Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about the impact of Love. As most of you know by now, love is my favorite subject. No matter how much the enemy tries beat it out of me, God’s love is much stronger and valiant in my heart. As we grow in our Faith walk, God’s love penetrates our heart. Yet we’re still in the world, so we experience the evil of the world as well, which can often times harden our heart. Throughout our faith walk, each day a part of that hardness melts away, and is replaced with the love of God. It’s likened to a fire that burns the impurities off of a raw God nugget, which makes it a valuable commodity once cleansed of its impurities. As an unsaved man, we couldn’t begin to understand the love of God, because we hadn’t yet experienced it for ourselves. However, when we make the conscious decision to accept Jesus as Lord, His Spirit enters our heart, and sparks the flame.

There’s a huge difference between earthly love, and Godly love. God loves unconditionally; can you understand the concept of that? Can you imagine loving someone so much that you forgive them no matter what they do. Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” (Matt. 5:38-40) Can you imagine doing this? What would happen if someone slaps you, how much strength would it take for you to not only refrain from slapping them back, but to give them the other cheek? You have to be filled with a lot of love [unconditional love even] to sacrifice yourself, lay aside your pride, and let someone slap you and do nothing. However, I get where Jesus was coming from. He’s instructing us to love each other no matter what. There has to be a reason why someone wants to slap you. They’re obviously very angry and hurt over something that transpired in the past, which may not have anything to do with you. When you turn and give them the other cheek, you’re letting them know that no matter what you do, I’m going to love you anyway, because God loves me.

Of course Jesus wants us to relate this to every aspect of our life, because the cure for hate is love. Love is the only thing that could overcome evil. If we solved every problem, or overcame every struggle with love, we win every time. I notice as my spirit matures love comes naturally. I have the ability to quickly forgive, which helps me heal faster. Jesus warned us: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matt 10:16) With this great amount of love overflowing in me, I’ve quickly learned how to be in tune with my Spirit of discernment, which helps me to make wise decisions. It allows me to see through some people, so I can love them, but love them from a distance. We are still human, and we have our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, which will bring us to breaking points. Worldly people will hate and persecute that which they don’t understand, so it’s by love that we’ll be able to build up a tolerance, and pray for those who spitefully use us, and means us harm. Does that mean that we’re going to hang out with them, and be their BFF? Hardly, but it does mean that we’ll love and forgive them regardless.

I love you, which is why I write daily—I want you to feel what I feel in my heart. I can only love you, because I’m filled with the love of Jesus Christ. Once you’re filled with His love, you’ll be able to recognize true earthly love. Love is at the core of everything that God does for us, and should be in everything that we do for Him. When we’re doing a favor for a friend, taking care of a stranger, being there for our spouse and children, we’re doing it from deep down in our heart, because we love God, and He loves us. I don’t know how many times I’ve been “slapped”, and have had to turn the other cheek, and I can now honestly say that there is no love lost, yet it took some time to get there. I’m so grateful that I’ve reached this point in my life, but it’s still a daily journey. I’m still human, and still get upset and extremely angry sometimes, but I never lose that feeling of love for anyone. It takes a lot of practice and prayer, but it works. It makes your heart lighter, and you’re free to fellowship with God, with no hindrance. When you hate or have an unforgiving heart, you only hurt yourself—bitterness is a way of life that you choose.

If you feel like you’re at a place in life where you’ve never really experienced love, then it’s time to give Jesus a try. Learn about His life, and you’ll learn about what it is to live in love. This will allow you to give and receive it freely as well. The first step to experiencing the love of God first hand is to accept Jesus as Lord. Take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. Remember, you can’t live life to the fullest, if you don’t know what you’re living for. My favorite verse today is: Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about remaining strong in the Lord. To be strong in times of trouble is great, and necessary, but to be strengthened in the Lord is a little different. We are called to complete God’s will, just as Jesus had a job to complete so do we, and we must remain strong in our faith, in order to accomplish those things. Yes, we’ll all have moments of weakness, and times of strife, but all we need to do to cry out to the Lord, and He’ll give us strength. However, these times help us prepare for the next weak moment, which gives us the opportunity to be strengthened.

When we’re born we go through the cycle of life. For awhile our bodies develop, and all we can do is lay there. We’ll eventually start to move our head, then legs and arms, and next then you know we’re strong enough to crawl. Watch out world, because once we’re mobile, we’re ready to explore, and see new things. We’ll then start to pull ourselves up and stand. What do our parents do then? They give us a walker, which is an apparatus that supports us while we’re strengthening our muscles, to become strong enough to walk on our own. In the time between birth, and learning to walk on our own, we’ve probably fallen over one thousand times, because it took that fall, to help us understand how to get back up, and do it right the next time. If God gave us that much sense to strengthen ourselves as infants and toddlers, imagine what we’re capable of now.

