Don’t Lose Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Psalms 73:26 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is easy to grow weary and lose heart. Paul knew this. He openly discussed his hardships in the ministry. But he also knew the cure for weariness. It was God. God gives us the ability to press on. Even in all his struggles, Paul wrote, “We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Paul again shared, “And let us not lose heart and grow weary for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” The Psalmist, centuries before, said the same thing. He wrote, “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart.” Today come to God with your weariness. Resolve never to give up and lose heart. Let Him be your strength.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, protect my heart. Be my strength and help me overcome my weariness.
AMEN

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All My Troubles

TODAY’S VERSE
I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.
Psalm 142:1-3 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I wonder, when Peter wrote, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you,” if he didn’t have today’s verse in mind. King David knew what troubles were. From being a shepherd boy protecting his flock from wild animals to being hunted like a fugitive by King Saul, David had his trials. As a King, he dealt with war, famine, drought, and the people’s complaints. But David also knew that God was the solution. He cried out to God, sharing his complaints and troubles. He pleaded for God’s mercy and received it over and over again. When he was overwhelmed, he cried out to God because he was confident of this one thing; the Lord knew which way David needed to go. Today, in all your struggles, turn to God. Pour out your heart to Him. He will show you the way.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, I need You. You know my troubles. You know my complaints. You also know the way I should turn. Help me, guide me, direct my path, I pray. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Thinking The Right Way

TODAY’S VERSE
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:11 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever met a person who has a victim mentality? They always have to surround themselves with turmoil. They can’t seem to be satisfied until something is wrong, and they can go into their victim mode. Worse, some people go around as if they were cursed! How we look at circumstances and what we think about can make all the difference in how we live. Pessimism, negativity, fear, and doubt can color a bright shiny day into a grey, cloudy, overcast. If anyone could be negative, it would be Paul. The Gentiles were persecuting the church, and many legalistic Christians were spreading false teaching.
On top of that, Paul was writing this letter from prison. Yet as he sat imprisoned, he wrote about one “final thing.” He told the Philippians brothers and sisters to fix their thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. He admonished them to emulate his own life, and here is what he promised. He said if we change our thinking, the God of peace will be with us. Today let the God of all peace minister to your soul. Rebuke negativity and begin to think of those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God of all peace, forgive me for my fear, doubt, and negativity. Help me change my thinking. Help me concentrate on those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Turn From Idols To God

TODAY’S VERSE
I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.
Isaiah 65:1 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I don’t think anything would break my heart more than to have my boys in trouble, need my help, and they never tell me about it. It would also grieve me to have them live in the same neighborhood as I do, yet we never meet and get together. How much more does God feel that way about us. Isaiah writes that God was ready to respond to the needs of His people, and yet they never asked. God even pursued them, yet they did not call on His name. That’s what idolatry does. It replaces God in our hearts with something else. It takes our attention and allegiance away from God. An idol doesn’t have to be made out of wood or stone. It could be made out of success, pleasure, or other life pursuits. It could be an emotional idol like bitterness, vengeance, or shame that keeps us away from the God who loves us. Whatever it is that is keeping you away from God, repent of it. God is calling you. He is waiting, respond to His love today.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for having idols that keep me from You. Today, I desire a deep relationship. I will turn away from those things that have stolen my heart and renew my affection for You. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Live Like Christ

TODAY’S VERSE
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
I John 2:6 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
How true is this? How often do we hear the word, “hypocrite” in association with Christians? Why? Because we follow a high standard. We claim to follow Christ so people assume we are going to live like Him. Why not? Isn’t that what Jesus expected? He said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works because I am going to be with the Father.” Isn’t that what Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Corinth, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Peter wrote, “Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” It is a tall order. Sure we will fail, but in humility, we confess and ask for His strength to help us to try again. The good news is He hasn’t left us empty-handed. He has given us the Bible. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Today, let us live like Christ. 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, I try to live like You, but I fall so short. I cannot do it by myself. Please help me, through the power of Your Holy Spirit and Your word, to live like You. 
AMEN

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My Doubt

TODAY’S VERSE
The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There are sad stories, but this is one of the saddest. After years of slavery, Moses liberated the children of God. However, because of their disobedience, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Finally, they were on the border of the Promised Land, and God told them to send out twelve spies into the land. When they came back, ten of the spies gave a negative report saying it was impossible to overtake the giants that lived in the Land. Joshua and Caleb said that they should trust God to provide them with victory. Sadly, the people ended up refusing to go into the land. Why? Because they were scared? At first glance, it seems so, but today’s verse shares the sad truth. The real reason they did not enter the promised land was they doubted God. They questioned if He cared, even worse, whether He was able to care for them. How many opportunities have you missed? How many times have you let fear stop you from following God? How many times have you doubted whether God could do anything for your situation? Worse, how many times have you doubted that He even cared? Today, repent of your unbelief. Put your faith in God and let Him lead you into the land He has for you.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, forgive me for my crippling doubts. Help me to know You more so I will trust You in everything You ask me to do. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Worries

