Spiritual Batteries

From: Wisdom From The Psalms

 

Psalm 119:97 "How I love Your Word Lord! It is my meditation all the day."

 

If the Lord is not a real and vital part of our lives, then we are only half living. God renews us and puts purpose into our being. We are spiritual batteries which constantly need to be recharged. We cannot be recharged apart from the power source: Jesus Christ.

 

The Bible, the church, fellowship with other believers, prayer; these and many other activities draw us close to God and therefore energize our spiritual lives.

 

Draw close to God and feel the power. It's waiting right now, and it is given freely.

Go Deep

From: Joel Osteen Ministries

Luke 5:4 "After He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.'"

You and I were created to do business in deep waters. In other words, we’re not supposed to have little dreams or little plans. We are supposed to have big dreams. We are supposed to go out into the deep things God has for us.

But understand, when you’re out there in the deep waters, you can’t touch the ground. You can’t see the shoreline, and at times, it can get a little rocky. You may not always see how things are going to work out. But remember, in deep waters, you are not alone. God is with you, and He’s causing those deep things inside of you to come forth.

If you feel like you are out in the deep today, if you feel like you are overwhelmed, remember, you are in the right place and God is with you. You will see His wonderful deeds in the deep, and you will fulfill the plan He has in store for you.

Constant Fellowship

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Your living, interactive, personal connection to God makes your faith bulletproof. Your faith will flow from your current of communion with God. It is this kind of connection with God that Paul is talking about in this passage and that God is challenging us about today.

God wants you to not only have a special time with Him in His word and prayer each day; He also wants you to learn the practice of communicating with Him throughout the day. Keep your awareness of the presence of God constant and you never need to worry that your faith might falter at the critical moment.

If you are able to think while doing other things, then you are also able to pray while doing other things. Why not work on it today? Develop the habit of constant fellowship with God.

Compared With Eternity

From: Joel Osteen Ministries

2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

Aren’t you glad that your troubles and trials are only temporary? In fact, today’s verse tells us they are momentary. Compared with eternity, our troubles don’t last long at all! As you stand strong in faith during times of adversity, scripture says that you are achieving eternal glory.

If you are in the middle of tough times today, look to Jesus! The Bible says that He is the Author and Finisher of your faith. He is the one who writes faith on your heart and then develops it to completion on the inside of you. Your part is to open your heart and choose words of faith and victory.

As you remind yourself that your troubles are only momentary and confess your trust and hope in Him, you will see His hand moving in your life. Focus on that eternal glory every day. As you do, you’ll move forward in victory and experience all He has for you!

Quiet Time

From: Billy Graham's Daily Devotion

 

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."

 

Jerome, one of the early Christians, said, "Ignorance of the Scriptures means ignorance of Christ." Jeremiah said, "When I found Your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart." (15:16)

 

To read the Bible one needs a "quiet time." Christian students often ask, "How do you maintain your spiritual high? What do you do on a daily basis?" I tell them about my "quiet time." Some days it is in the early—sometimes late—morning, sometimes evening. Without it, my Christian life would be a wilderness.

 

Isaiah said, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) So gain the strength of eagles, as the prophet suggested. Set a time each day when you can spend a few minutes alone with God.

The Main Dish

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

 

Romans 10:17 "Faith then comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ."

 

God’s self-revelation in the Bible will increase your faith! As someone once said, “If we are not interested in the word of God, can we really be interested in God?”

 

It’s in His word that you’ll see the greatness of who He is. His unbelievable power will become a part of how you weigh the difficulties of life. His wisdom will cause you to trust Him even when you can’t understand what He is doing. His love will move you to commit yourself in love to Him.

God’s reminding us today that He’s given us a great ally in our spiritual life: His word. Build your life on His word and watch your faith grow. If you want to feed your faith, make sure that the Bible is the main dish in your spiritual diet!

Conformed Or Transformed

From: The Word For You Today - Bob Gass

 

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is good, pleasing and perfect."

