The Truth

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North 

John 8:31-32 "If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Be sure and notice this: it is Jesus Himself making this statement. The religious legalists of Jesus’ day didn’t like His take on God’s word. They thought that religious people shouldn’t associate with anyone who wasn’t a fellow-legalist. 

They looked on those who surrounded Jesus as "sinners". They criticized Jesus for going to parties with these people. They couldn’t comprehend it when Jesus said that was what they should be doing too, because those secular people were the ones who needed to be exposed to God.

If you get to know God’s word, you’ll see that its purpose isn’t to constrain you, but a very relational book to help you experience true love and joy...now and forever. Jesus said that if we were to sum up the whole Bible, we would see it showing us how to love God and love people.

Blessings

From: Daily Disciples Devotional

Ephesians 1:17 "May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, grant you a spirit of wisdom and insight to know Him clearly."

Blessings are not true blessings unless they come when we are able to handle them. Think of areas in your life that you would love to see the Lord work in you today. The list can go on and on. God wants to deliver you and bless you, but He will only give you what you can handle. God knows what is best for us. Even the blessings can become curses if we do not have the wisdom, maturity and honesty to handle them.

The Lord's timing is never too late nor too slow. He is patient and kind, assessing the whole situation, so that when He fulfills His promises in you, you will be able to receive them in peace. We want the quick fix or the instant gratification. We want the immediate and the miraculous. 

However, God's ways are not our ways and He desires to give us a future life in His promises. Little by little, complete victory will be yours by having faith and patience day by day.

Your Life's Story

From: Our Daily Bread Ministries

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 "You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all...written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God..."

Have you ever thought about the idea that our lives tell a story? In every situation—good, bad, or indifferent—people around us are watching and listening to the story we are telling. Our story is communicated not only through our words but also through our attitudes and actions as we respond to life’s buffetings and blessings.

Paul reminds us that as followers of Jesus, our lives are like letters "...known and read by all.. written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God..." Our children and grand-children, spouses, neighbors, and co-workers can all observe the story we’re telling.

What is the story that those around us are reading through the letter of our lives? Stories of forgiveness? Compassion? Generosity? Patience? Love? If you’ve experienced the joy of a grace-filled life that comes from the Spirit of God in you, then welcome to the joy of being one of God’s great storytellers!

Exercise It

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

1 Peter 3:7 "...so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

If you want to strengthen your faith, exercise it! "Use it or lose it!"

When someone wants to build muscle, they know it doesn’t happen all at once. They don’t go into the gym on Thursday evening at 7pm and come out at 8pm bulging with muscles. No, they know that it’ll be a long steady process of exercise that makes them strong.

In the same way, God’s letting you know that He allows annoyances, difficulties and trials along life’s road to gradually strengthen your faith. When difficulties come along, don’t view them as obstacles to your faith, but rather as opportunities from God for you to trust Him and grow.

Get With Him

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Matthew 11:28-30  "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." 
 
You are tired and troubled with nowhere to turn. This is when you can turn your eyes upon Jesus. He offers a constant invitation to come to Him. Burdens bear down on your back of responsibility like a ton of bricks, but Jesus is there to ease the pressure. Health, work and family problems assault your mind and body like unceasing fire from the enemy, but Jesus is there to soothe the pain and anxiety through prayer. 

Take Him at His word and yoke up with His humility and gentleness. His invitation to rest is received by faith. The yoke of Jesus gives hope and encouragement to the soul. Start by aligning your calendar with Jesus time. A partnership with Christ requires time and attention. You cannot maintain a relationship with Him without investing in Him. 

Therefore, slow down each day and listen to the voice of the One who created the world with a word. His words are powerful and freeing. They are comforting and convicting. Get away and get with Him! 

Uniquely Formed To Bless Others

From: Bayless Conley Ministries

Psalm 18:33 "This God Who girded me with might, kept my way unerring."

God gives us all strength, yet I believe there are specific things He gives each of us that make you and me strong individually. The book of Psalms says in 33:14-15, "From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually." In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul writes, "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."

We are collectively the body of Christ, but God has wired us each differently. He has put certain deposits in one person that may not be in another person. He has given one person a certain kind of strength that may not be another person's strength.

There is something uniquely you that gives you strength and character and presence, something that God has put in you. Remember, God individually fashioned you. "You knit me in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13) There is something wonderfully unique about you, through which God wants to bring blessing to others.

Hindsight

From: Winning Walk Ministries - Ed Young 

Ephesians 1:17-18 "May God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him. May the eyes of your hearts be opened..."

Sometimes we just don't see God coming. We don't realize that He desires to meet with us, that He wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives. However, often when He comes close, we're largely unaware.