We must remember that we are children of God, and through Christ all things are possible. We have inherited His Kingdom, on Heaven and on earth, because of His works, and now it’s time for us to follow His lead. Nothing can come to us without work. To be strengthened requires faith, love, courage, prayer, praise, and worship, and all of these words are verbs—things that require action on our part. All of these things are like muscles in our Spirit, and they each work together, to produce a strong and healthy Christian life. We must strengthen them all individually, in order to help the entire body to function correctly, hence the reason why we must bring every part of our life into submission.

I’m currently in physical therapy, because I have arthritis in my knees. My therapist says that my knees have been doing all of the work, because my other muscles weren’t strong enough to do the job that they’re designed to do. In order to correct the problem with my knees, we had to figure out my weak spots, and work on those, so that those muscles can take some of the pressure off of my knees. I’m working on strengthening my quads, gluts, calves, and even the muscles in my feet, so that they can do the job they were intended to do. Paul taught us: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) We need to exercise all of these fruits of the Spirits, which make up our spiritual muscles. If we’re using one more than the other, it’ll become warn out and frayed. Life is about balance, so the only way to be strong, is to use each at its proper time. It’s almost impossible to have joy but no peace, or kindness without goodness. If you push one to its limit, without using the others, you’ll eventually lose the gentleness that’s required to maintain self-control.

I stress to you today the importance of being in touch with the Holy Spirit, and learning to hear His voice. He’s the most important component in building strength in our faith walk. He’ll make it so that we can avoid some of life’s pitfalls, and He’ll comfort us through the ones that we have to experience. He’ll help us see the meaning behind it, and so that we can effectively communicate with God. These things are surely easier said than done, however they are doable, when we lean on God for strength and understanding. By Christ we have that option, but without Him we’re nothing, just as the clay of the earth. There are many Christians who don’t utilize all of their resources and end up living as an unsaved man. That’s very dangerous, and a waste of time, so be sure to exercise all of your spiritual muscles. First by self-reflection, which will help you pinpoint the areas of weakness, so you work effectively work on them. Remember, you have to take action, and keep moving. It’s a lifestyle change, and not just a quick fix. Our muscles are only good if we’re using them. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior, you’re in the worst shape of your life! Allow Him to be your Savior [and Personal Trainer], and watch things change for the better. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now! My favorite verses today are: Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not. (Isaiah 35:3-4)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about strength through Jesus Christ. How fitting are today’s scriptures? I didn’t actually read them until after I wrote the previous paragraph, so I guess that’s God’s way of telling me to write about last week’s event. As most of you know, my maternal grandmother passed away on November 30th, and her funeral was last Wednesday, December 8th. I come from a very close-knit family, which is all due to my grandmother. She lost her mom and her only brother at a very young age. Because of she really didn’t have a close immediately family, she was determined to build a big family of her own, which was very important to her. She raised nine children, and as a result she has over forty-three grand and great-grand children. She made it a point to make sure that she had a special relationship with each and every one of us, as well as made sure that we knew the importance of sticking together as a family.

I knew she was sick for the last few years, and her health just kept getting worst and worst. I went through so many stages with her sickness, but the one thing I kept thinking was, “what am I going to do without my Grandma”. I couldn’t imagine life without her, but I also understood the cycle of life. We live and we die, so it’s important to make a positive impact on as many lives as we can, while where here. A few years ago, just the thought of her leaving me was unbearable. I cried many nights, before she was even gone, because I knew it was coming. I just knew that I wasn’t going to be able to live through this horrific event, nor did I want to. However, I saw her deteriorate; I was a witness to her suffering, and I knew I had to let go. I know the love of God, and so did she, so there was nothing for me to worry about any longer. I just wanted her peace and happiness. I stepped outside of myself, and relied on God for the answers. I stopped praying for God to keep her here, and started praying that His Will be done, and for Him to keep her in a place of peace throughout. I started to pray for her strength, and the strength of the people who loved her dearly, which is what she wanted.

We all know how the story ends, and it’ll end the same for each and every one of us, so we must believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. When we loose someone so near and dear to us, the only way to get through it is by staying in the presence of the Lord. Prayer, fellowship with loved ones, and studying and meditating on His Word are all things that will give us the strength to move forward. When you know that there is a God, and how precious Jesus Christ is, then you trust Him with your life, and He’ll pull you through, now and forever more. The one thing I know is that my Grandmother trusted Jesus Christ with all of her heart and soul, so she’s at peace right now. She’s resting, and no longer has to deal with the mundane things that you and I have to go through. She will never experience pain and heartache again, for all eternity. That’s what trusting the Lord yields, and an eternity of bliss.

