A False God

TODAY’S VERSE
“You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Since Adam and Eve, humanity has been tempted to think they could become a “god.” However, in his book, “The Gift Of Being Yourself,” David Benner makes a fascinating observation. He points out that in the Garden of Eden, it was not the act of trying to be like God that was a sin. It was the act of thinking they could be like God without God. Truth is we are commanded to be like Christ. We are to emulate the characteristics of God, such as love, mercy, and justice. But we are never told that we can do that without the help of God and His Holy Spirit. David Benner writes, “Adam and Eve wanted to be God without God, a likeness that was based on independence rather than surrender. – What we get when we choose a way of being that is separate from God is the life of the false self. – The false self is the tragic result of trying to steal something from God that we did not have to steal. Had we dared to trust God’s goodness; we would have discovered that everything we could ever most deeply long for would be ours in God. Trying to gain more than the everything God offers; we end up with less than nothing. Rejecting God, we end up with a nest of lies and illusions. Displacing God, we become a god unto our self. We become a false self.” I am so glad Jesus came. He said, “I am the way, truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He came so we could know God. It is His truth, His life that enables us to be more like Him. Today, examine yourself. Are you following Christ and letting Him influence who you are, or are you busy creating your own life apart from God?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for all the times I have tried to set myself up as my own God. Today, I ask You to speak to my heart and help me get back on track with You. Guide me in everything I do so I will become the person You want me to be. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Spiritual Victory

TODAY’S VERSE
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.
I Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is a spiritual reality that we need to be aware of. Peter warns us that we are in a battle and that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The good news is that God has given us everything for the victory. He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us, His word to teach us, and His presence to protect us. As a result, we can obey Peter when he tells us to be self-controlled and alert and to resist Satan standing firm in the faith. James tells us that if we “resist the devil,” the devil will flee from us. So, today, let us resist the lies of Satan, stand firm in our faith in God, and be victorious.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You that the Spiritual battle we are in has already been won. Thank You for providing all I need for victory. Help me today to stand firm on Your promises, to be self-controlled and alert, and to resist the schemes of Satan.
AMEN

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Christian Maturity

TODAY’S VERSE
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
God has a vested interest in our maturity. He has saved us from the penalty of our sins and has set us apart for His service. He is involved in our lives, protecting, encouraging, teaching, and guiding us. He has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to prepare us for His service with the ultimate goal of becoming “mature, attaining the fullness of Christ.” But will we follow? Will we listen? Will we do what it takes to mature in Christ? In his book, “Living From The Heart Jesus Gave You,” Dr. James Wilder suggests that we have a role to play in our maturity in Christ. He writes, “Now the job of maturity is quite another matter. While God is certainly instrumental in guiding and blessing our maturation, it is our job, bestowed upon us way back in the garden, to mature. Maturity is not a spiritual gift, nor is it a by-product of salvation. It is something we as Christians must work on our entire lives.” So, what are you doing to mature in Christ? Are you feeding your soul on the word of God? Are you learning from teachers and preachers? Are you in fellowship with other Christians who hold you accountable for your growth in Christ? Are you spending time with God in prayer and meditation? Today, take some steps to mature in your spiritual life with Christ.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me mature in You. Help me seek You more, know You more, and love You more. Help me today and every day to do something that will help me mature in You.
AMEN

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Worshipping God

TODAY’S VERSE
I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.
Psalms 26:6-8 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
David knew what it was to worship God. Even as royalty, as busy as he was, as complicated as his life was, he did not forget to spend personal time with God. He remembered being a shepherd out in the fields, worshipping God with songs and praise. Years later, David wrote today’s passage, sharing about the same kind of worship. He writes, “I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.” It is easy to get in a rut learning all about God but never spending time knowing Him. It is great to love Bible study. Who doesn’t love an inspiring sermon? It challenges us to live for God. But in all the learning and doing, we also must love spending time worshipping and praising Him. Today, spend time in His presence. Come to His altar and spend time in praise and communion with Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I love Your word. I love serving You. But in all my haste, I must confess, I often forget to love You. I haven’t spent the time in Your presence. I haven’t taken enough time to worship You. Forgive me, Lord. Today, may I worship You and spend time in Your presence.
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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Experience The Love Of God

TODAY’S VERSE
Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?
Luke 24:32 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
When was the last time you experienced the presence of God? I mean more than just head knowledge, but a time you really felt His presence? You see, we were meant to know God, not just know about Him. Isn’t that the way it should be with someone you love? Isn’t real love more than “head” knowledge? Love was meant to be experienced, not just studied. It’s the same with God. Stop and close your eyes, and focus on a time you felt the presence of God. When you get that image, relive it again in your mind. Do you remember what it was like? Did your heart burn within you? Paul writes, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” He says that knowing God’s love surpasses knowledge. If that doesn’t warm you up, what will? We were meant to experience God or as Paul says it, “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” I pray that today, you will be conscious of His presence and have a deep and meaningful relationship with Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I long to know You more deeply and intimately. Guide me into Your presence. Reveal more of Yourself to me. I pray that I may grasp all the love You have for me. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Recorrect Your Course

TODAY’S VERSE
Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness.
Psalm 141:4

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever noticed that you can start something correctly, but over time, things change? It can get that way with life. I remember going across a big lake in a canoe. It was October cold and raining. The house was across on the other side of the lake, but you could barely see it. I started toward it, but it rained so hard that I couldn’t see it anymore. I panicked, wondering what was wrong. I finally looked way to my left, and there it was. The wind and waves had driven me off course. Even with all my paddling, I was going in the wrong direction. I had to recorrect my course. I had to do it several times in order to make it to warmth and shelter from the storm. It is easy to get off course in life. The waves and wind of everyday circumstances can take us where we don’t want to go. Today, come to God, get in the word, pray. Spend time recorrecting your course.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know how my heart can drift from You. Help me today recorrect my course. I need You to navigate my life.
AMEN

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Pleasing Or Trusting God?