Moses experienced the presence of God in some pretty spectacular ways. Once he asked God to show him His glory, but God warned Moses that what he asked was dangerous: "No one can see My face and live," He said. Instead, He offered an indirect alternative. He would hide Moses in the cleft of a rock, and shield him with His hand. Then, when God had passed by, He would allow Moses to see His back. Moses saw God, but only in hindsight.

Aren't we like that? We may say we want to see God, but we couldn't survive His direct approach. But when He has passed by, when we've had a brush with glory, we see Him in hindsight. We say, "Oh yes, that was the hand of God. He was with me there. He touched my life, and I didn't even realize it at the time." 

Seek to daily stretch your awareness of God's glorious presence.

Always Make Room

From: Oswald Chambers Ministries

Luke 24:36 "While they were still speaking about this, He stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'" 

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him. We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. 

Would we be surprised if God came into our home or place of work in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way.

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point...and you will know it! Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

Serving Others

From: New Life Daily Devotion - Steve Arterburn

1 Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." 

Finding a way to help others is an expression of faith. It shows that we believe in the sovereignty of God. We don’t’ have to wait until the problem or pain in our life is gone, because we know God can use it for good.

Finding a way to help others requires that you ask two questions: "What is God doing?" and, "How can I get into the flow of His activity?" When we ask these questions, ideas will come. And once we begin doing this, the 'why is this happening' question, which once seemed so important, becomes irrelevant.

The best answer to why is always what. When we stop asking, "Why has God allowed this?" and begin asking, "What does He want me to do with it?", we’re ready for God to start His work in us, and that prepares us for service.

Born Of The Spirit

From: Oswald Chambers Ministries

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. 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 the life God wants for you. 

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.

The Lord's Prayer

From: Daily Disciples Devotional

Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread." 

Today's verse is taken from what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer. When Jesus' disciples asked Him how to pray, He gave them this prayer as a model. Matthew 6 and Luke 11 record this prayer in its entirety. Like many people, I learned the Lord's Prayer as a child and I have prayed it thousands of times. But how many of us really think about what we are praying when we recite this prayer? How often do I ask for my daily bread?

A better question might be: what exactly is "our daily bread?" One reference is to our temporary fleshly needs...food, water, clothing, shelter and the financial resources to get them. The other is for our eternal spiritual nourishment. 

Learning to feed on His Word every day will give us the spiritual nourishment we need to live a victorious Christian life. Ask the Lord today to give you His bread of life. When you allow the Word of God to penetrate your heart and mind daily, you will be transformed. Let the Lord feed you with His amazing Word.

Peace Of Heart

From: Daily Disciples Devotional

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled." 

The kind of peace Jesus gives is peace of heart. Christians should have great peace knowing that they are unconditionally loved and that God has a purpose for them. There is great peace seeing prayers answered and understanding the things of God. 

As a believer begins to meditate upon the things of God, the peace they receive in their hearts starts training their minds to think differently. We start hearing praise songs going through our minds and thanking God for His loving kindness and goodness towards us. 

Finally, this peace of Christ is lived out through the believers’ behaviors. Their attitude is not negative and they smile for no reason. They are focused but not self centered. And their behavior starts reflecting a trust in God that all things will work together for good because they love God and know God loves them and has a specific purpose for them. A believer understands that it is not about conflict-free circumstances that bring peace but about Jesus who brings peace in the midst of all kinds of circumstances. 

Faith

From: Neil Anderson Ministries

Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please God..."

The life of Wilma Rudolph, the great Olympic sprinter, is a remarkable story of faith. Wilma was born with health problems that left her crippled. "Will I ever be able to run and play like the other children?" Wilma asked her parents. "Honey, you have to believe in God and never give up hope," they responded. 

Taking her parents' counsel, she painfully struggled to walk. By the time she was 12, to the delight and surprise of many, Wilma no longer needed her braces. She went on to play basketball on her championship high school team and win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics.

Faith is the essence of the Christian's day-to-day activity. We tend to think of faith as some kind of mystical quality which belongs only in the realm of the spiritual. But everybody walks by faith. It is the most basic operating principle of life.

In Scripture, walking refers to the way you conduct your everyday life. Victorious Christian living and spiritual maturity are determined by our belief in God. "For we walk by faith not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Profoundly Changed

From: Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest

Isaiah 6:8 "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'"

There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call of God is not a reflection of my nature. My personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think only about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God.

But when God brings me into the right relationship with Himself, I will be in the same condition Isaiah was. Isaiah was so attuned to God, because of the great crisis he had just endured, that the call of God penetrated his soul. 

Most of the time we cannot hear anything but ourselves. The voice of God is a "tiny whisper" and requires finely tuned spiritual antennae. To be brought to the place where we can hear the call of God in our heart is to be profoundly changed. 