 

We have the option; be conformed or transformed! Deciding "I will not conform to the world" leads to a transformed lifestyle. Choosing not to conform to this world is what opens the door to your transformation. Unlike conformity, which is externally initiated, your walk with God will become an outer expression of an inner change.

 

You become transformed from the inside out. How does it happen? "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4).

Add to your decision not to conform, your commitment to "the renewing of your mind" which in Greek text means you think God's thoughts instead of your old thoughts. Then watch as a Holy Spirit-empowered transformation begins to take place in your daily life.

Ambassadors Of Peace

From: InTouch Ministries

 

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ control your hearts..."

 

One day Christ will return and make everything right. Until then, believers are called to be His ambassadors of peace. However, becoming a Christian does not automatically change us into people who pursue kindness and unity.

 

At times we're quick-tempered and impatient and find it hard to live in harmony with others. We may have trouble letting go of attitudes or habits that hurt those around us—and occasionally we don't even want to. God knows our true character and has provided the Holy Spirit to transform us into Jesus' likeness.

 

The Spirit opens our minds to understand and apply Scripture. He gives us the power to say no to ungodliness and to replace me-centered thinking with a Christ-centered viewpoint. He patiently produces His fruit in us, which includes, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, humility and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23).

Enduring, Perpetual, And Eternal

From: Oswald Chambers Devotionals

 

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

 

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living.

 

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one just as We are one." (John 17:22) Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ.

 

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.

Your Early Hours

From: Wisdom From The Psalms

Psalm 5:3-4 "To you I pray, O Lord; at dawn You will hear my cry; at dawn I will plead before You and wait."

Though not ordinarily a morning person, Ann always loved those special times when she rose in time to see the sunrise. On mornings like this, who could doubt that there is a God? Ann's heart filled with a joy beyond words, and nothing could remove that joy during the day. Taking a Bible, she began to read and to pray.

God gives us special times in order that we might find joy and that we might find Him. He has created a glorious world, and He has freely given it to us.

The early quiet of the day is a beautiful time to encounter the Lord. Give Him your early hours. "Find your delight in the Lord Who will give you your heart's desire." (Psalm 37:4)

God's Massive Investment

From: Ambassadors For Christ International- John North

 

Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

 

Although you will have some very powerful landmark experiences with God in your Christian life, you will never be at a point where you have 'arrived,' until the "day of Christ Jesus." That is, until you stand with Jesus in glory, you will never arrive at a fixed place in your spiritual life where you no longer need to grow and mature.

But God’s emphasis to us today is on the positive side. Your spiritual growth is not just dependent on what you can produce. From the other side God is actively working in your life to pull you up towards Him. He wants to help you grow. And He will keep on helping you mature until the day you die.

He works through people in your life, through your time in His word, through your circumstances, through your prayer times. Don’t ignore the things that God wants to use in your life. After the massive investment God made at the cross to begin a new life for you, of course He will keep on working to bring it to maturity.

Amazing New Discoveries

From: Today God Is First - Os Hillman

 

Joshua 1:9 "I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go."

 

When God takes you to a depth of soul experience be alert to new truths and new perspectives. During these times God often leads us to amazing new discoveries. It can be a storehouse of unexpected riches for the soul.

 

We must live each day to the fullest. We can't live in the past or in the future. We must live in the moment that God gives us right now. Our time of deliverance will come according to God's schedule. Meanwhile, we need to be faithful in doing what God has given us to do and be content in the place where He has placed us.

When we go through a trial of adversity, we need to understand that God is performing radical surgery on our life. The purpose of this surgery is not to destroy us, but to give us a new heart. God is making a fundamental change in who we are and who we will be.

God's Timing

From: Love Worth Finding Ministries - Adrian Rogers

 

Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord; wait for God..."

We don’t like the word “rest” do we? We’re always running around pulling up our radishes by the roots to see how they’re growing, and then cramming them back into the ground.

And yet Isaiah tells us, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him." (Isaiah 30:18)

You're not going to hurry God because He is not interested in time. He’s interested in timing. Lean back, watch, wait, and trust. He knows what He is doing.

