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Day 10

Posted on Jan 13, 2025 in General | 0

January 14, 2025

God’s Sufficient Grace!

Scripture

2 Corinthians 12: 9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Thought for the Day

Life comes at us from many directions and dimensions. As the saying goes ‘if it’s not one thing, it’s another’. As believers, we experience sickness, pain, suffering, grief, discouragement, conflict, and other negative emotions due to the issues of life. At times, the challenges and struggles of life can become overwhelming. When we feel overwhelmed, we often withdraw and focus on the misery of our sufferings rather than allowing God’s grace to fill and sustain us.

Paul teaches us to know the sufficiency of God’s grace in 2 Corinthians 12 when he reported that he was attacked with an affliction (a thorn in his flesh) mentally/spiritually by a messenger from Satan. After pleading with the Lord for three days to remove the suffering from him, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Just when Paul needed it most, God showed the power and sufficiency of His grace to strengthen and sustain him. God’s grace kept Paul from giving up. God’s grace at work in Paul was more than enough to enable him to face his suffering and to abound to every good work.

It is important to understand that you are insufficient to face the challenges of your life and attacks of Satan without God’s help. Your weaknesses and limitations provide the opportunity for God to supply His grace and help in your time of need. Know that God is more than enough to meet any need and to solve any problem that you have. Trust Him. He knows, cares, and understands your circumstance. Allow His power to rest upon you.

When you need Him most, His grace is sufficient and will carry you through!

It’s Time to Pray

God of Grace, no matter what I experience help me to receive your grace and your strength in my areas of weakness. Oh God, I trust You to pour out your grace upon me when I need You most because You are my sufficiency…in Jesus name, Amen!

Day 9

Posted on Jan 12, 2025 in General | 0

January 13,2025

Daily Discipline

Scripture

Luke 9:23

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Thought for Today

Are you willing to discipline yourself to follow Jesus?

People who accomplish great things in life often attribute their success to disciplines that they have practiced daily for many years. They describe their daily life by detailing disciplines such as: spending time in prayer, spending time

with family, setting personal goals, being organized, helping others, treating others with respect and kindness, being on time, spending time reading, preparing for assignments, and learning something new every day. These are all great and noble disciplines that we should aspire to gain and practice to become better people and accomplish more in life. However, I believe that our greatest goal each day is to follow Jesus more closely and really get to know Him. Why? Because He is the One for whom you live and owe your life to. Nothing that we achieve or accomplish in this life means anything if we do not know and serve Him. He is my Savior, my Lord and my Redeemer! Jesus challenges His disciples in Luke 9:23 by giving them three disciplines that are required to follow Him (as true students of the Master:

Deny yourself! Deny your flesh and selfish desires. Give up your agenda and seek to follow the plan Jesus has for you. Seek first the kingdom…(Matthew 6:33)
Take up your cross daily – think about that fact that Christ died for your salvation and be willing to lose your life for His sake. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:
24)
Follow Him! Discipline yourself to follow Jesus no matter what it costs you! Do not follow other voices. Listen and follow only His voice. He will lead you to life more abundantly.

It’s Time to Pray

Lord Jesus, I have decided to discipline myself to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow You. You are the center of my joy and all that is good and perfect comes from You. Please help me to seek and obey You every day, above all other things, as I live a more disciplined life for You. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

Day 8

Posted on Jan 11, 2025 in General | 0

January 12, 2025

Oh So Close

Scripture

James 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Thought for Today

How close do you want to be to God?

Our walk with God consists of a daily relationship that we establish with Him through a desire to know Him. He invites us to get to know Him through developing a close, personal, intimate relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Some Christians believe that once they have accepted Christ as Savior and have been baptized that they can place their relationship with God in “lack of care mode” expecting God to do all of the drawing while they continue to live as they want. However, a close relationship requires a daily, continual and active pursuit of God in our lives.

James gives clear insight (James 4:8) on the pursuit of a closer relationship with God by challenging believers to initiate the closeness and God will respond by becoming increasingly closer. This means we must spend more time in His presence in prayer, worship, and studying and meditating upon His Word. James further challenges us to “cleanse your hands and purify your hearts.” These are daily acts of confession and repentance; applying the blood of Jesus and asking Him to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. The phrase from the song ring true:

Draw me nearer, near blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To Your precious bleeding side

It’s Time to Pray

Heavenly Father, I desire to draw closer to You and I am committed to showing You by spending time in your presence and cleansing my heart through confession and repentance. Please stay close and reveal your plan for me today and every day. I ask humbly in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 7

Posted on Jan 11, 2025 in General | 0

JANUARY 11, 2025

No More Dead Ends!

