Never-Ending Sorce

From: New Life Daily Devotionals - Steve Arterburn

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

Do the demands of this day threaten to overwhelm you? If so, you must rely not only upon your own resources but also upon the promises of your Father in Heaven.

God is a never-ending source of support and courage for those of us who call upon Him. When we are weary, He gives us strength. When we see no hope, God reminds us of His promises. When we grieve, God wipes away our tears.

God will hold your hand and walk with you every day of your life if you let Him. So even if your circumstances are difficult, trust the Father. His love is eternal, and His goodness endures forever.

We All Have A Role

From: Michael Youssef Ministries

Philemon 1:6 "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

We all have a role in spreading the Gospel message until the day of His return...sometimes with our words and always with our actions! If we make the Great Commission our top priority, we will discover that our concerns, and excuses are taken care of: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

Only the Holy Spirit can change someone's heart, but God is calling us to be a part of the process. We can pray that we will continue to have the freedom to openly speak Jesus' name in public. We can pray that we remain free to share the Gospel message, without being confined to a politically correct version. We can pray that God will continue to use His people to spread His Gospel to the ends of the world.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to provide you with opportunities for sharing about Christ. Pray that our country's freedoms will continue so that we may freely speak the uncompromising Truth of the Gospel.

Ask And Then Share

From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Has the hectic pace of life robbed you of the peace that might otherwise be yours through Jesus Christ? Are you simply too busy for your own good?

Through His Son Jesus, God offers you a peace that passes human understanding, but He won’t force His peace upon you; in order to experience it, you must slow down long enough to sense His presence and His love.

Today, as a gift to yourself and to your family, be still and claim the inner peace that is your spiritual birthright— the peace of Jesus Christ. It is offered freely; it has been paid for in full; it is yours for the asking. So ask. And then share.

Ordinary People For Extraordinary Results

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Matthew 4:19-20 "'Come follow Me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed Him."

Disciples of Jesus are called by the Lord to minister in their home and in the marketplace. It is a calling that many times comes to ordinary men and women who accomplish extraordinary results. Who does He call out? Christ's call comes to those who have a hungry heart for God.

Wherever Christ’s calls, His first command is to love God and then to love people. A calling without love is like a car without gasoline. It may be attractive on the outside but it's not going anywhere. Thus, love large where the Lord has called you.

God's calling comes to Christians who desire the Holy Spirit to conform them into the image of Christ. Your humble imitation of Jesus comes out of your intimate walk with Him. He calls those with whom He can trust. So don’t look only for your calling, but look for Christ and He will reveal His calling to you.

Light Of The World

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden."

Jesus said that we’re like a lamp that someone lights and puts on a lamp stand and it gives light to all who are in a dark room. The darker the room, the more you notice the lamp! Has God given you some dark days to walk through? Do you see that your difficult experience may be something that can bring great glory to God as you trust Him through it and find comfort in knowing that He’s with you?

Even people who’d normally scoff at God or at you for talking about God will often be open to what you say when you’re going through hard times. And other believers will also be challenged by your godly response to suffering.

So if you’re facing some tough circumstances, ask God to show you who He wants you to speak to about spiritual things. It’ll give meaning to your hardship.

Soak In The Scriptures

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in holiness; so that the man of God may be fully competent and equipped for every good work."

When dark times come, stand on the foundation of Scripture and what you have seen of its impact in those who have helped you grow spiritually!

Timothy had been warned: dark times are coming. Now Paul explains how to best come through them. God is saying these same things to you. Don’t interpret life by your feelings in those hard experiences. Cling to what you know of God. Trust Him.

Soak yourself in the Scriptures. God will speak to you through them and help you understand His ways. The Bible will show you how you can live in a way that allows God to work in and through you.

God's Love

From: Michael Youssef Ministries

Ephesians 3:17-19 "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity (love) be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself.".

Our human brains cannot comprehend the infinity of God's love. God's love is so abundant that He not only saved us from eternal damnation, but He adopted us as His own children. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)

God does not want a one-sided relationship with us. He did not send His own Son to die a painful death on the cross for us in order for us to merely accept His forgiveness and continue our lives without Him. He did not adopt us as His children only to receive the occasional visit in return. He wants a daily, close, personal relationship with us. He wants to see us commit our time and hearts to Him in prayer. He wants us to talk to Him, praise Him, and worship Him every day.

 

The more we comprehend the magnitude of God's love for us, the more we will love Him back. The more time we spend in prayer learning about Him and developing a relationship with Him, the more our love for Him will grow. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you in how to show the immensity of God's love to the world.