The night she died I ask God, “How am I going to get through this?” At first I wanted to run away, and not deal with it. I stayed in bed for three days, and dreaded answering my phone, because I knew it would be someone who wanted to “talk about it”. I didn’t want to help clean out her apartment, or even attend the funeral, because that meant I had to say goodbye. I actually did those things, but I prayed and asked Jesus to help me get through them. I said quick prayers like, “Lord please give me the strength”, or simply “Father help me get through this”, because I knew that my mom and my family needed me, and I needed them. I still didn’t quite know how I was going to get through it, but Jesus showed up, and I was so strong that it felt like I was on the outside looking in. He gave me the right people to help me endure, people who checked on me and offered me a shoulder, and I’m so grateful for them. I was surprised at how well I did, but at the end of the day, a smile came across my face and I couldn’t help but praise the Lord and shout thank you, because I now know how.

I want each of you to understand that as believers we are above this world. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, lives inside of us, and we have strength in His Name, by the grace of God. Grace is the way that God loves us down to our Spirit. He loves us despite what our flesh looks like, or the things we do. He loves us because He created us just for Him. Whenever we need strength, all we need to do is ask, and then lean on Him. He gave His only begotten Son so that we can have that privilege. One of my favorite promises of Jesus Christ is: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) Guess what? Jesus really means this, and He proved that through me this passed week. In one of the weakest moments in my life, He gave me strength. The more I think about it, in all of my weakest moments, He gave me strength. To Him be all of the honor and glory.

Death is a part of life, and we each will have to make that journey to the afterlife, but it doesn’t matter when you do it, but how you do it. Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Do you believe that He is the Son of one and only Living God? Can you honestly say that you’re a sinner, but you want to live a righteous life? If you believe in Jesus and want to be righteous then there’s one more step to take, and that’s asking Him to be Lord of your life. Take a few minutes to take the God Quiz today. Please don’t wait any longer; life is short, and so very precious. My favorite verses today are: As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about freedom from fear. Who do you serve, and what do you believe in? I believe the spirit of fear comes from a lack of knowledge about the God we serve. Fear is an unavoidable feeling, but it isn’t something that should have any type of dominion over the life of a believer. Some of us are crippled by fear, and allow it to run our life. Even if you think you’re the meanest, roughest, toughest, or strongest human being in the world, you have, and still do, experience fear. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, but you must allow that fear to fuel you, in order to keep pressing forward, to complete the will of God.

To be afraid is normal, even Jesus was afraid a few times in His life, but He never allowed that feared to slow Him down. He knew He had a job to complete, but better yet, He knew the promises of God. He understood that God would never leave Him, and that everything that happened in His life was for the greater good of His Kingdom. As human beings, we can be more confident in everything we do, if we know we have a support system. We’re comforted by the fact that no matter what, someone has our back, and won’t allow anything bad to happen to us. We have God, the creator of all things, in our corner. There’s no reason to allow fear to stop us from doing what we have to do, to have a life full of abundance.

I have deep fears, which God is helping me overcome, and He has brought me a long way. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I try not to allow those fears to run my life. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a fear of rejection, or a fear of being judged by my peers. My biggest fear is the fear of failure, but I’m getting past that more and more everyday. There have been times when I was so afraid to fail, that I wouldn’t even try. This fear lies deep within, and it comes from a history of past failures, which so many of us suffer from. There are many of us that have deep fears, not only because of something that’s happened to us, but because of things that’s happened to a loved one, or a friend. We fear letting people get close to us because we’ve previously been hurt, but the only way to overcome these fears is to trust God with every aspect of our life. The past is what has made us into who we are today, but it doesn’t have to dictate our future.

God is available anytime we call on Him, and He’s given us the Holy Spirit to help us every step of the way. The Holy Spirit helps us discern between right and wrong, helps with our prayer life, as well as helps us stay on the path of righteousness, by convicting us of our sins to the point of repentance. In addition, we have Salvation through the Blood of Christ, who died just so that we wouldn’t have to fear. Before He left this earth He commanded us to: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt 28:19-20) Jesus promised to be with us until the end of age, so there’s no need for us to fear anything or anyone, because He lives in our heart, every day of our life.

