You Can Depend On It

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

Romans 8:38-39 "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God’s love is dependable! If you have begun a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you have an anchor for your soul that will hold you steady no matter what you face in life.

No matter what person on earth rejects you, there is One who will "never leave you, nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) No matter what things crumble away beneath your feet, no matter how many of the things you once found security in suddenly disappear into clouds and darkness, the lighthouse of God’s Word will always shine this message into your heart - "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

Even if you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, He will be with you every step of the way. This makes you different from every person who does not have Jesus Christ. God loves you. You can depend on it!

Selfless Love

From: CBN Ministries

John 10:14,15 "I am the good Shepherd...and I will lay down My life for the sheep."

Memorial Day – to some it’s merely the beginning of summer and to others it’s a solemn day to remember those who have passed from this life. However, to the war veteran and to the families of fallen soldiers, Memorial Day carries significance so deep that words cannot express their hearts.

Their sacrifice follows the example of Jesus Christ laying down His life for our freedom. It's selfless love for others! Notice that in scripture and in military service, the willingness to give up one’s life is not dependent on the worthiness of the people who benefit from the honorable act. "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8)

We are blessed to be living in a free society. May we honor our American soldiers for the liberty we have in this country. May we also give thanks to Almighty God for the freedom we have to spend eternity with Him because of His gift of forgiveness through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our Purpose For Living

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope."

Time keeps moving on. It never stops for anyone - no matter how important you are. "You are a vapor that appears briefly and then vanishes." (James 4:14) We just can't find enough of that stuff. The late Jim Croce sang about bottling time. While we can't do that, one thing's for sure - God wants us to be good stewards of our time, but we'll never be able to until we're clear about our purpose for living.

The starting point is knowing why we're here. Ask God to help you develop a life-purpose statement. It will take some time, but it's the best time you'll ever invest. Know why you're here.

Next, decide each day what's most important for you to do that day, and do it. By having a clear purpose and doing the most important thing each day, God can revolutionize your life and help you make the most of your time.

Strength To Get Through

From: Greg Laurie Ministries

Revelation 12:12 "...The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

During the Korean War, Marines in the Baker Company found themselves cut off while enemy forces advanced. For several hours, no word was heard from them. Finally a faint signal came through. Straining to hear each word, the radio operator asked,"'Do you read me?'" 

"This is Baker Company," came the reply. 

"What is your situation?"

"The enemy is to the east of us. The enemy is to the west of us. The enemy is to the south of us and to the north of us..." The soldier then paused briefly and continued, "And we are not going to let them escape this time!"

That is the attitude we should have when the devil seems to be hitting us from every side. "No weapon formed against you shall prevail." (Isaiah 54:17) The Bible tells us, "The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." But the devil does not want you to know that he is doomed. 

Problems, struggles, pain, temptations...exist for all of us! But listen: God will give us the strength to get through.

Ambassador For Christ

From: Joel Osteen Ministries

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit; without Me you can do nothing."

Have you ever really thought about the relationship between a branch and the vine? We don’t use these kinds of word pictures very much anymore, but think about it — if the branch is not attached to the vine, it withers and dies. The very life of the branch depends on being attached to the vine.

The same thing happens if we try to operate in this life without Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We are cut from our life source. But when you remain in Him by daily connecting with Him through prayer, worship and study of the Word, then your life will be fruitful. You’ll walk in joy and blessing as Christ's ambassador.

Notice that this verse says "much fruit." Choose to remain in Him today; choose to make Him your top priority, and you’ll clearly see His hand guiding you in every area of your life!

Perfect Timing

From: Powerpoint Daily Devotionals - Jack Graham

Psalm 40:2 "I waited, waited for the Lord; Who bent down and heard my cry."

Do you know what one of the toughest aspects of the Christian life is? Waiting for God. If you and I are honest with ourselves, it’s not always easy to have the patience and trust to wait for God’s perfect timing. Yet, one of the highest callings of the Scriptures is often to wait on God.

God’s grace is often best experienced when you have to wait on Him. And that’s because when you wait on Him, you have nothing but Him in which to hope. It’s when you think you have your life all together and you don’t feel you need God that things begin to really fall apart because He is the only foundation that will never crumble.

So when a situation comes where you have to wait—whether it’s sickness, sorrow, heartache or pain—remain faithful and wait patiently on God to work and you’ll be able to fully experience His abundant grace.

The Psalms

From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn

Psalm 3:4,5 "But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill."

