for everything in life, including how we’re going to live—of course everything in life doesn’t go as planned, but does that mean we just stop planning altogether? Trust me, if you wake up in the morning and plan to obey God, and to pay better attention to your choice of music, who you associate with, how you dress, the way you speak, etc., those things will eventually become a habit. Also, you are respecting the Holy Spirit inside of you, by not only planning to do right, but also trying your best to stick with those plans.

Peter lays it all out in his first epistle, where he encourages us to live an upright life, or in other words with respect for the Holiness of God. He wrote: So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (1 Peter 1:13-19 NLT) Peter points out some key things here, by simply saying know who and Whose you are, and conduct yourself accordingly throughout the time of your stay here.

There’s so much going on in this world, and evil often prevails, but we can overcome it, if we choose to. Respect is a strong word, and I used it because everyone can relate to it. Everyone wants to be respected, including God. He places rules in our life to keep us in order, so that we could have His best in life. To follow Him, is always going to be a great thing, and you aren’t losing out on anything, but you’re gaining more than you could ever imagine. Don’t be obedient to God only because you have to, but do it because you want to. You respect people who are worthy of your respect, and no one is more worthy than Him. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you need to take the first step today. Please take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now, I promise, it’ll be the best decision you’ll ever make. My favorite verse today is: Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455644&dtype=Scripture

http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio

http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Broadcast/

I love you!

Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about how to conduct ourselves as children of God. We are the children of the most High God, and joint heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. When we wear the title Christian, which means followers of Christ (or like-Christ), we have a responsibility to represent our Father well. One of the biggest things I learned about most of the men and a woman of God, written about in the Bible, is that they all lived their lives with reverence and love for God. However, none was perfect [except Jesus of course], but they all tried their best, and stayed obedient to God’s calling on their life. That’s what being a child of God is all about. Let’s think about the children of all of the Presidents of the United States, especially those who grew up in the White House. They’re all expected to live a certain way, because of who their father is. They’re not expected to be caught out in the streets drunk and gallivanting, because they’re representing their father. We are children of the MOST High, and we’re expected to respect that fact as well, and live accordingly, because our Father is “President of all Presidents”.

When I think of how faithful King David was to God, yet how very “human” he was, I see the compassion of God, even before Jesus was born. David was so faithful he took on a real live giant, with a sling shot and some stones, just because the giant the cursed the name of God. When he stepped up to face Goliath and the Philistine army, he said: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17:45-47) Do you notice just how much faith and authority David spoke with? He, without a doubt knew that God would bring him out of this fight, victoriously. By faith, we too can tell all the “Giants” in our life that “the battle is the LORD’s”, because God will, and has delivered us out of the enemy’s hands. The devil’s already defeated! I’m always amazed at the tremendous faith and bravery of David, and pray to maintain an ounce of his boldness each day of my life.

David was not a saint, and never claimed to be, but he was faithful to God. When we read the Psalms that he wrote to God, it shows the great compassion and love that he had for Him. He acknowledged God’s place in everything that He did, and He was the most successful King written about in the bible because of that. We are followers of Christ so can walk as if He’s always beside us, and talk as if we’re in a conversation with God Himself. We can respect others, even when they disrespect us. We can go to a party and not be the drunkest, loudest, and most disrespectful guest there, and still enjoy ourselves. We can refrain from cursing the cashier at the store, when they mess up our order, right after we leave church. We can avoid fornication and adultery, lying and cheating, coveting and being jealous of what someone else has—these things aren’t as hard as they seem, when our heart is in the right place. We can only take it one day at a time, and each day, we must be aware and conscious of Jesus’ place in our heart. Make a conscious decision to talk to God about everything, and quickly repent when you fall short. Be anxious to love, and not hate, give and not take, live and not die to who you really are.

The apostle Peter quoted Psalm 34:12–16 in one of his letters, and I think it truly sums up, step by step, how we’re to conduct ourselves as children of God. Peter wrote: Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12) This is very simple to do, he’s simply saying think and live positively, and love everyone, even when they don’t love you. Expect people to be who they are, and love them anyway. Do you know how contagious love really is?

The great thing about living righteously is that we’re not expected to do it alone. The Holy Spirit will guide our every step, so all we have to do is follow. Never forget that Jesus is always right beside you, remember the foot prints in the sand—sometimes He even carry’s us, when we’re too weak to stand. Obedience, just as faith, is a muscle that you must exercise, to be able to walk in it, in everything you do. Start off trying your best, that’s all He expects from us; the more you try the stronger you’ll become. The first step is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then He’ll do the rest; all He needs is your love. Please take a moment to take the God Quiz right now! My favorite verses today are: Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:15)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455635&dtype=Scripture

http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio

http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Broadcast/

I love you!

Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this beautiful Friday eve. I'm doing well, just reveling over how good God is. I find it funny how He always keeps us on our toes, through different tests and trials. I'm finally learning to thank Him through everything that's going on, because He has His hands in the midst of everything that goes on in the life of a believer. He never gives us more than we can bear, and as long as we keep Faith in Him, we'll always prevail. Hallelujah! Wisdom comes from God, and all we have to do is ask for it. I’ve asked Him for the wisdom to understand His ways, and the ability to apply that wisdom to my life, actions, and overall attitude. Each day, I notice the struggle to stay on the narrow path of righteousness gets a bit easier. I'm so grateful for that! Be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about walking as children of God. As a child of God you're a representative, because when people see you, they see Him. No one has ever seen the face of God, so He shows Himself through us. He uses us to touch others and when we're anointed with His Holy Spirit, it's like a light planted in a once dark place. As we grow in our walk, that light begins to shine brighter, and people will start to see that in us. We become that "peculiar person" that's written about: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9) I like the fact the King James used the word Peculiar, which means unusual, or "distinctive in nature or character from others". According to the rest of the world, we are very peculiar, which is what sparks their interest in us. Therefore, we must walk according to the Law, because they see God through us.


We must take on the characteristics of God, and we can find out exactly how to do that by following the life of Jesus. Jesus was amazing, and people could tell He was special, just by looking at Him. They could also tell there was something peculiar about Him by the way He carried Himself. He demanded respect, and walked with authority, integrity, and faith. When He spoke, He spoke life, and people went out of their way to follow Him, or even touch the bottom of His robe, because they could sense the power in Him. Guess what? That power lies within each believer, because Jesus is inside of us. He walks with us every day, and gives us the power to move mountains in His Name. When we walk down the street, people should know that there's something different about us, by the way that we carry ourselves. When we smile warmly at an unsuspecting face, it catches their attention. When we speak, we speak with respect for ourselves, and everyone around us. We must speak love, and share the wisdom that's been instilled within us. We have the power to bring life to every situation, and could introduce God to the lost, sometimes without ever speaking.


People should regard us as the one they come to when they need help. I have people that I go to when I need to be picked up, because they're always smiling, laughing, and have a positive outlook on life. I've had people call me when they needed advice, or just a spiritual lift. We get to a point in our faith walk where we can't help but share His love, because we've experienced it for ourselves, and people can sense that. However, there are believers who struggle with that.
We all have our bad days; there are times when I still struggle with shinning my light. I'm the first to recognize the days I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or when my attitude stinks, and those are the days I stay in prayer. God always reveals something awesome to me, or places a positive person in my path, that will allow me to see Him, which changes my attitude, but that's only when I'm open to Him. If I choose to wallow in self pity, or dwell on negative things, then I'm in jeopardy of ruining someone else's day, or eternity as a matter of fact. That's how much power we have, as children of God. What we do has the potential to positively, or negatively affect everyone around us. If you're the type of person who's broke, busted, and disgusted all the time, but claim to be a Christian, then that is what others (who don't know any better) will perceive of God. It's important for us to understand the power we have, and our responsibility of walking upright in everything we do.


You cannot confess Jesus as Lord, and walk around being mean and evil to people all day. I've seen those people that will cuss you one minute, and then say “praise God” the next. If that’s you, then know that you’re being judged by everything you do, and each day counts towards eternity. I know shedding darkness, old bad habits, and negative things that were taught and instilled in us is very hard to do, but God is already working on that. All we have to do is surrender. He knows where you've come from, and He has a better way for you to go. If you've confessed your sins, and asked for forgiveness you're forgiven. Your past doesn't define who you are, you're free. You're loved by the one true God, and no one could ever take that away from you. There's nothing worth sacrificing your relationship with Him, and if you keep reminding yourself of that, you'll notice a grand transformation right before your eyes.


All you have to do is confess Jesus as Lord, and He'll do the rest. It's written: being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (1:6) As soon as you confess Jesus as Lord, God will begin His good work in you. He'll change the way you walk, and the way you talk, but only if you allow Him too. Start by asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, and stay open to Him always. My favorite verses today are: Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. (Eph 8:8-9)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455428&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio
http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional

I love you!