Patience

From: In Touch Ministries

Psalm 40:1 "I waited, waited for the Lord; Who bent down and heard my cry." 

Practicing patience is hard work! This is especially true when we are waiting upon the Lord, who keeps to His own timetable. But believers who trust God to deliver are richly rewarded with the desires of their heart.

No one goes wrong waiting for the Lord to send His best in His perfect timing. Of course, believers don't receive everything they request. At times God simply says no. In other cases, He adjusts our desire to match His own. In our humanness, we can't possibly know all the details of a situation. So we ask for what we think we need, based on our limited information. A submissive heart accepts the omnipotent Father's gentle redirection. 

Waiting patiently on the Lord is an awesome witness. When He responds, others see the reality of God, His faithfulness, and the wisdom of our commitment. In addition, our own faith is strengthened. Fools rush to seize their prize. But wise believers know that blessing will come in God's good time. 

Faith Over Feelings

From: Powerpoint Daily Devotions

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We walk by faith not by sight."

Faith and feelings are two different things. Feelings are fickle and will often fail you. But faith comes from God, who never changes, and because of that, your faith shouldn’t be dependent on how you feel.

As you go throughout your life, you will have emotional ups and downs. Yet your faith, if it is a real faith given by God, can remain steady. That’s the kind of faith that follows God even when you want to follow the world.

So whatever your situation is today—however you feel—trust in your faith, not your feelings, to guide you to make the right decisions!

Aim At Heaven

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

God’s voice doesn’t always come to us the way we want it; sometimes He teaches us our greatest lessons through the most difficult experiences of our lives!

Satan wants you to live for today, to pursue instant gratification, to escape from trials. God wants you to live for eternity, to pursue godliness, and to grow to spiritual maturity through trials.

What’s the outcome of your living for today? It means your spiritual life remains shallow, and you’ll miss some of the greatest spiritual growth that God offers (Phil 3:10-12).

What’s the outcome of living for eternity? It means that you’ll see the spiritual blessing that lies behind trials (2 Cor. 4:17). And you’ll look for how God wants to grow you through those hard times (Psalm 119:71).

"Aim at Heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." - C.S. Lewis

From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn

Proverbs 16:23 "From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive."

If you seek to be a source of encouragement to friends, to family members, and to coworkers, then you must measure your words carefully. And that’s exactly what God wants you to do. God’s Word reminds us that "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Proverbs 12:18)

Today, make this promise to yourself: vow to be an honest, effective, encouraging communicator at work, at home, and everyplace in between. Speak wisely, not impulsively. Use words of kindness and praise, not words of anger or derision. Learn how to be truthful without being cruel.

Remember that you have the power to heal others or to injure them, to lift others up or to hold them back. And when you learn how to lift them up, you’ll soon discover that you’ve lifted yourself up, too.

All The Time

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

Scripture reminds us that God wants to be our cheerleader. The Creator of this Universe desires to support us, and support us "strongly".

He is simply looking for that person that will allow Him to be God. He wants all our heart…all the time...not just when we think we need Him.

And He is even looking for us. It is not a question of being found by God; He knows exactly where we are. It is a matter of completely giving our heart to Him. With Jesus Christ on our side, we have it all.

Stress Remedy

From: Everyday Light Daily Devotionals

Psalm 46:2 "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress."

Donald Norfolk, a British osteopath who has made a special study of stress, claims that it comes from two main causes: too little change, or too much change. To function at peak efficiency, we all need a certain amount of change. However, when changes come too fast for us to cope with, the personality is put under tremendous stress. 

Dr. Thomas H. Holmes measures stress in terms of "units of change." For example, the death of a loved one measures 100 units, divorce 73 units, pregnancy 40 units, moving or altering a home 25 units, and Christmas 12 units. 

His conclusion is that no one can handle more than 300 units of stress in a twelve- month period without suffering physically or emotionally during the next two years. Holmes, of course, was speaking from a strictly human point of view - with God "all things are possible." God can take a person overcome by stress and build into their lives insights which will enable them to live above and beyond its paralyzing grip.

Faith For Life

From: New Life Daily Devionals - Steve Arterburn

Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for and conviction about things we do not see."

The first element of a successful life is faith: faith in God, faith in His Son, and faith in His promises.

If we place our lives in God’s hands, our faith is rewarded in ways that we—as human beings with clouded vision and limited understanding—can scarcely comprehend. But, if we seek to rely solely upon our own resources, or if we seek earthly success outside the boundaries of God’s commandments, we reap a bitter harvest for ourselves and for our loved ones.