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Thought for Today

Before the launch of GPS several friends were driving on a long road trip. As they approached the last stretch of the trip, the navigator checked the road atlas (map) and found an uncertain shortcut through a mountain that had a two-lane road with no streetlights. The estimated shortcut would shave almost an hour off the trip. So, they exited the interstate, drove to the mountain road and

began their ascent up the dark mountain road. They were making great time using the shortcut and suddenly there appeared signs for the entrance of a state park and a ranger’s station. As their car slowed to stop at the park ranger’s gate, the friend driving asked the ranger to raise the gate and for permission to drive through the park to their destination. The ranger replied, “you can’t get there from here…you will have to turn around and go back to the interstate and follow that route to your destination”. By choosing a short-cut to save time rather than the proven route, our friends reach a dead-end and had to return to the original route that would lead them to their destination.

Trust God to lead and guide you in every aspect of your life and don’t take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts can appear to provide an easier way and a shorter path but ultimately lead to dead ends. Every day you face decisions and choices in life. Every decision has an outcome, and every choice has a consequence. Some are significant and some less significant. Collectively, all of your decisions push you in a direction and ultimately determine your destiny. But what is basis for your decisions and how can you know if your choices are aligned with God’s plan for your life. It all comes down your willingness to trust God with your life. It is a dangerous thing to take your life into your own hands and leave God out. Trusting in God is having assurance and absolute confidence that He will lead and guide you even through even difficult and dark places in life. When you trust God and follow His direction, there are no dead-ends. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

No more dead ends. Trust in the Lord!

It’s Time to Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, teach me to trust in You alone with my every decision in my life and allow you to direct my paths. Help me to learn to live by Faith and not my limited understanding and help me to avoid dead-ends and follow Your lead to fulfill Your plan, purpose and destiny for my life. In Jesus Name. Amen!

Day 6

Posted on Jan 9, 2025 in General | 0

JANUARY 10, 2025

Learning to Love Yourself

Mark 12:30-31

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Thought for Today

Jesus declared love as the heart and soul of “The Greatest Commandment” given to mankind. He commanded His people to love God with all that is within them and their neighbor (those in close relationship to them) as they love themselves.

As we examine the later, the question becomes: how do I love myself so that I can love my neighbor in the same way. Learning to love God wholeheartedly and learning to love yourself is necessary to living a fulfilled life in Christ.

Even believers find it difficult to love themselves as God has made them for various reasons such as low self-esteem, emotional and physical abuse, not accepting themselves as God has made them and other causes. Here are several truths that God has declared in His Word that will help anyone struggling to love themselves to overcome those feelings and begin to love the person God has made you to be.

As Jesus declared the first Commandment ‘‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ in the Great Commandment, he declared the second ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ as and essential part of it. Therefore, if you love God, you must love yourself and your neighbor. Additionally, the Psalmist declared in Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You, for am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Know that God loves you and that He formed you and made you. And He desires you to learn to love yourself as He loves you.

Here are several keys to learning to love yourself:

Accepting Jesus Christ fully and deciding to live for Him
Viewing yourself as God sees you not as people see you
Accept what God says in His Word about you as a believer
Accept yourself as you are and as God has created you and deciding to live according to His Word
Reject negative names, labels and images that have been associated with you by other people
When you have confessed sin to God in prayer and He forgives you; you must learn to forgive yourself

It is important to learn to love yourself so that you will, so that you can learn to love and forgive others.

It’s Time to Pray

Most Loving and Gracious God, I thank you that You made me fearfully and wonderfully in Your image and that Your love for me is unconditional. Teach me to love myself, yet allow Your to transform my heart, mind and soul to the image of Christ. Replace my unrighteousness with Your righteousness that I may serve You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Day 5

Posted on Jan 8, 2025 in General | 0

JANUARY 9, 2025

ASK — Ask Seek Knock

Scriptures

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

John 14:13

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Thought for Today

What do you want to ask of God?

