Temptation

TODAY’S VERSE
Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!
Matthew 26:41 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
If ever we needed Jesus’ admonition, we need it today. Television, internet, media – all around us are temptations ready to take us out spiritually. Peter said it this way, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” So what do we do? Jesus said that we must live “in” the world, but we are not to be “of” the world. That is why He told us to watch and pray; He didn’t want us to fall into temptations. When Jesus said, “watch and pray,” He wasn’t suggesting a casual Christianity. He was biding us to follow Him in a life of vigilant spiritual discipline involving devotion, prayer, and consecration. Today, keep alert toward the many temptations surrounding you. Keep your eyes and heart on Jesus. Pray, spend time with God, and confess your sin when needed. Praise God; He is faithful, He is forgiving. He will give you all you need to live for Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know how I want to live for You, but I can’t do it by myself. Because of the precious blood of You son, my Lord Jesus, forgive me, cleanse me, and empower me to live for You.
AMEN

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Revive Your Heart

Revive Your Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
Mark 3:5 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It must have been something horrible to cause God to be angry and sad at the same time. God had a divine plan, a holy purpose. He would send Himself, in the person of His Son Jesus, to earth and redeem man, bringing them into a loving relationship with Himself. Ironically, it was mankind that got in the way. Jesus was bringing the good news to man and confirming it with “signs and wonders” all the while the religious zealots were opposing Him at every turn. Isn’t that like us? Those of us who know so much about God end up knowing so little. And so Jesus found Himself angry and deeply saddened. Why? Because their hearts were hard. The metaphor is poignant. A heart that is hard like a stone has no life in it. It is not able to fulfill the purpose for which it was created. You can lose a leg, an arm, an eye, and still live a meaningful life, but without a heart, there is no life. So what do you have? Is your heart pumping faith, hope, love, and grace into every fiber of your being, or has the beating stopped? Today, come to our Holy Heart Surgeon. Let Him revive your heart and restore you to the life you were meant to have.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, take my heart and mold it into a heart that is used for you. Keep me alive in my faith, hope, and love. Might You be praised and glorified in all I do and say.
AMEN

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Amazing Unbelief

TODAY’S VERSE
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 6: 5-6 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
This passage has always challenged me. Why couldn’t Jesus do miracles in His home town? Obviously, in His own power, Jesus could have done any miracle He chose to, but that is not the way God wants it to work. Our Father wants us to join Him in His work in this world. It is our faith and recognition of His love that works in tandem with His power. So when Jesus was faced with this crippling unbelief, only a few were healed. What is shocking is that the people He grew up with should have known that Jesus was the Son of God. Instead, their lack of faith was so bad that Jesus was utterly amazed. Their unbelief shocked Him. But let’s not be too quick to judge. Is it possible that we, too, have taken Him for granted? Could it be that we also find ourselves doubting His power? Oh, that our lack of faith would never cause surprise to the heart of God. Today, might we consider our own life. Let us examine our hearts and ask God to birth in us a fresh wind, a new fire, and an amazing faith.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for my unbelief. Forgive me for my doubt. Forgive me for taking You for granted—today, birth in me a fresh wind, a new fire, and an amazing faith.
AMEN

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Coming To Our Senses

TODAY’S VERSE
When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, “At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father.”
Luke 15:17-18 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It has only recently that we have understood why so many hidden emotions drive us. With the rise of the neurosciences, we have come to know more about intrinsic memory. What has been hidden can now become integrated into who we are. We can take all the negative beliefs, lies, and wounds that we have from our past and bring them to God. He, in turn, can reveal to us the truth of who we really are in these memories and help us change the way we believe about life and our self. This has been life-changing for me and the hundreds that I have taught. Insight also changed the prodigal son. For whatever reason, he too was driven and decided to leave home and spend his life doing whatever he wanted to. No pleasure was out of the question. But like so many others, there was a price to pay. Soon he found himself in desperate straits. It was at that point that Jesus said, “He finally came to His senses.” And I love what the son did next. Jesus said that he went home to his father. My friend, it is our Heavenly Father that can correct all our negative thinking. It is His love that can tell our hurting child inside us that all is well; we are loved. Our Father is waiting. He is happy to be with us; He longs to tell us the truth of who we are. Today, come to your senses. It is God who wants to forgive, to love, to heal, to set free. His grace is sufficient.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to You with so many needs. So many emotions drive me. I need You to correct my thinking, heal my memories, and help me re-envision who I am. Father, I have come to my senses. I am coming to you. Help me see myself through Your eyes.
AMEN

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Grumbling

TODAY’S VERSE
And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.
I Corinthians 10:10 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Life can be hard. Not everything works out the way we plan. That is why God created us with the capacity for resilience. By faith, we can return to joy from negative emotions. But returning to joy is a choice. Sadly, instead of joy, many times, we choose to grumble. Grumbling is different than simple negative emotions. Sadness, disappointment, even anger can be natural reactions to stressful situations, and with time spent in reflection, we can find our way back to joy. But grumbling is different. Grumbling, unchecked, becomes a bitter root that destroys faith, hope, and joy. It grows and festers, blaming, attacking, and rebelling against any and everything that would be cause for its pain. Grumbling eventually attacks the very sovereignty of God Himself. Be warned; grumbling is an offense to God. So today, check yourself. Are you letting anger and frustration get the best of you? Are you blaming and complaining? Are you spending more and more time grumbling? If so, heed the warning of Paul and stop. Repent, seek God’s forgiveness, recognize His profound love for you, and return to joy.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for my critical spirit. I repent of grumbling and complaining. Today, I will trust You and return to joy.
AMEN

