…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose-. (Philippians 2:12-13 NIV)

Fear in this verse refers to an awareness of God’s awesome presence.  Recognize that God is on your side.  He wants to help you.  The Lord is your shepherd.  He wants to guide you into those things that will fulfill His good plan and purpose in your life.

You’ve heard the Latin phrase carpe diem or seize the day—David’s motto might have been coram deo, which means living life in the presence of God.  It is one way of accounting for David’s rich outpouring of poetry and praise, graciously preserved by God in His Word.

An awareness of God’s presence in your life will lead you into praise and thanksgiving.

How do you see God at work in your life?

“He who loves his brother abides in the light” ~(1 John 2:10a NKJV)

Have you ever felt heavy, depressed, and “out of it” in your spirit—like everything was dark around you?  When I think of depression, I think of darkness.

When I am depressed, I ask the Holy Spirit to examine my heart to see what is really behind that depression.  I believe that in every circumstance, behind any depression, is some unconfessed sin.

If you have some unresolved sin in your life, it is as though you are walking inside a dark cloud.  When you look at life around you, you need to peer through the darkened mist—and everything looks gloomy and depressing.

But if, instead you walk in the light, you will not be depressed.  Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world and that we are to let our light so shine that men will follow our example and glorify our Father in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today help us to see that if we have sin in our lives, it is an area of darkness.  It keeps us from the light.  And when we are “out of it,” it’s usually related to some area of darkness.  Let the Holy Spirit shine His light in those areas and expose the sin so that we might confess it and be free.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Faith is contagious.

The greatest lesson of faith you can pass on to your own children is the example of faith they see daily in your life.

Your children will see your faith, feel your faith, and hear your faith—in turn, they will repeat your words of faith and model your works of faith.

If you give thanks often for good things that come your way, your children, who overhear you, will learn to do the same.

If you give praise to God for His presence in your life, your children will overhear you praising God and will also praise Him.

How can your family praise God together?

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

Sometimes it is difficult to keep our minds “stayed” on the Lord.  When we look at our circumstances and the difficulties around us, it is easy to pick up those difficulties and really fall apart with them.   have sometimes found that I have had to discipline my mind severely.  When my soul wanted to worry and worry and worry, my mind would react with fear.

To combat this, I began to memorize certain chapters of the Bible.  One time I memorized the book of James.  Another time I memorized the book of Matthew.  Even another time I memorized the book of Proverbs.  Those are some of the sweetest, richest times in my life because I had my mind so filled with the Word.  I would go over the scriptures early in the morning, again at noon, and one more time before I went to sleep.  My mind became so saturated with the Word that I maintained tremendous peace.  Of course, having the Word of God in your heart gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to bring it to your mind at other times when you need peace.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to take the scriptures so seriously that we don’t PLAY with them; we USE them, literally, in our daily walk.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

When I was thirty-six years old, I found myself under tremendous pressure.  The devil whispered to me, “You are just like your father.  You look and act like him.  You are going to have a nervous breakdown just like he did.”

I began to agree, “Yes, I’m just like my father.  I’m probably going to have a nervous breakdown too.”  At that point, the Lord spoke to me and reminded me, “I am your Father.  You are just like Me, and I’ve never had a nervous breakdown.  Neither will you.”

The question is this: whose nature are you believing for?

Do you believe the die has been irrevocably cast, forcing you to be just like your earthly parents or grandparents?

Or do you believe you can choose to take after your heavenly Father?

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27 NKJV)

In this scripture PEACE means “the act of living life at its best.”  Jesus gave us peace, a way to live life at its best—something that the world can never give.  This peace passes natural understanding.

I’ll never forget the night when my father had a heart attack.  The doctors worked on my father for several hours, but he finally passed away.

My mother was simply overwhelmed with grief.  But I experienced a wonderful, wonderful peace that flooded my heart.  I remember thinking several times in the night, “my father isn’t really dead.  It was just a bad dream.”  But when I would finally remember, “He really IS dead,” the peace of Jesus would fill my heart.  I knew, that my father was in heaven.

Once I asked the Lord about this unusual experience on the night of father’s death.  He told me, “I let you enter into a small portion of the glory in which your father is now walking.”