ASK is a term that is often overlooked as an important part of our relationship with Christ. In our desire to really know Christ, we must learn how to approach Him in prayer in order to express our concerns, needs and desires. He alone is the source for everything that we need spiritually and naturally to live “life more abundantly” as He has promised. He is willing and waiting to supply every need that you have if you will simply ask Him! In prayer, we have a personal privilege of talking with the Lord and asking Him questions that only He can answer and asking for solutions that only He can provide. But the key is asking in faith according to His Word, not doubting, waiting on His answer and obeying His instructions. As you ask things of the Lord in prayer, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak and will intercede before the God on your behalf.

The Adam Clarke Commentary describes these three steps in the process of Asking of God in prayer:

Ask with confidence and humility
Seek with care and application
Knock with earnestness and perseverance

Jesus teaches the disciples (and us) how to approach Him in Matthew 7:7-8 when He compels them to Ask, Seek and Knock. He challenges and invites them to make their requests known directly to Him. Later, He says to them “You may ask for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14). So as we pray, let’s pray with boldness, yet approaching the Lord in humility. Ask in faith with confidence, Seek with care and pursuit, Knock with persistent expectation, listen and obey Your direction. Watch and wait for God to answer and move with power and authority in your life and circumstances.

And remember, it’s in the Asking!

It’s Time to Pray

Gracious Heavenly Father, teach me how to approach You according to Your Word. When I pray show me how to ask with confidence, seek with pursuit and knock with with persistent expectation and listen and obey Your direction. Thank you for increasing my relationship with You in prayer. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Day 4

Posted on Jan 7, 2025 in General | 0

January 8, 2025

A LOVE Supreme!

Scriptures

1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Thought for Today

The great jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane, arranged, composed, and released an album in 1965 entitled, “A Love Supreme.” When released, it received overwhelming acclaim from music critics, musicians, and music lovers around the world. Listening to the compositions, it is clear that Mr. Coltrane was divinely inspired as he and fellow musicians express with musical excellence an essence of the highest form of love that is beyond human comprehension or description in words. John, the Apostle, captures the essence of the great love that God has for us in 1 John 3:1. He challenges the reader to see or behold (observe carefully) the great love that God the Father has lavished (bestowed) upon us, in such great measure that He claims us as His own children. His great love for us is limitless, unending, full of grace and mercy, yet just and righteous. The Greeks referred to God’s great love for people as agape’ (incomparable, sacrificial, and unconditional love). Yes, in spite of our many sins, infirmities, character flaws, and failures, God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life. Know that nothing and no one can separate you from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now that, my friends, is a Love Supreme!

It’s Time to Pray

Dear Lord, I thank you for your unfailing and unconditional love that you cover me with each day. You gave Your only begotten Son, Jesus to give His life to save me from my sins and give me everlasting life. Jesus, you are a Love Supreme and my faith is in you alone. I love you with all my heart. Amen!

Day 3

Posted on Jan 6, 2025 in General | 0

Day 3 – JANUARY 7, 2025

It’s About Time!

Scriptures

Ephesians 5:15-16 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time (making the most of every day), because the days are evil.

Psalm 90:12 – So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

When God's Timing Seems So Slow - My Peace Zone

Thought for Today

Time is the most valuable resource we have in this life. The way we utilize time in our day will determine how productive we are. Let’s ponder the passing of time; seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months and months to years. Each of us has the same amount of time each day. The question is how we choose to use and invest the time each day. Why do we waste so much time on things that amount to nothing? Our children develop patterns of living by watching us. They witness us watching hours of television shows, interacting on social media, playing video games, texting friends and other activities that consume hours of unproductive time. Many chase dreams, accomplish great things, work many years completing rewarding careers. But has all the time spent on those things accomplished God’s will and purpose in their lives? How much value do you place on the use of the time God gives you each day?

The Word of God offers an understanding of time and its use that will change your life when applied. Here are a few of them.

Your time is not your own. Before you were born, God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) God determined the length of your life on earth and had a plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The Psalmist teaches us to ask the Lord to show us the length of our days (time) so that we may gain wisdom from God. (Psalm 90:12)
Live your life in the will of God with wisdom and purpose; Pay attention to the way you live your life. (Ephesians 5: 14-15)
Don’t miss key moments in life. Redeem the time and make the most of every day for Christ! (Ephesians 5: 14-15)
God is not bound by time, He created time. He was before the beginning, and He shall be after the end. (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1)

God expects His people to be fruitful and productive with the time He has given us. He expects us to utilize time to seek the Kingdom, learn of Christ, serve Him and bring others to Him. He also desires us to prepare and gain skills that will enable us to represent His Kingdom with excellence in the marketplace. The days that we live in are evil. He wants us to share the Gospel in a lost and dying world. God desires us to use the time He has given each of us to fulfill His purposes and touch people in His name.