Wise Living

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Wise living keeps the realization and understanding of God in the vortex of your thinking. God awareness is a centerpiece. Wise living includes the ability to discern right from wrong and good from best.
"What would Jesus do?" becomes a way of life. His desires, His motivations, His thoughts, and His character become paramount in your thinking. This leads to wise living because it is based on Christ-like living.

God’s ways are the path to wisdom. The wisdom of God is unfathomable. But He is willing to share it. In fact, His preference is to shower His children with raindrops of wisdom. He delights in imparting His game plan for living. Use the Bible as your guide for wise recommendations. Your ability to discern will grow as you mature in the faith. 

The Heart Of The Issue

From: Bayless Conley Ministries

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

How do you lay up treasures in heaven? Giving to help people, giving to the poor, giving to ministry, giving to God's work, giving to God—that is the way you lay treasure up in heaven.

Notice that Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The heart of the issue is the heart. That is the theme of Jesus' teaching. A right heart attitude—a proper heart motive—is what God cares about most.  That is true whether you are giving, you are praying, or you are fasting.  He wants you to do these things for the right reasons.

Those right reasons include your desire to help people. Your desire to express your love for God and His Kingdom. Those are the right reasons. Jesus said, when you are motivated by the right reasons, you are laying up treasure in heaven.  

Calling

From: New Life Daily Devotionals - Steve Arterburn

2 Thessalonians 1:11 "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." 
 
One day while talking to her students about what they wanted to do in life, an English teacher at a Christian high school asked what considerations might motivate their career selection. Money was the top answer, followed by talent, ability, and a general liking for the type of work. She then responded with a question: "Are you saying that none of you have considered your future occupation in light of what God would have you do?"

Sadly, many people think that unless they’ve received "a calling" to become a minister or missionary, God can pretty much stay out of their career picture. But God calls dentists, salesclerks, insurance salesmen, truck drivers, moms, corporate executives, and list goes on. 

Whatever your occupation might be, see it as a calling from God. And recognize that our main calling in life is to be Christ-like, no matter what we do, who we’re with, or where we are.
 
"God does not call those that are equipped. He equips those whom He has called." - Smith Wigglesworth 

Our Trustworthy Guide

From: In Touch Ministries

Proverbs 3:6 "In all things be mindful of Him and He will direct your paths."

Our all-knowing God created us with a need for His guidance. In our own strength, knowledge, and reasoning power, we are simply not able to figure out how to make the wisest decisions. But the Lord’s assuring hand at our shoulder can lead us down right paths to good choices.

The Lord is willing and able to guide us, if we will let Him. It isn’t difficult to fall in step with Him. Choose to follow His lead by reading the Word of God and applying biblical principles to your life. And learn to pray through both large and small decisions as you seek the path He has set for you.

Just beyond our last heartbeat lies eternity. The path may not be clear to our eyes, but Jesus is leading us there with a steady and sure hand.

Equipped For Spiritual Survival

From: Our Daily Bread Ministries

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in holiness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, and equipped for every good work."

The Swiss Army Knife is associated with excellence in blades and a variety of utilities. One model includes knife blades, a saw, scissors, a magnifying glass, a can opener, a screwdriver, a ruler, a writing pen, and more—all in one knife! If you are out camping in the wild, this one item can certainly make you feel equipped for survival.

We need something to equip us to survive spiritually in this world. God has given us His Word, a kind of spiritual knife for the soul.

The word translated equipped means to "furnish or fit completely." How does the Bible equip us for life’s journey? It provides spiritual truth in teaching; reproof in showing our imperfections; correction by revealing our sinful failures; and instruction in living a holy life. There’s not a more valuable tool than God’s Word to make us fully equipped for spiritual survival and personal growth.

The Brevity Of Time

From: Billy Graham Ministries

Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." 

As we flick the calendar to a new year, we come face to face with the fact that our days on earth are numbered. As the Psalmist wrote, "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." 

No thoughtful person can approach New Year’s Day without some introspection. We are reminded of the brevity of time. 

We also look back over our failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities, and vow that we will make better use of our time during the coming year. We should take time to be pleasant, to smile, to extend the small courtesies we often omit to our friends, family, and acquaintances. In short, let us take time to express kindness and our love for each other!

Spiritual New Year's Resolution

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away, behold, new things have come!"  
2012 has gone and 2013 has come, ready or not! Most of us will admit we have character traits or habits we would like to change. Some of us even try to modify our behavior. But just changing outward behavior is like rolling back the odometer on a car. You reduce the numbers from 200,000 to 20,000, but you still have a car with 200,000 miles on it.

However, there is hope for the person who sincerely desires to change. The power to change like that means admitting we can't do it on our own. Remember, lasting change comes from within. We need the help of the Lord.

The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone and new has come. When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, He transforms us--changes us from the inside out. Instead of just rolling back the odometer and being the same old person inside, He gives us a spiritual heart transplant.