What is that special peace that God leaves with us?  An extension of the peace that exists in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that we have the peace of Jesus.  It passes our understanding of circumstances and of ourselves.  It’s a peace that knows You rule and reign in our lives and that we can trust You. 

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times (Psalm 119:20 NIV).

One of the best ways to find out what people are really like is to examine their deepest longings.  What do you want more than anything?  A new car?  A better job?  The psalmist of Psalm 119 wanted to feed upon God’s Word.

Once you have entered the world of God’s Law, you become filled with a longing to know more and more.  It is a bittersweet longing, because you become more aware of your own imperfections.  God’ forgiveness will become even more precious to you.  What a wonderful journey it is!

Spend more time in the Word, and the secrets of His covenant will be revealed, opening like the petals of a miraculous flower.  Let your soul be consumed with a longing for His truth.

What are you consumed with in this moment?

“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”

Many people think that it’s difficult to be saved.  They say, “You mean, all I have to do is to call upon God?  That’s too easy—too simple.”  It IS simple to be saved—for one reason:  Jesus has done what is necessary.  It is not what we have done.  It has already been done.  We must simply believe that He has done it for us.

Today’s scripture can transform any life—if it is mixed with faith.  If we call upon the name of the Lord, repent of our sins, invite Jesus into our hearts, and confess it boldly with our mouths, the Bible says that we will be saved.  Jesus did it all.  He paid it all so that we might have it all.

Today, ask the Lord to lead you to someone who needs Him.  Ask God to open that person’s heart and show him how he can call upon the name of Jesus and receive the cleansing of Christ’s blood for all sins.  Let Jesus be acknowledged as the Lord of that person’s life.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that every one of us is called to be a soul winner.  Each of us is called to be light wherever there is darkness.  Lead us to a hungry soul in Jesus’s Name.

Amen.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. –(James 1:16-17 NKJV)

When you take Jesus as your Savior, you get the whole salvation package.  In that package are deliverance, redemption, and healing.  The Greek word sozo, which is translated salvation in the New Testament, literally means “deliverance, redemption, and healing.”

Jesus takes your sin and gives you His righteousness.  He takes your sickness, and He gives you health.  He takes your death and gives you eternal life.  Do you think that is a good package?  Even though you lost it all in the first Adam, you regained it all in the last Adam, Jesus Christ.

All the weapons which were formed against you cannot prosper (see Isaiah 54:17) because Jesus came and dismantled those weapons.

Praise the Lord!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” -(Isaiah 43:2 NKJV)

This must have been the scripture that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego stood on when they were thrown in the burning, fiery furnace.  They certainly were not burned, nor did they even have the scent of smoke upon them when they came out.  Only the rope that held their hands was burned.

What will bring us through the deep waters?  What will bring us through the hottest fires of persecution?  It is the One Who brought Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego through the burning, fiery furnace.  It is the fourth Man in the furnace—the Son of God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ will go through the waters when we go through the waters.  He will go through the fire when we go through the fire.  We will emerge without being bitter, rejected, or damaged in our personalities—we can come out free.  Today, remember, whatever your crisis, the fourth One is with you too!

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You today that whatever trial I go through, You are there to go through it with me and You are there to bring me through victoriously.  It is always Your will that I triumph in Christ.

Amen.

The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God (Galatians 3:7 NLT).

Faith lessons are passed down from generation to generation.

When we live by faith, we are the spiritual children of Abraham.

What is the point of receiving any type of lesson?

So, you can learn and apply that lesson to your own life.  So, you can have equal or even better results than those who received the lesson before you.  This especially true of faith lessons.

Be quick to share with your children how God has honored your acts of faith.

Be quick to tell them how you have lived by faith and what resulted from that faith.

Pass the faith lessons of your life on to your children.

What are some of these lessons?

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37 NKJV)

This special phrase appears more than one time in the Bible, and it almost always has to do with the birth of a child.  All our married life the doctors said that I could never have a child, that it was utterly impossible.  But with God all things are possible.  Thirteen years after we were married, we miraculously gave birth to a child of our own.

Can you imagine the excitement of Abraham and Sarah when they were told that Sarah would receive the strength to conceive Isaac!  When I looked up this word STRENGTH, I found out that in Hebrew the word was DUNAMIS, which means “miracle-working power.”

