Heal My Inner Self

TODAY’S VERSE
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
We worship the God of the Universe. The cosmos and everything in it is under His control. But there is another universe that needs His rule as power and His presence so greatly. It is the universe of our inner world. This world is where we store our core beliefs, inner thoughts, and emotions. A world full of implicit memories reacting to the sensations around us, committing us to a path of action that often needs the touch of God. It is this world that so desperately needs Him. It is in our inner world that we need to ask, seek and knock for peace, joy and the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is in our inner world that we need the “peace that passes all understanding.” In her book, “The Healing Presence,” Leanne Payne writes, “Personhood, identity, being itself come from Him as our hands and hearts are open to receive. Focused on Him, we climb up and out of the hell of self and self-consciousness. Listening to the words He speaks, we are freed from the words that emanate from our unhealed hearts, from the unhealed hearts of our fellow creatures, or from the powers of darkness: those that accuse and tempt us toward separation and death. In listening to the words that come from God, we become all we were created to be.—God the Father, who has the Power of Being, heals and affirms us. By fiat He spoke the worlds into existence, by fiat He can and does create in us a new and solid sense of being.” Today, ask God to do a work in your inner self. Seek, with all your heart, to be filled with His presence and peace. Knock upon the Father’s door, seeking His fellowship and His love. May His very presence flood you internally with a deep sense of purpose and eternal mission.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You said that I can ask anything of You. You are the giver of good gifts, and I come today asking that You do mighty work in my inner life. Please guide me, heal me, teach me, lead me. Help me today to become all that You created me to be. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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It’s What’s Inside That Count

TODAY’S VERSE
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self.
I Peter 3:4 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Has there ever been a more materialistic society on the face of the earth than the United States? Fashion and body image permeate our media. You cannot find a magazine, newspaper, or television show that does not have advertisements that force judgment on a person’s image. Our image could come from personal appearance or the appearance of the person’s belongings. This includes the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you wear, or the gadgets you carry with you. Why have we let these things define us in the eyes of others? Why are we not more concerned about who we are on the inside than what others judge about our outside? It is time to stop this insanity! We need to stand up and say enough is enough! Peter did. He wrote, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self.” Although this part of the passage was written to women, I believe when Peter refers to the inner self, he is talking to the men today just as much as the women. The principle applies to both. So today, let’s begin an image revolution. Let’s focus on our inner self and make that our priority. Let’s stop giving into the world’s standards, putting an over-emphasis on all the outward trappings with their false standards. Instead, let us focus on the inner self. Here, we will find joy and peace that we had never experienced by our outward appearance alone.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for putting worldly standards ahead of Your Godly ones. Help me work on my heart and everything I am inside instead of worrying about my outward image. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Believe The Truth

TODAY’S VERSE
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
Psalms 40:11 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Oh, the lies that we believe. Those insidious thoughts that drive us crazy. Our internal dialog so often leads us into unnecessary grief and pain. In his book, “Learning to Tell Myself The Truth” William Backus writes, “You can know the truth somewhere in your brain’s storage cells, but not know the truth in your internal monologue. We often make ourselves miserable and keep ourselves miserable by listening to a nonstop stream of inner nonsense – even when we know very well that the nonsense runs counter to divine truth.” In today’s passage, the Psalmist cries out to the Lord for His mercy. He is asking God to protect him with His love and truth. It is knowing the truth that keeps us from all the madness. Martin Luther wrote, “We pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation’ so that God would guard and keep us lest the world, our flesh, and the devil lead us into misbelief, despair and other great shame and vice.” Today, might we let truth guide us? Might we challenge our negative thinking and any lies that would tempt us from believing in God’s love and mercy for us? May His love and truth protect us.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, do not withhold Your mercy from me. Please help me to trust in Your love and believe the truth you have given me in Your word.
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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Mind Your Heart And Mind