It’s impossible to adequately summarize the richness and breadth contained in the book of Psalms. It was Israel’s hymnbook, containing songs of praise to God. It also contains the cries of God’s people in difficult situations. And it was a prayer book for Israel. The psalmists looked to God in moments of private despair, in times of national suffering, and in joyous mountain-top moments.

The Psalms are for us right now, today. Each psalm is an expression of the heart. Through them you might express your pain, heartache, and discouragement. Through others you may praise God as He frees you from oppression and despair.

The Psalms are living words, a collection of spiritual diaries from people who honestly sought God’s help and His heart. They can function as deterrents to keep you out of trouble, guides to help you through problems, reminders of the One who actually delivers you, or as beacons of hope to encourage you in perplexing or painful situations.

Sense Of Urgency

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

2 Corinthians 6:2 "Behold, now is a very acceptable time..."

Jesus had a sense of urgency. Not a frantic pace without purpose, but a focused diligence on doing God’s work. He prayerfully sought to steward each day with an eye on eternity. 

He did not allow criticism to distract Him in defensiveness, or praise to fuel His pride in superior thinking. Rather, Jesus knew He was on a mission from His heavenly Father. Time was a precious gift from God that deserved doing His will. Our Savior had a sense of urgency around God’s priorities.

This sense of a divine mandate begs a question, "How can we best serve our Master Jesus while we have the energy and opportunity?" By the Holy Spirit motivating our sense of urgency. Each day engage in a Spirit-led sense of urgency that is intentional in the things of God.

Listening To God

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Because we love Jesus, we love the Bible. We want to get to know Jesus more, and so we soak our lives in the Word of God.

If you have a relationship with another person, and you want to get to know them better, you have a conversation with them. You listen carefully to what they share with you about themselves. You focus on them.

It is the same with your walk with God. God is speaking to you. The Bible can be dry if you approach it academically. But if you approach it with an open heart, listening for the voice of God in your heart, it will be "sweeter than honey to your mouth." No one can taste it for you. You must open your Bible and savor its sweetness for yourself.

A Closer Walk With God

From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North

John 1:1,14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory."

Why was Jesus referred to as "the Word?" Because He is God speaking to us—God wants you to know Him! Jesus expressed in word and action what God is really like.
The whole Bible is about God revealing Himself to people. Even in your own life, God is constantly reaching out to you, inviting you every day to live your life in close relationship with Him.

That’s why He has given us the Bible, which is also called "the Word." God wants to be totally involved in your life today. He doesn’t just want you to be a "committed Christian," He wants to walk with you through your day on a relational level.

Make your life a pursuit of God! When the Bible talks about "seeking God," this is what it means. It means that you look for any way, any opportunity to get to know God better on the personal level. God is inviting you to a closer walk with Him. 

An Eternal Perspective

From: Michael Youssef Ministries

Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction and persevere in prayer."

Paul encourages us, "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction and persevere in prayer." As a Hebrew, Paul would have been grammatically inclined to place the most important idea at the end of the sentence. Paul is essentially saying that when we persist in prayer, we will not only be steadfast during the tough times, but we will rejoice in hope.

Paul is not talking about temporary optimism or positive thinking. He is saying that persistent prayer leads to a truly optimistic, hope-filled outlook on life. Prayer puts things in an eternal perspective. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit can show us how God views our circumstances, rather than our faulty, pessimistic attitudes. Only through an ongoing fellowship with God can we find the joy of biblical hope.

Biblical hope comes from the absolute confidence and trust that God has our best interests in His heart. When we are filled with biblical hope, we wake up each morning with enthusiasm waiting to see how God is going to meet our needs, how He is going to walk with us that day, and how He is going to use us mightily for Him.

Don't Forget To Pray

From: BBH Ministries

Ephesians 6:18 "Pray at every opportunity in the Spirit." 

Remember to pray often. Paul here says we are to be praying always, that our whole life is to be constantly bathed in prayer.

There should be thanksgiving, confession and supplication in every part of our day. Every decision should be made prayerfully. Every undertaking in God’s service should be approached with prayer. We all know the importance of prayer; but so often we are not as concerned as we should be that our prayer life is not what it should be — we need the reminder, "Don’t forget to pray."

Remember, also, that you are being heard. Jesus promised that when we knock it shall be opened. The answer comes in God’s own way and on His timetable but we are encouraged to keep asking and knocking.

Patience

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry." 

Patient people wait on God’s best. God things happen to those who are patient—those who wait. Patience is a virtue, but it is also a vehicle in which the Lord delivers His blessings.

However, as we wait we pray and we prepare. We pray for patience—knowing that Jesus Christ is completely trustworthy. We pray for boldness to declare God’s truth to those who have yet to fall in love with Jesus. Waiting is also the Lord’s time to prepare our character. Our character has to keep up with our success for us to remain successful.