With God nothing is impossible, and even though Abraham and Sarah were “old and well stricken in age,” Sarah received her strength and Isaac was born.

The word for POSSIBLE is also DUNAMIS— “miracle-working power.”  With God there is miracle working power for every “impossible” situation.

Make a vow never again to think or say the word “impossible.”  Instead, flood your life with God’s positive and possible power!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we thank You, in the name of Jesus, that the impossible is possible when we put our trust and confidence in You.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.  And he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrew 11:8 NKJV).

Abraham was willing to go wherever God told him because he believed what God promised him about his own life and future.

He did not see in order to believe.

He believed that he might—even if he had only a glimpse of what was to come.

Abraham did not know—and then believe.  He believed that he might know.

Abraham did not possess—and then believe.  He believed that he might one day possess.

This is the very essence of faith.

What are you believing for?

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” (Job 5:17 NKJV)

This scripture is also found in the book of Hebrews.  Many times, we read it and think, “I don’t like chastening.”  But I believe that this scripture is a “Double-D” verse—we are neither to DESPISE the Lord’s correction nor DESPAIR in it.

How does God correct us?  He corrects us with His Word—His cleansing agent.  Notice that this passage talks about chastening, or correction, by the Almighty.  The word ALMIGHTY in the original Hebrew is EL SHADDAI.  EL SHADDAI means “The God of all sufficiency; the God Who is more than enough.”

As El Shaddai, God came to Abraham in the context of total impossibility.  God said to Abraham, “I’ll give you seed as the duct of the earth.”  Abraham was 99 years old; Sarah was 89.  However, God has the capability of superseding all-natural events—He caused Abraham and Sarah to have a child.

When God corrects you, He does it so that He can give you more than you ever expected.  Let’s receive His correction with love and be blessed by it.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today for Your correction.  Search our hearts and reveal any wicked ways that are hidden within us.  We desire to walk in Your light.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

But for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

A life built on God’s truth becomes the foundation for generational blessing, because knowledge of the truth empowers us to make habitual choices that are in line with the Word of God and the character of Christ.

God honors righteousness.

God rewards those who diligently seek Him.

He blesses choices and decisions that honor Him.

A family can choose to follow God and be blessed by God—generation after generation.  A family can choose to obey God, receive forgiveness, and become the very embodiment of God’s blessing to the world.

A family who believes and lives the truth will be blessed.  Sadly, a family who fails to value truth or refuses to receive truth will eventually reap negative consequences.

Prize the truth…seek the truth…reap the truth’s glorious harvest.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11 NKJV)

The best way to love one another is to love God and experience His love in our hearts.  When we try to love people with our own supply of love, it runs out quickly.  Sometimes people are hard to love.  Sometimes we are hard to love.  But if we go back to His love, we find an endless supply.

I’ve learned that when we begin to act in love—just because God has asked it—our emotions will get in line, and soon we will feel it.

Sometimes it is very difficult to extend love to others—particularly when they have been offended or hurt us.  We know in our hearts that we should radiate that AGAPE kind of love.  But deep in our souls and bodies lies a strong resistance.  That’s when it’s so important to lean on God and borrow some of His love.

Say something good about a person who has said evil things about you.  Begin to speak God’s Word about that person, and your feelings and emotions will change into the love of God.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we see that it’s very important to love our enemies.  We should do good to our enemies and pray for them.  In doing so, You can change our enemies and make them to be at peace with us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen

Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.  Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left.  Then you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.   (Joshua 1:7-8 NLT)

At a critical moment in your Joshua’s life, God spoke to him some of the most positive, inspiring, and courage-building words in the entire Bible.

Hearing God’s Word is a lifelong process.  We learn as we go, and we never fully arrive.  There are always enriching new insights to be gained and intimate moments with God yet to be experienced.  This is the “little by little” Isaiah talked about (Isaiah 28:9-10).

For true learning to take place, information must be encountered repeatedly.  The same is true of learning God’s way; we benefit from “soaking” in His Word, from “chewing” on it as we ask Him to reveal what a particular passage means and how it relates to our lives.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11 NKJV)

How can we stand against the wiles of the devil if we haven’t put on the whole armor of God?  In Ephesians 6 we read about seven pieces of armor.  We need each one of them.