Trust God today and every day that you live. Then, when you have entrusted your future to the Giver of all things good, rest assured that your future is secure, not only for today, but also for all eternity.

On Purpose For A Purpose

From: Joel Osteen Ministries

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Be joyful always."

Have you experienced something that has taken your joy and enthusiasm for your future? Today is the day to get it back! God has you here on purpose, for a purpose. It’s time to get excited about your future and learn to enjoy each and every day.

If you don’t make the conscious effort to keep your joy, not only will the enemy rob you of the joy that belongs to you, but he’ll rob your family and friends of the gift that you have to give them. When you have joy, you can use that joy to influence the people around you for good. Joy is strength, and when you have joy, you can offer strength to the people God has placed in your life.

Today, draw the line in the sand and decide, "I’m not going to live another day negative, discouraged, sour and grumpy. I’m going to put a smile on my face. I’m going to live my life happy." Choose to keep your heart open and let your faith in Him fill you with inexpressible and glorious joy!

Transitions

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not rely on your own understanding."

Timely transitions are necessary to teach trust in the Lord. Following Jesus is a transition from distrust to trust—fear to faith—insecurity to security—selfish to selfless and lost to found.

We move from the darkness of deception into the light of His love. Trust the Lord whether a transition feels forced or it is a conscious choice. In either case, Christ is in control. Grow and go with Jesus during timely transitions.

Furthermore, take hold of a timely transition and accept it as a purposeful plan from God. It may be a career move full of fear and possibilities. It may mean the last child has moved out, and you are left in a lonely house. Or, a child has moved back home under difficult circumstances and things are a bit cramped. In any event use timely transitions as a trend that is your friend. Trust God as He transitions you to His timing!

Revival Of Joy

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Psalm 85:6 "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?"

Do you need a revival of joy? Maybe you are battling health issues or financial woes. The pressure has gotten the best of you. Like the crushing of grapes in the preparation of wine, your juices of joy have been depleted. The only remains are dried and parched skins. You are tapped out. You are in desperate need of a jolt of joy.


No one is immune to slipping into a joyless life. In fact there will be seasons that joy will elude us like water in the desert. We need a new infusion of joy. The revival of joy is ongoing. You can only run so long, and then you must stop and refill your joy tanks.


God specializes in resurrecting and reviving. He can take what is dead or dormant and breathe life into it. The breath of God gives joy.

So, go to the creator, dispenser and sustainer of joy. Lean on the one full of joy, Jesus. He will bring your joy back to life as He was brought back to life—-full and robust. Let Him make your joy complete. His joy is your strength. Your joy will rub off on others, and the revival of rejoicing in God will extend from one person to another. 

Giving And Receiving Courage

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

The trials and tribulations of daily life can sap courage from the human heart. Discouragement needs courage, first from the resurrected life of Christ. He is our hope. He is our Savior. He is our Lord. He is our life. Because Christ is in you, you may be just the dose of courage needed for a friend to make it through another day.

Take courage from God, so you can give courage to others. Courage to the soul is what food is to the body. It is filling at the time but exhausts itself quickly, so dine at the table of God’s encouragement regularly. His word is sumptuous, satisfying, and encouraging. The Bible is the Lord’s large instruction book. His word is a baptistery of bold encouragement; for when you are immersed in the Holy Scriptures, you are covered with encouragement.

Be encouraged so that you can encourage others. Do not underestimate your ability to dispense courage. Your kind word is encouraging. Your warm smile is encouraging. So is your generous gratuity, your presence, your listening ear, your investment of time, and your wisdom. Your encouragement builds up others. Give courage and you will receive courage!

Pay It Forward

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Ephesians 3:17-19 "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may love be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the length, breadth, depth, and height of Christ's love and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself."

To know Christ is to know and understand godly wisdom. Because wisdom starts with Jesus, it is necessary to first enter into a personal relationship with Him.    

Since we have access to wisdom through faith in Jesus, then it is wise to lean into understanding His ways. We can anticipate—like a starved man or woman coming off of a ten-day hunger strike—a smorgasbord of truth at our disposal. His wisdom is rich in relational nutrients, spiritual nourishment and emotional energy. 


As the personification of wisdom we look and see a Man who unconditionally loved people. He loved the rich and the poor—He loved all races—He loved male and female alike—He loved city folks and country dwellers—the educated and uneducated felt His fierce love—Kings and commoners did not escape His all-consuming compassion.


Once we discover His freeing truth, we are responsible to pay it forward by faith to other hungry hearts.