Your heavenly Father knows what you need and when you are able to handle His blessing. Patience is the fruit of the Spirit—it resides with God—available for His children. So, seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit each day. Christ manages the clock of life, so rest and regroup during His timeouts. In this parenthesis of time you can enjoy living for the Lord and others. 

Persevere In Faith

From: Oswald Chambers Devotionals

Revelation 3:10 "Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is coming to the whole world."

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. It means you consciously entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith.

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. 

Our Command center

From: Our Daily Bread Ministries

Proverbs 4:23 "Guard your heart with all diligence."

Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day. A healthy heart can do amazing things. Conversely, if our heart malfunctions, our whole body shuts down.

The same could be said of our "spiritual heart." In Scripture, the word heart represents the center of our emotions, thinking, and reasoning. It is the "command center" of our life.

So when we read, "Guard your heart with all diligence",  it makes a lot of sense. But it’s difficult advice to keep. Life will always make demands upon our time and energy that cry out for immediate attention. By comparison, taking time to hear God’s Word and to do what it says may not shout quite so loudly. We may not notice the consequences of neglect right away, but over time it may give way to a spiritual heart attack. God's Word can help us align our hearts with His every day.

A Vision Of God

From: Oswald Chambers Devotionals

Habakkuk 2:3 "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it."

Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration. 

Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. ". . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27) A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue— he is devoted to God Himself. 

 You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it. Things come to you with greatness and add vitality to your life because everything is energized by God. He may give you a time spiritually, with no word from Himself at all, just as His Son experienced during His time of temptation in the wilderness. When God does that, simply endure, and the power to endure will be there because you see God.

Joshua

From: Steve Arterburn Ministries

Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  

All through the Old Testament book of Joshua, the Lord says, "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid." What a message for us!

As I read through the book of Joshua I was amazed at how when the Lord spoke to him, he never stood before the Lord with excuses. He never grumbled and complained about his childhood or his feelings of inadequacy or his anxiety or anything else you can think of. He simply moved forward in faith. As a consequence he led the entire nation of Israel to conquer and settle in the Promised Land.

If you would arise each day with the same simple faith of Joshua, a faith that simply trusted the Lord as shown by your actions and behavior, just think about what you could accomplish...according to God's will for your life. The enemy will be defeated! "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) 

Totally Honest With God

From: Steve Arterburn Devotionals

Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

 
We know more about the spiritual life of David than probably any other person in the Bible. The extensive record of his life and the Psalms he wrote show us that he studied and meditated on God’s word, he fasted, and that his entire life was yielded to God’s service.  
 
His prayers often begin with an honest confession of anger, despair, or frustration. He didn’t hide his feelings from God and he didn’t pretend that he was "super-spiritual." Spiritual renewal flows from the freedom to be totally honest with God. 
 
When you consider the worship and prayer in David’s life, you soon recognize that being someone after God’s own heart doesn’t mean you never fall. It means when you fall, you look to God to restore your spirit, and you fall to your knees in worship and prayer.  

Stay The Course

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be brave and steadfast; have no fear for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you. He will never fail you or forsake you."

Spiritual stability comes from thinking properly about the things of God. His ways are like the secure moorings of a ship that is docked safely and secure in its harbor. And His Spirit is like the wind that propels the sail of a boat in need of movement in the right direction.

However, doubt can creep in like a selfish bandit and steal away thoughts of security. It is at this testing point of trust that a calm child of God relies on Christ’s character.

The winds of adversity will try to veer you off Christ’s course, but stay the course. The Lord gives you an eternal instrument panel, the Word of God, that is interpreted through intimacy with Him. Trust that what He says is true and where He says to go is good. Jesus gives spiritual stability when doubt assaults your faith.

Discerning God's Will

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

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

 
God’s will is the goal of every sincere seeker of the Lord. His will is not ellusive, but attainable to His children—it is good and acceptable. But discernment is a process of testing and approving—so that a Christian’s faith and character grows—and Christ’s best is clarified. Discerning God’s will is a spiritual exercise in divine due diligence.

Christ’s best for you consists of wise stewardship, the alignment of your passions, gifts and experiences, and your investment in others. You can be certain Jesus wants to use you to draw people to Himself.

God does not delight in keeping His children in the dark, so pray often that the Holy Spirit reveals His ways to you. Clarity may come in the form of a scripture verse, another person’s Godly example or counsel, or simply a "tiny whispering sound" in the deep recesses of your heart! You can trust the Lord to lead you in His providential path.