Truth

TODAY’S VERSE
Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.
Ephesians 6:13-14 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Interestingly, when God chose to warn us about Spiritual Warfare and described the armor of God, the first piece He told us of was the “belt of truth.” Truth is crucial to have spiritual victory. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” More and more information is being dumped on us all the time. It is impossible to keep up with all the new information. If we are not careful, we will become spectators of the truth. We will choose truth without an absolute allegiance. We will lose the reverence for truth. Worse, albeit subtly, we will believe two opposites are true simultaneously. So when I am in church, I will sing like I truly believe (And I may honestly believe), but on Monday, I live at work as if God never existed. I deny Christ as any authority in my life. Today, we must recommit ourselves to the truth. We must dig into the word of God, ask God to speak to us, and hold on to the truth as if our lives depended on it. Let us put on the armor of God and stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I know I am in a spiritual battle and need to know, believe, and live the truth. Help guide me to be strong in Your mighty truth as I pray, meditate, and follow Your lead.
AMEN

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The Grace, Love, and Fellowship of God

TODAY’S VERSE
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
II Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
The grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship with our Holy God’s Spirit. Does it get any better than this? The three keys to life are all found in our Christian experience. The grace of Jesus Christ. Grace, the ability of Christ to see us as we are and because of His death on the cross, is able to extend unmerited favor upon us, forgiving us, cleansing us, and making us whole. The love of God the Father. Love from the one who is love. Perfect love. Unconditional love. Unfathomable love. Unending love. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The comforter has come, and He brings a fellowship sweeter than life itself. A deep relationship, teaching us of truth, judgment, and righteousness. A fellowship that results in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He guides us, protects us, comforts us, teaches us, and leads us. Today, you can avail yourself of all of this. This is the normal Christian experience that God desires you to have. Today, ask Him to make you keenly aware of the grace of Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to make it real, deep in your heart.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me see and understand, deep in my heart, what it means to be filled with the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I desire to know this in all its fullness. In Jesus’ Name.
AMEN

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Where Are You Walking?

TODAY’S VERSE
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. — For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1-2, 10

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Not all walking is the same. There is a stroll down the beach on a beautiful sunny day. Is there anything better than hearing the waves slap the shore, the sounds of birds above, and feeling the warm sun on your face? How about a hike down a mountain path? Beautiful horizons, breathtaking waterfalls, and exotic foliage as you walk back to the valley below. But then there is the walk from the car into the hospital after you have received news of a loved one who has been admitted. Or the terrifying walk into a courtroom as you face a legal battle. Or how about a walk looking for somewhere warm to sleep when you are homeless, living out in the streets. Not all walks are the same. Paul is writing about the contrast between two different types of walking. The first walk Paul talks about is a death walk. Walking through each day spiritually dead because of our disobedience and sins, obeying the devil, the commander of this world. The second walk Paul talks about is the walk of purpose and meaning. Paul writes that this is living as if we believed we are the personal workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works. This is walking through life with a meaning, a purpose, and a mission greater than ourselves. Where are you walking? You have a choice. You don’t have to go down the walk of death. Today, choose life. Choose to follow Christ and walk with Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me walk with You. You know the times I have wandered down dead-end streets and alleys and ended up spiritually bankrupt. Help me walk today in the kind of life You created me for. I choose to follow You.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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No Shame

TODAY’S VERSE
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:1-2 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Shame and guilt have so many of us in bondage. If it is not actual shame, it is the fear of being shamed. Yet feeling shameful is not the way of life God has chosen for us. David knew this. In today’s passage, David is appealing to God to forgive him. He came to Him with complete abandonment, crying out for mercy, asking God to cleanse him from all his sins. He was counting on God’s unfailing love and compassion. Likewise, we come to God through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, asking that all our sins be forgiven. But do we actually believe that happens? Are we honestly forgiven? We need to get to that same place of trust that David was in. We need to know and experience the freedom that comes from the forgiveness of Christ. David accepted himself as clean. Will you? Live in His forgiveness today.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I refuse to believe that You are ashamed of me or that you will abandon me because of my transgressions. I confess my sin and accept the death of Christ on the Cross as the substitution for my wrongdoings. Help me, Lord, rise, not in arrogance, but humility, knowing that I am cleansed and accepted by Your unconditional love. I choose to accept myself as forgiven and not ashamed. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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Who Is Jesus?

TODAY’S VERSE
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:13-16 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
What do you believe about Jesus? That is the real question. You can have all sorts of “head knowledge”; you can quote the creeds and catechisms, but if you don’t have the “I’m going to trust You because I know You love me” kind of knowledge, you really don’t know who Christ is. There were all kinds of speculation about the nature of Jesus. Some thought He was a prophet, others thought He was John the Baptist or Elijah, but Peter knew who Jesus was. Peter answered without hesitation and said that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the son of the living God. Peter had a complete view of who Christ was. Do you? Julian of Norwich wrote, “Some of us believe that God is almighty and can do everything; and that he is all wise and may do everything; but that He is all love and will do everything – there we draw back.” You see, it is one thing to believe God can do everything, another to think He may, but it is a whole other level of knowledge to say that God loves me and will do everything. Today, make your knowledge complete. He is the Christ, the son of the living God! Trust in Him with your whole heart. Believe in His deep love for you with faith, trusting Him in all things.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I thank You for being almighty and being able to do everything. I praise You for the fact that You are all wise and may do all things. But most of all, Father, I worship You today, believing that You love me unconditionally and will do everything according to that love.
AMEN