TODAY’S VERSE
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I want to “please God” more than anything. I want to bring Him joy and thank Him for everything He does. Or at least that is where my mind starts. In truth, what is “pleasing God” really about? Is it about God, and how much I want to thank Him by pleasing Him? Or is it about me and how I want to ensure God is happy with my behavior? Is it about my own insecurity and inability to receive His unconditional love? Instead, I need to trust God. Why? Because with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I already please God. Paul reminds us that we are saved by God’s grace, not our own works. No behavior on my part could ever please God the way His own grace does. God loves us and we don’t need to earn it by “pleasing” Him. Instead, when we realize what grace is all about, we will trust Him fully. When that happens, our praise and adoration will be pleasing Him, not our vain efforts to gain His love.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, it is so hard for me to understand that I don’t have to earn Your love to please You. Instead, You already love me. You are already pleased with me. Thank You, Father, for all the grace You have given me. Help me trust Your love and grace.
AMEN

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It’s All About Grace

TODAY’S VERSE
 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
What happens? When we first become Christians, we revel in His forgiveness. We knew that only His grace could ever clean and forgive us from our past sins. And yet, as time goes by, we get sucked into believing we somehow “earned” His forgiveness. We live as if God’s love is conditional and we are good enough to earn it. Then, we begin to feel the pressure to keep us in this “earned salvation” position. So, we begin to play a game of hiding our sins, pretending to be “perfect” instead of perfectly forgiven. The authors of “TrueFaced” write, “As we try to hide the sins we can’t control, we are unwittingly inviting blame, shame, denial, fear, and anger to become our constant companions. A theology of more right, less wrong behavior creates an environment that gives people permission to wear dozens of disguises and masks. It triggers and complicates the chain reaction of unresolved sin, causing us to lose hope.” This thinking leads to us trying to “please” God by trying to be something we aren’t. We play the role of “perfect pleasing Christian” instead of being grateful and trusting God for our complete forgiveness. It is our trust in His sacrifice and forgiveness that pleases God, not some sanctimonious pretense of being righteous. It is our trust that in this world, God has us in the process of being changed more and more into His likeness. Today, quit performing and trust the love that God has for you. Rejoice that your name is written in the “Lambs Book of Life.”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, if you were to judge me according to my sins, I would never be able to sit here, praying in Your presence. Instead, You have lavished Your unconditional love upon me. I am forgiven! I am a new creature. I am loved. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for my new identity in You. 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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Mercy

TODAY’S VERSE
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Confession is good for the soul. If done right, it is a tremendous spiritual discipline. As a counselor and Pastor, I have heard many “confessions” in the form of remorse, sadness, guilt, and fear. As a person struggling with my own “sinful” nature, I have had the blessing of confessing my own “sins that so easily beset me.” There is something about cleansing our hearts that gives us life. The Apostle John shares, “If we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus listens with never-ending love and forgives with His matchless grace. And yet, even with His forgiveness only seconds away, many of us end up with a false suspicion that we are unlovable, condemned, and damaged goods. So we work harder and put on our “Christian” mask to ensure we make the mark. Where does that come from? From God? No. This false condemnation and poor sense of God’s love comes from our own hearts. Today, let go of that nagging doubt and self-condemnation. God loves you. Period! He completely forgives you! It is finished. You have found mercy, don’t give it back. Keep it. Treasure it. Believe it. Hear Jesus say, “Go, your sins are forgiven, be whole!”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know my sins. I confess them to You. You know my struggles, my fears, the masks that I have put on. Help me believe you so I can put down this heavy burden of shame and condemnation and live in the freedom of your mercy. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Abide In His Love

TODAY’S VERSE

As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you: abide in my love.
John 15:9 (DARBY)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Where do you abide? According to Merriam-Webster, “abide” means continuing in a place, to sojourn. In this situation, Jesus refers to continuing in a particular state of mind. This gives us a lot of choices. It is not uncommon to find ourselves having painful emotions like fear, anger, disgust, bitterness, or doubt. But do we have to stay there? Are we choosing to abide in that emotional state? Instead, as Jesus abided in the love of the Heavenly Father, He invites us to do the same with His love. He offers His own life as an example. What a picture. You can feel the love bond that God the Father has with His Son. And as you read about Jesus, you can sense that Jesus has the same love for us. Is there a better place to abide? Is there a better place to call home than the loving arms of Jesus? Today, find your rest in Him. Find that peace that passes all understanding. Abide in Jesus and the incredible love He has for you.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You for Your love. Thank You for allowing me to abide in Your love and experience all the peace, joy, and faith that comes with it. Help me abide there today.
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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