TODAY’S VERSE
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I Peter 5:7

TODAY’S THOUGHT
What do you do with your worries? We all have them. We can’t help what comes into our heads, but once there, we have choices. The trouble is worry feels productive. It feels like we are attempting to solve something. It feels like we are getting close to resolution, but all we really are doing is repeatedly ruminating all these negative scenarios in our heads. Situations can cause us to be concerned, shocked, apprehensive, cautioned, and even horrified. But after our initial reaction, we can reflect, review the situation and take action. Worry, however, just worries. It doesn’t stop; it goes on and on unless we do something to make it quit. We need something bigger than our worries to take care of them. That is why Peter says you can give all your worries and cares to God. Why? Because He is God, He is big enough! And because He cares about you! Can you feel your body relax? He cares for you. Can you feel the worries leave? How wonderful. Today, don’t hang on to your worries one more second. Give them to God. He cares about you.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father God. Thank You for caring so deeply for me. I am bringing all my worries and cares to You. Help me to leave them there.
Amen

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Emotions

TODAY’S VERSE
But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
Psalms 42:8 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
If nothing else, we are full of emotions. You can’t get away from them. But the goal is not to avoid emotions; instead, we need to regulate them. That is letting God, in all His power, grace, and love, return us to deep joy and peace. Psalms 42 exemplifies this. Throughout the Psalm, the author shares deep emotional angst. But each time, the Psalmist ends up turning to God. “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” the author asks. But then the author writes, “I will put my hope in God!” Again, “Now I am deeply discouraged,” followed with a resounding, “but I will remember you.” Every day seemed to bring its emotional test, but the author is quick to note, “Each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.” Today, life will have its emotional challenges but don’t stop there. You have a choice. Give your heart to God. Talk to Him, share your story with Him and let His love for you, His concern, His opinion of you return you to joy.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know my emotions. You know my ups and downs. You know my hurts, my frailty, my insecurities. So I come to You. I come and ask You to speak to me, comfort me, share with me the truth of Your deep love and care. And then, in Your tender mercy, return me to joy. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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A Hard Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.
Mark 3:5 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
The Pharisees, who thought they were so close to God because of their ability to follow the letter of the law, failed to acknowledge and teach about God’s grace, and it angered Jesus. It angered Him that the Pharisees thought God cared more about the law than love, mercy, and grace. But what grieves me is that we see that Christ’s anger soon turns to sadness. Sadness over how far we can stray from His love. Sadness that we can become blinded to the truth of His grace and allow our hearts to become hardened by traditions and religion. How hard is your heart? Do you know that God loves you, deeply cares for you? Are you rejoicing in the grace He has for you? Do you enjoy a deep fellowship with Him? Or has your heart been hardened? Today, come to God and let His love and grace soften your heart.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I have let so many things come between You and me. I have allowed my heart to harden toward You. Forgive me. I come now and ask You to soften my heart again. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Unbelief

TODAY’S VERSE
Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
Mark 6:51-52 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Why is it so hard to believe? What is it about the supernatural that makes us so skeptical? Why is it we can experience a miracle one minute and doubt if God will help us in the next? The disciples had seen Jesus heal countless numbers of people. He just finished feeding thousands of people from a few loafs of bread and fish. And yet, when they were in a battle for their life on the sea, they are shocked that Jesus could (or perhaps would) stop the raging sea. When explaining this mystery Mark simply says that “Their hearts were too hard to take it in.” And therein lays the problem – their hearts, their felt beliefs, their deep-down gut-level feeling that things will be okay were not softened by a relational belief system. Their hearts didn’t know Jesus. They may have seen His power, but they did not see His heart! They weren’t convinced of His love for them. And neither are we. If we were, we would react differently to the storms we encounter. Instead, we too doubt, cower in fear or lash out in anger, all reactions to our confusion over who He is and what He wants to do. The good news is that today we can change that. We can begin to know Jesus better by spending time with Him. As we get to know His heart better, we will find ours start to soften.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me to know You better. I want to know Your heart, motives, and wisdom. Help me trust You in everything that comes my way.
AMEN

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