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Unforgiveness

TODAY’S VERSE
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is a price to pay for concealing our sins. A guilty conscious can lead to a downward spiral of fear, anger, or shame. Unforgiveness can result in a bitter and hardened heart toward God. Soon we find ourselves ignoring the tug of the Holy Spirit calling us to repentance. But for many of us, the thought of our sins is terrifying. Fear of abandonment; the need to please others; a deep sense of shame keeps us in denial. We rationalize our behavior; we minimize its significance; we blame others. We call it everything we can but sin. So we slowly die, day by day, our sins are hidden. At least from ourselves. Is the person that is in denial about their behavior fooling anyone? Is the one that is acting out in anger in danger of being mistaken for a saint? There is a way out. We need to lean on the love of God. We need to know that He will never leave us or turn His back on us. When we really know the love of God, then we trust Him and can ask Him to point out our sins. He will bring about a conviction. His Spirit will lead us to confess our sins to God and turn from them. Why, because we will know we will receive His mercy. Today, talk to God. Ask Him to point out any sin in Your life. When He does, confess it to God and receive His mercy.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, show me my sins. I give You my fear and shame. I trust in Your love for me and do not want to be in any more denial. Show me my hidden sins so I can confess them in Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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What’s The Use?

TODAY’S VERSE
What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?
Malachi 3:14 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever been disappointed? Has it ever seemed like everything was going wrong, and God seemed nowhere in sight? Sure it has. We all go through these “dark nights of the soul.” The question arises, “What’s the use of serving God?” “What good is living the life He wants me to?” It is in these times that we reflect and pray for perspective. We come to God and ask for wisdom and mercy as we work through our faith. The Israelites didn’t. Instead, the questions they were asking were rhetorical. They were really saying, “It is no use in following God. We haven’t gained anything from serving Him.” They were bitter and cynical about life. And that is where we will be if we don’t remember all that we have gained from knowing Christ. What have we gained? We have gained forgiveness, unconditional love, freedom from our sins, forgiveness, direction, provision, meaning, purpose, a relationship with Him, the filling of the Holy Spirit, everything good in our life. What have we gained? How about a second, third, and hundredth chance, a do-over, a new life, a new Father, a new eternal home? Today, don’t let cynicism get the best of you. Answer the question, “What’s the use of serving God” by considering all the ways you have been blessed.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, how I praise You for Your love and mercy. How I thank You for your provision. Help me today to remember all You have done for me.
AMEN

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A Way Of Escape

TODAY’S VERSE
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
How subtle sin can be. We begin to wander from the things of God, and soon our life starts to take a different course. Most people that end in some sort of addiction or negative situation never intended to get there. They didn’t wake up one day and say, “I think I will go down a road that will ruin my life.” No, it was small little navigations that got them to the foreign shore. Likewise, in the life of a Christian, we don’t wake up one day and say, “I will be far from God.” It starts with missed opportunities of fellowship, lack of discipline in prayer, Bible study and mediation, weekdays between church services without Christian influence. Little by little, we become more and more like the world around us and trade our Christian experience for a mask we wear on Sunday. What can we do? Thank God for the reality of what Paul shares in today’s passage. Paul reminds us that the temptations that you and I face every day are the same as everyone else’s, but God is faithful and will show us a way out. On every descent away from God, there is a window of sanity. There is an opportunity to repent, to turn around, to come back to God. The prodigal son found it. Peter found it. God enables us to “come to our self,” to come to our senses, and He does provide a way out. Today, if you find yourself far from where God wants you, ask yourself, “Who moved?” God didn’t. He loves you; turn around, there is a way of escape.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, it is so easy to wander from You. Forgive me. Help me to escape today from all that entraps me. Help me break away from all that has taken my heart from You. I come to You now, dear Lord. I want to follow You.
AMEN

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Two Sins

TODAY’S VERSE
My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Separation from God usually comes in two phases. First, we start to stray. Little by little, we start to forsake fellowship, fail to meditate in His word and spend less and less time in prayer. Good things take us from the more important. Urgent begins to replace the best. How subtle the path is. We end up farther and farther away from the spiritual milieu that once fed our soul. Second, we not only stray we actually find a new home. Jeremiah says not only do we forsake the spring of living water; we actually go out and dig our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold any water. They look great on the outside but are empty on the inside. Where are you today? Are you straying farther and farther from God? Have you actually moved away and found other interests that take top priority in your life? Stop! Go no farther. Turn back. Come to your Heavenly Father today and ask Him to cleanse your heart and put a new thirst in your soul leading you back to His spring of living water.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for straying from You. I have forsaken Your living waters and have attempted to quench my own thirst. I admit that I am still thirsty. I know that only You can satisfy, and I ask Lord that You would fill my cup today with Your life-giving presence.
AMEN

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Help Me Know The Truth

TODAY’S VERSE
Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
Psalms 119:29

TODAY’S THOUGHT
As humans, we are separated from other creatures in the fact that we are cognitive. We have thoughts. Therein lays our problem. Just because we have a thought, doesn’t mean it is true. Our thoughts can be influenced, manipulated or misled. We can be sincere in our thoughts but be sincerely wrong. David prays that God would keep him from lying to himself. We need the same prayer. Jesus said that Satan is a deceiver and a liar. It is his purpose to trip us up through a web of deceit. I am sorry to say, but I often don’t need any help from Satan. I do fine with deceiving my own self. So many negative and pessimistic thoughts. Negative things I believe about myself, about others, about life and even God! Instead, I need to ask God for discernment and wisdom in knowing and living the truth. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” As we seek the truth of every situation we are in, God will lead us. How about you? Are you living in the truth or have you set yourself up with a web of deceit? Confess it to God. Repent and choose to live in the truth. When you do, He will set you free.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, you know how easy it is for me to be deceived. You know how easily I deceive myself. Please help me today. Help me discern the truth and then live it out in my life.
AMEN

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