TODAY’S VERSE
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
William Backus, in his book “Learning To Tell Myself The Truth” writes, “Sadly, misbeliefs, whether verbal or visual, are the direct cause of emotional turmoil, maladaptive behavior, and most self-destructive behavior, such as overeating, smoking, lying, substance abuse, or adultery, to name a few.” It is true that the consequences of misbeliefs, misinterpretations of events, and skewed predictions about outcomes all too often lead to despair and the dysregulation of our emotions. Therefore, it is crucial that we protect our hearts and our minds. Paul shares how we can do this. First, he says we are to let the peace from knowing Christ rule in our hearts. The heart is where our emotions, imagination, visualizations, dreams, and aspirations come from. We need to let Christ rule in each of these areas. He should fill our imaginations, dreams, and visions with His peace. Satan uses our imagination. Have you ever noticed that you fear in technicolor, surround sound, and 3-D? It is the same with anger, hopelessness, and any other of our painful emotions. Our imagination goes wild. Instead, we need to let Christ’s peace fill our hearts. We need Him to be the Lord of our imagination. Second, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It is the word of God that challenges and helps correct any negative core belief. As His word dwells in our minds, we will begin to see it spill over into our belief system. This overflow happens through “admonishing one another with all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Today, give God both your heart and your mind. Let Him be the Lord of your thoughts and imagination.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, please let Your peace rule in my heart. Let Your word dwell in my mind. Help me grow with others as we admonish each other with all wisdom. May I be blessed by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. May I be filled with gratitude in my heart to You, dear God. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
AMEN

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Be Free

TODAY’S VERSE
My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
I John 2:1-2 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There are many different ways to treat our sins. We can blame others for our actions. We can deny that what we have done is wrong. We can project those very things we do onto others. We can choose to ignore our behavior or, better yet, rationalize why we did what we did. There are other options. We can feel shame. We can feel helpless and get deeply depressed. We can be bitter or give up and say, “It’s no use, that’s how I am.” But thank God there is yet another way. John shared it with us. He says if we sin, we can come to Christ, who will go to God the Father on our behalf. Jesus is the one who can assure us of forgiveness. He is the one who can comfort us. Christ is the one who can give us the strength to get up and start over. He is the one who can say to our accuser, “Be gone! Leave my child alone!” Today, if you have something bothering your conscience, if you feel burdened, bring it to Jesus. Confess it to Him, and then let Him wash it away. Let Him clean your heart and free your soul. Let Him give you peace and joy that is greater than all of your sins. Hear Him say, “You are forgiven.”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank you for convicting me of sin. Thank You that when I come to You and confess my sin, the blood of Your son, Jesus, totally cleanses me. Thank You for complete forgiveness. Thank You for the new direction and for giving me a fresh start. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Bring God Joy

TODAY’S VERSE
The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalms 147:11 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever wondered what God delights in? We know all about our wants and desires. But God has desires, too. The truth is that God delights in you and me. The Psalmist declares that the Lord delights in two things. First, God delights when we deeply respect and revere Him. He is the creator of the universe. All power belongs to Him. Who are we that He would even care about us? Why would He ever consider us worthy even to utter His name? However, what I love about this verse is although God is delighted when we respect His majesty, He also delights when we put our hope in His unfailing love. This very God that deserves all our fear and respect delights in us, putting all our hope in His never-failing love. Do you want to make God happy today? It’s simple. Put your hope in the unfailing love He has for you.     

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You deserve all my respect. You are the almighty, all-powerful, all-wise God, and I stand in awe of You. I also hope in You because of your great, unfailing love for me. Thank you, Father, for Your love. Might my hope in Your never-failing love bring You all the delight You deserve.
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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Be Filled With The Spirit

TODAY’S VERSE
 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:15-18 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
What do you know about the Holy Spirit? We can go to church for years, go to Bible studies and small groups, and yet never really learn much about the Holy Spirit and its relevance to our lives. Sure, we know we have been given the Holy Spirit, but we never take advantage of the relationship that we could have. But we cannot afford to be passive any longer. We were not meant to function without the aid of the Holy Spirit. Paul says we should be “filled” with the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? The key is in comparison to being drunk on wine. There is only one way to get drunk. You get drunk by being “filled” with alcohol until the amount that you consume has you under its influence. This is not a casual drink that is in moderation. It is more than where you become drunk. So what is he saying about our life in the Spirit? Paul is saying that we should have the same insatiable appetite for the guidance and fellowship of the Holy Spirit that a person who chooses to get drunk on wine. When we meditate on God’s word, pray, and commune with the Holy Spirit, we will begin to be “filled” or “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit’s leading in our daily living. It is interesting, however, that the tense is not a “one-time” filling but means “be filled and keep on being filled.” You do not get drunk on wine once for the rest of your life. The effect of the wine soon dissipates. To continually be drunk, you have to continually drink the wine. Although the Holy Spirit does not leave us, to stay “filled” or influenced by the Holy Spirit, we need to constantly stay in communication and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Isn’t it time that we experience all that being filled with the Spirit has to offer us?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Holy Spirit, please forgive me for ignoring Your presence in my life. I ask You to guide me, lead me, commune with me and fill me so that I am completely influenced by Your presence. I invite You to take control of my life. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Walk In The Light