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Spiritual Growth

TODAY’S VERSE
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:9-10

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is one thing about life you can count on. Life is not static. You are either living or you are dying. I have learned a lot about life from gardening. To have a good garden, you must have a good balance of sun, water, and nutrients. You must also protect the plants by weeding and keeping away the bugs and animals that would destroy them. It is the same with your spiritual life. You must nurture and care for your own soul. You must protect yourself from spiritual forces that would destroy you. How? By letting God fill you with the knowledge of His will. He does that through Spiritual wisdom and understanding. As you seek God and learn more about Him, the more alive you will become. This discipline will result in a life worth living, pleasing to God. Today, stop being static in your spiritual life and set your heart on gaining spiritual wisdom and understanding. Grow in your knowledge of God.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me grow in You. Help me gain Spiritual wisdom and understanding as I read Your word and listen to Your Holy Spirit. Help me grow in my knowledge of You.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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Live What You Know

TODAY’S VERSE
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
James 1:22

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever tried to lose weight? There is no fast way to lose the pounds you acquired over a long time. Now, certainly, some ways are quicker than others, but there is no way you will lose twenty pounds overnight. Knowing “how” to lose weight isn’t enough. Instead, you need to apply what you know, one day at a time, every day. Knowledge of the weight loss principles combined with the discipline required to support your knowledge equals weight loss. James felt the same way about spirituality. There were all kinds of “spiritual” people in Jerusalem where James was head of the church. There were plenty of people learning about Christianity. But James wrote that you need to do more than listen to the word of God. If learning doesn’t affect how we live, what good is it? It is like a weight loss program that you won’t follow. So what was James’ advice? It was simple, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” So today, let’s take the word of God that we already know in our hearts and apply it to everything we do.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, my mind is full of “knowledge” about Your word. Today, help me apply all that knowledge to everything I do. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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Our Real Self

TODAY’S VERSE
For to me, to live is Christ
Philippians 1:21

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Paul had found the secret to real living. He discovered his true, authentic self when he found his life in Christ. It is not that he “lost” himself but that his true purpose and meaning for existence were “found” when he found Christ. There was no dichotomy in his life. There wasn’t a “church” personality on Sunday, and a different one at work on Monday. Rather, there was integration between his faith and his life. Dr. David Benner, in his book “The Gift of Being Yourself,” writes about our identity found in Christ. He writes, “There is, a way of being for each of us that is as natural and deeply congruent as the life of the tulip. Beneath the roles and masks lies a possibility of a self that is as unique as a snowflake. It is an originality that has existed since God first loved us into existence. Our true self-in-Christ is the only self that will support authenticity. It and it alone provides an identity that is eternal.” What about you? Have you dedicated your life to Christ in such a way that you have found your true, authentic self? Can you say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ”? If not, why not surrender your heart to Him today? Ask Him to reveal your true self in Christ to you.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I admit that I have built my life how I see fit. I have ignored the restlessness deep in my heart that cries out for You. Today, I choose to make You ruler of my life. Father, please help me. I want to say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ.”
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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Enlighten My Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19 (NIV)
                              
TODAY’S THOUGHT
I have always loved poetry. I love words put together on a page with hidden meanings, a puzzle waiting to be solved, pregnant with truth and wisdom. My father has always loved “The Road Less Taken” by Robert Frost. Growing up, he would quote the ending. I have it memorized. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” How true that phrase is. We have choices. And there is no greater choice than the one you make regarding your heart. God desires us to follow Him, yet He will not force us to do so. We have a choice. Which road will we take? The Psalmist warns against a hard heart. He writes, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Will we listen to bitterness, jealousy, self-pity and other negative emotions? Will we turn our back on God’s love or open our hearts to hear what He has to say? Paul knew how serious our hearts were, so he prayed for the Ephesians. He prayed that their hearts would be enlightened toward the things of God. Do you seek God’s enlightenment? Do you ask Him for wisdom to understand the depths of His love for you? Do you ask Him to show you His purpose for your life? Do you ask Him to teach you about His great power He has for you to live by? You have a choice with your heart. Will you let God enlighten it with His love and power, or will you let it harden?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, take my heart and breathe Your life into it. I don’t want a hard heart. I want a heart that is enlightened by Your Holy Spirit. One that is led day by day, living by faith, trusting in Your love and power.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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Don’t Be An Imposter

TODAY’S VERSE
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:328-42 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is so easy to be busy with “God’s work” that we forget who we work for. Question. What do you think God is more interested in, us or the work we do for Him? You must be careful. It is not wrong to be busy when you need to be. There are seasons of hard work. But why are you doing it? To earn God’s love? To keep up appearances? Because of what others might think if you don’t work at the church all the time? Brennan Manning calls this being an imposter. He writes about it in his book, “Abba’s Child”. “Imposters are preoccupied with acceptance and approval. Because of their suffocating need to please others, they cannot say no with the same confidence with which they say yes. And so they overextend themselves in people, projects, and causes, motivated not by personal commitment but by the fear of not living up to other’s expectations.  – Living out of the false self creates a compulsive desire to present a perfect image to the public so that everybody will admire us and nobody will know us. The impostor’s life becomes a perpetual roller-coaster ride of elation and depression.” Mary chose to worship Christ. And though Martha’s hard work and devotion are commendable, she was filled with worries and cares. Jesus had to remind Martha that what Mary had chosen to focus on the love that Christ has for us was the only thing Martha had to do. If she did that, everything else would fall into place. Today, might we understand that we don’t have to earn the Lord’s love. Instead, we need to live as if we already have it. We do!

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me serve You with a sincere heart. Forgive me for the many times I have been an imposter, just acting a part so I could win approval. Help me understand Your love for me in such a way that I would be a Martha with Mary’s insight.
AMEN

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NOW YOU CAN HEAR A DIFFERENT MOMENT IN THE WORD ON YOUTUBE! Go to http://www.youtube.com/@ronovitt and You will find my channel. Click on playlists and go to Moment In The Word. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you will get them every day!

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