Through Christ, even our deepest darkest fears can be conquered; all we have to do is move forward with faith and assurance in the fact that we have sweet victory through Him. He’s faced it all, including mental and physical abuse, leading up to His physical death, but He pushed forward because of the God He served. Jesus knew that it wasn’t about Him, nor about His flesh, so He never feared. He walked by God’s promise that He loves those who keep His commandments, so there was no need to fear. I try to live each day only fearing God, because He holds my fate in His hands. I no longer fear the judgment of men, or ridicule from naysayers, because only God can judge me. I walk with my head held high, because as it’s written: No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Psalms 91:10-12). God offers to protect us, even down to preventing our foot from hitting against a stone, because that’s how much He loves us. Knowing this, what would we fear? All we have to do is walk with Him in righteousness and truth.

We serve the same God as Jesus, He never changes, and neither does His Word. He loves us unconditionally, and has promised to protect, lead, and guide us throughout this life. There are always going to be surface fears, but we must know, without doubt, that He always has our best interest in mind. When we confess Jesus as Lord we belong to Him, so all we have to do is trust Him to be there for us, and He will. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then it’s time for you to take that next step. Confess that you’re a sinner, and invite Jesus to be head of your life. This is a step that you never have to be afraid of. He’ll give you everything you’ve ever needed and more. If you’re ready, or maybe still have some doubts, take a few minutes to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. (Exodus 14:13-14)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Today's scriptures are about being called Sons of God, by His grace, and His grace alone. There's no amount of good work we can do to became "sons (or daughters) of God”, it's a privilege. Because of His grace, He gave His Only begotten Son to die for our sins, and it's His blood that washes us clean, and makes it possible for us to become Sons of God. Before Jesus, we were slaves to the flesh, and we weren't under His law. It's written: But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Gal. 4:4-7) When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and are baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we instantly become heirs; this is the Law of God.

A new life begins when we inherit the Kingdom of God. We become responsible for the "church" as a whole, and not just for ourselves. However, our first responsibility is to grow in the Word, and in our Spirit, so that we could promote growth in others. We must focus on becoming "like Christ", and offering the gift of salvation to the lost. We must offer God's wonderful gifts of healing, wholeness, truth, and deliverance, because these are gifts that could only come through Christ. The world can't give us these things, yet every human being yearns for something more. We all yearn to be completed in some type of way, and those who are lost, will always find temporary fulfillment. The enemy offers many options, and he's working just as hard to win souls. He'll offer us the comfort of a spouse who's all wrong for us, or the ability to escape reality through drunkenness. He allows us to lose ourselves in the physical pleasures of sex with any and everyone that shows us attention. These are the realities of the lost and unsaved, and they face them every day.

I thank God for saving me! I thank Him for delivering me from my enslavement, because I can now see how much of a slave I really was. I share stories of my past, because they are testimonies. I have suffered with Christ, and I'm willing to suffer again, as long as I do my part to strengthen the Kingdom of God. I am filled with so much joy, because of the love and grace of God, that I cannot go one day without telling someone that God is good. He will always get my praises, because I know what He's done for me. He's allowed me to try to accomplish the simplest things on my own, and I tried and failed. He's given me a vision of my blessings, and told me "to receive these things all you have to do is...", and I've completely ignored Him, and did what I wanted to do, so I've experienced His wrath. I've been high and low, close and far, lost and found, so I couldn't I keep these things a secret, because I know I'm not the only one who needs Him. I've gone days without praying, and then experienced the feeling of being lost and alone, and I've spent hours, day in and day out in prayer, and felt fulfilled and immensely loved. I know, without a shadow doubt, that God is real, and He loves me. He loves me, the once old sinful and wicked me. I know for a fact that if He can love me, He can love you. Whoever you were, are, or hope to be! He's waiting to hear from you.

The most wonderful thing about grace is that it doesn't cost us anything. We are rewarded for giving our life to Christ! We're rewarded for loving Him, and having faith. We're rewarded for praying, studying His Word, and loving the people we come in contact with. These things aren't hard to do; all we need to do is give Him some time, spending time on our knees in prayer. Whenever I'm struggling with growth, or moving forward with something I know He's instructed me to do, it always comes back to my prayer life. Communication is the key in any relationship, and we're working to develop a Father/child relationship with God, through Jesus. We're building a bond that cannot be broken by the enemy. Through this, we've taken on the "character of the New Man", as Paul explains to the Colossians: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col. 3:10-15)

In Christ we are a new creature, but without Him, we are lost, hollow and alone. That's a horrible feeling, and I would never want to experience it again. From my heart to yours, I want you to understand that Christ is the only way to achieve true peace. Happiness is provisional, because as followers of Christ, we expect to suffer as He suffered, but peace withstands the test of time. Did you know that by God's grace you can pray to Him right now, confessing your sins with a full heart, and ask for forgiveness and He'll forgive you on the spot? There's only one catch, you must also confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you done that yet? If know that you haven't, or aren't sure, take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. (1 John 3:1)

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