First Things First

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

 

Mark 1:35 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed."

 

Have you arranged a regular time alone with God? Sounds like a good idea. "He's knocking at the door..." (Revelation 3:20)

 

Do you have the discipline to make that happen? If not, here is the secret to overcoming self-made obstacles and creating a lifestyle of regular time alone with God - ask Him! If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to spend time with His Father, don't you think we do, as well?

Ask God to give you the hunger and passion to know Him intimately and the determination to make it happen. He'll be glad to teach you how to create the discipline and opportunity to have a regular meeting with Him!

Trust In God

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

 

Romans 8:28 "All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

 

Even when bad things happen in your life, God’s able to take those experiences and use them to strengthen you, get your attention, and refocus your life on Him. When difficult times come, trust God.

God uses every circumstance in your life to shape you. This is a continuous process that starts when you’re born again and continues until you’re finally with God in heaven, "glorified."

God’s reminding you today that while He’s constantly working through your circumstances, they’ll only make you more like Christ if you respond to them with trust in God and a willingness to choose His way in your life.

Friendships That Will Lift You up

From: Power Point Daily Devotionals

Hebrews 10:25 "We should not absent ourselves from the assembly, as some do, but encourage one another; and this all the more because you see that the day draws near."

When we think about church, there are two separate and equally important aspects of church. There is the invisible universal Church to which all believers in Christ belong. And there is also the local church, the visible representation of that invisible reality.

Now yes, it’s possible to be a part of the universal Church without belonging to a local church. But as you see in today’s passage, assembling together is a mandate from the Scriptures that we’re to take seriously!

So if you’re not involved in a local church where you’re meeting with others and growing together, find one and get plugged in. You’ll not only be fulfilling the biblical mandate to assemble together, but you’ll build lasting friendships that will lift you up!

Discover Your Purpose

From: Os Hillman Ministries

 

Ephesians 1:18 "May He enlighten your innermost vision that you may know the great hope to which He has called you..."

 

If you are going to discover how God wants to use your life and work, you must know why you were created. If you start trying to determine your purpose in life before understanding why you were created, you will inevitably get hung up on the things you do as the basis for fulfillment in your life, which will only lead to frustration and disappointment.

First and foremost, God created you to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him. The apostle Paul came to understand this when he said, "I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself." (Philippians 3:10).

Establishing this relationship with God is vital to understanding your purpose. God's desire is for you to be motivated out of love for Him and to desire to worship Him in all that you do. As you develop your relationship with God, He will begin to reveal His purpose for your life.

Wait For God's Timing

From: Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

 

John 13:37 "Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’"

 

There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, just wait. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt...wait.

 

At first you may think you see clearly what God’s will is...the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God’s will for you to do. But never act on simply the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which may take years to untangle.

 

Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.

Full Surrender

From: Billy Graham's Daily Devotion

 

John 8:31-32 "If you live according to My teaching, you are truly My disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

Some time ago a policeman asked me what the secret of victorious living was. I told him that there is no magic formula that can be pronounced. If any word could describe it, I would say surrender. The second word I would say would be devotion.

 

Nothing can take the place of a daily devotional life with Christ. Your quiet time, your prayer time, the time you spend in the Word, is absolutely essential for a happy Christian life.

 

Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make a difference in your habits, in your prayer life, in your Bible reading, in your giving, in your testimony, and in your church membership.

Faith Is The Key

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, and uphold you with My right hand of justice."

God may allow Satan to attack you, but He does not leave you without help. Even before you face your trial, He sees it and knows you need His help in it.

The Lord knows that your faith is the key to your perseverance. When you are going through times of major testing or major failure, that is when it is most important for you to trust God. In times of trial you must trust in His purpose, that He has not forgotten you, that He loves you and sees the big picture of your life.

In times of failure, you must trust in His nature of mercy and grace. Trust in His promise today and turn to Him. He will walk with you through your pain, strengthening you as He holds you close.