TODAY’S VERSE
Jesus replied, ‘My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.’” – “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. John 12:35-36, (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Hiking in the darkness is vastly different than hiking in the daytime. Once on a primitive hiking trip, I had to walk an injured person out of the woods to a hospital to get stitched up. It took most of the day. To catch up with the rest of the group, we hiked back on the trail during the night. Unfortunately, with so much use, my flashlight became very dim. What a hike! Winding up the mountain, large roots from the large trees crossing the trail ready to trip us, walking along cliffs, wild animals on the prowl, what would be challenging to navigate in daylight became unbearable in the dark. Slowly, using what light we had, we eventually made it back to base camp. How? By focusing on the light! You see, even with dim light, I could see the four or five feet ahead of me. It didn’t matter that thousands of acres were in darkness; I only needed to see the area where I had lit up. Even though our flashlight was dim, no matter how hard it tried, the darkness could not penetrate the light I had. In today’s passage, Jesus told us to “Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you.” The darkness of sin, doubt, despair, and confusion always tries to trip us up, so we have a choice to make. We can focus on the darkness or we can turn the light on! Today, might we decide to turn the light of faith, His word, and prayer on, living in the joy of knowing Jesus?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know how dark my world can become. Help me to remember to turn on the light of faith, prayer, and Your Word so I can navigate the trail You have in front of me today. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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The Real Me

TODAY’S VERSE
But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord.
Deuteronomy 11:16 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Self-deception is at the root of many of our problems. Not only do we lie to all those around us, but more often, we lie to ourselves. How often do we ask what is bothering us? We pretend to love when we are bitter and wounded. We act brave when we are afraid. Dr. David Benner, in his book, “The Gift of Being Yourself,” writes, “At some point in childhood, we all make the powerful discovery that we can manipulate the truth about ourselves. Initially, it often takes the form of a simple lie – frequently a denial of having done something. But of more importance to the development of the false self is the discovery that our ability to hide isn’t limited to what we say or don’t say. We learn to pretend. We discover the art of packaging our self. – Our masks have become our reality, and we have become our lies. In short, we have lost authenticity and adopted an identity based on illusion.” You see, God loves the real you! He knows your fears, rage, and brokenness and is waiting for you to give it to Him. There is nothing about the real you that He cannot redeem! Only when you let your heart be deceived and create a false self do you turn away from the Lord. Today, come to God as you are. Let Him touch the real you. Tell Him what you feel, what you think, what you have hidden from everyone else. When you do, you will find Him accepting, loving, and able to free you from all your fears of self-exposure. Come to Him, the truth will set you free.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I have hidden my true self from You and everyone else. Fear, shame, anger, guilt, disgust – so many emotions keep me from living the truth. I have tried so hard to be what everyone else has wanted, and somewhere, I have lost my way. In Your love, please gently peel back my veneer and bring me into Your light. Help me take off my masks and see myself as You see me. Help me embrace all of me as You lovingly embrace me even now. 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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Remember

TODAY’S VERSE
But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.
Psalms 106:13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is a difference between memory lapse and apathy. We can be sincere about something and forget a few details. However, if we fail to show up, be involved, or forget information repeatedly, then our sincerity is in doubt. It can be this way with Christ. It starts with other things choking out our passion, emotion, or excitement about Christ and then leads to a lack of interest in or concern for things of God.  In the Old Testament, the people of God allowed themselves to forget what God had done in the past. The lessons of faith that they should have incorporated into their lives were never cultivated. It wasn’t long before they began living like God didn’t exist at all. What can you do to protect your soul from this spiritual apathy? How can you take deliberate steps to preserve your Christian walk? You do it by being disciplined in your spirituality. It is your remembrance of His promises, the recalling of the many miracles you have witnessed, the active reading of the scriptures, and spending time with God seeking His counsel that will keep you from falling. These spiritual disciplines will protect you when facing temptation. They will be your guide when you have hard decisions to make. May the remembrance of all He has done for you, give you the confidence you need to continue to follow Him. 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me remember all You have done for me so I can seek Your counsel and allow You to guide me as I go through this day.
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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