Will you stop and assess where and how you spend the time He has given you?

Will you give more of your time to preparing and doing the Lord’s work?

Remember, It’s about Time! “Only what you do for Christ will stand the test of time.”

It’s Time to Pray

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for all the time I have wasted on things that were not important in your plan for my life. Teach me to number my days and grow in my faith and relationship with Christ daily so that I may draw people to You and fulfill my purpose. In Jesus’ name… AMEN!

Day 2 – Closer Than You Think

Posted on Jan 6, 2025 in General | 0

Day 2 – JANUARY 6, 2025

Scripture:

Luke 19:41-44

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Thought for today

The rear view mirror on the passenger side of every automobile has a statement printed at the bottom: “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” The purpose of this statement is to warn the driver to be aware of objects beside and behind them before making lane changes and other maneuvers safely.

That warning is a reminder of a statement that Jesus made in Luke 19:44 when He stated: “because you do not know the time of your visitation”. As He approaches Jerusalem, He wept over the city because of His deep concern for the spiritual blindness of the people there. He warned that they were unaware of the doom and destruction that would come to their city and to their lives. He warned that enemy nations would encase and surround them and conquer and destroy their great city and take their lives. But His greatest warning was that they had not accepted the opportunity for salvation.

In the busyness of life, the critical importance of salvation through Jesus Christ and living for Him can be lost. God is reminding you and I to take seriously the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life we have received through our faith in Jesus Christ. Further, as believers Jesus commands us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (people)… (Matthew 28:19). The opportunity for salvation has never been greater. The Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9b). We must be in a state of readiness and share the gospel with urgency to give everyone we know and meet the opportunity to come to salvation through Jesus Christ, because the Day of Lord is closer than you think.

It’s Time to Pray!

Heavenly Father, I confess to You that I have allowed the issues of life to cause me to lose focus on living in a state of readiness and sharing Christ with the people in my life. Help me to live for you each day with the urgency to share Christ with the people in my life. Thank you for reminding me that the Day of the Lord is coming quickly. Amen!

Day 1 – Prayer & Fasting That Pleases God

Posted on Jan 5, 2025 in General | 0

Day 1 – JANUARY 5, 2025

Prayer and Fasting that pleases God

Scripture: Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Devotion: This is our time and season for transformation! We begin the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting to surrender to God and allow Him to take control of our lives. It is during this time that we ‘consecrate’ ourselves which means ‘to be set apart’ for God’s use. Consecration requires a renewed mind. As the year gains momentum, we seek God’s face, deny our flesh and feed our spirit. God desires to draw you closer to Him in order to speak to your heart and mind. He wants to tune your spirit in His presence, renew your mind, tune your ears to His voice and turn your eyes to His movement. He desires to prepare you to do His good,acceptable, and perfect will. However, to truly be transformed by this time of self-denial, our prayer and fasting must please God. The Lord God must be pleased by our time with Him. It

is critically important that we confess and repent of all sin and have a right spirit in the presence of God. For that to occur, we must mean business with God and set aside intentional time daily to worship, pray, fast and study of His Word.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is essential to spiritual growth in our relationship with God as believers. If we desire God’s presence in our life, to hear His voice and our prayers to be heard on high… Prayer and Fasting. Fasting that pleases God draws us closer to Him and He draws close to us. Prayer and Fasting with True repentance places us in God’s presence in a powerful way. Isaiah 65:24 says:

“It shall come to pass

That before they call, I will answer;

And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

God desire the Holy Spirit to change our hearts during this time of Fasting to serve Him more diligently and spend time with Him to build our Faith to trust Him in all things and do the work of ministry.

Be intentional! Be transformed! Hear God’s voice as you start the year.

It’s Time to Pray: Father God, help me to take this time of prayer and fasting seriously. Transform me and change me in Your presence by the power of Your Spirit. Please prepare me to do Your acceptable and perfect will this year. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!