Each piece of armor is offensive, not defensive.  There is nothing to cover our backs because we can never turn our backs on the devil.  We’re always to move forward in God!

Our orders are to “occupy” until Jesus comes (Luke 19:13b).  OCCUPY is not a passive verb, nor does it denote a defensive position.  Rather, it denotes action—an active stance—an offensive maneuver.

Then Ephesians 6:13 says, “having done all, to stand.”  When I looked up the word STAND, I found that it means “to stand as a conqueror.”  We stand as conquerors—soldiers who have already won the battle.

What are our orders from the Lord?  First, put on the whole armor of God—be prepared!  Second, take the offensive—move forward with God as your Captain!  Third, occupy the land—until Jesus comes!  Fourth, stand as a conqueror—the battle is won!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that we are victorious and that we always triumph in Christ.  We are not defeated.  We are victorious through Your Word and the power of Your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

It is so important for us to live forgiving lifestyles. Forgiveness is not something we use now and then, or when we are in a difficult situation. Forgiveness is a way of life. It is a part of the new nature we receive when we are born again.

At times we may grow impatient with people, but we must remember that we sin daily, and we need forgiveness daily. Others sin daily, and they, too, need forgiveness daily. When we expect to receive God’s grace for OUR sins, we must also extend it to others.

What is living in grace? It is receiving God’s grace and giving it to others. I make it a habit, every morning, to forgive anyone who might offend me during the day. Before anyone can offend me, they are forgiven. Today let’s choose to be tenderhearted and to forgive in the name of Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We forgive anyone who may offend us today—even before they do it! In Jesus’s name, we extend the same grace to others that we have so freely received.

Amen.

“What is truth?”

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus this question shortly before he ordered Jesus to be crucified.

We don’t know what tone of voice Pilate used.  Perhaps, he asked in dismay, believing truth could not be discovered.

What we do know is that people continue to ask this question—in many tones of voice.  People today are as puzzled as ever about what is true and what is false.

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me” (John 15:26 NIV).  Paul said those who followed Jesus would be people who walked in truth: “(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:9-10 NKJV).

As Christians, we can know the truth, believe the truth, speak the truth, and act in a way that is in full agreement with the truth of God.  If you sincerely desire to establish a life of blessing for yourself and your family, you need truth.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6 NKJV)

Be anxious for nothing. Instead of feeling anxious about circumstances and situations in our lives, the Bible advises us to pray about them.

If you are anxious about something, take it to God in prayer. Make your petition known, and then thank God that He is answering your requests. Giving thanks demonstrates that you have faith that He will give you things in line with His Word. Remember to give God thanks on a daily basis.

Sometimes I thank the Lord for answers; yet the problems begin to look worse than ever. However, I do not give up and become discouraged; I continue to give thanks. It seems as though the thanksgiving is the very thing that causes my prayers to rise—just like the leaven in bread causes rising power in the dough.

When you feel anxious, turn your worries into praise and thanksgiving. Let your prayers and praise rise up to heaven, and watch your heavenly Father soothe your anxiety and resolve your cares.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we will not be worried and anxious, but we will use our faith and make our supplications with thanksgiving. We expect our needs to be met in You.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?  (Hebrews 1:14 NKJV)

The writer to the Hebrews in the New Testament tells us that God has appointed angels to minister to the heirs of salvation.

Are YOU an heir of salvation?  Are YOU in the household of faith?

Then you have special angels appointed just to YOU.

Guardian angels show us just how much God loves us and how He is always doing everything to meet our needs, to prepare us, to assist us in all kinds of situations and circumstances.

What needs has He met?

What are you believing for?

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. (Philippians 3:10 NKJV)

For years I did not understand the part of this verse that speaks of “the fellowship of His sufferings.” What does it mean “to fellowship” in His sufferings? I could better understand the “power of His resurrection” than the “fellowship of His sufferings.”

Then I began to ask, “Why DID Jesus suffer?” I realized that He suffered for the lost. Jesus suffered to the point that He was willing to die. When we enter into the fellowship of His suffering, we will feel the way Jesus felt toward lost souls, and we become willing to die.

Moses was willing to die so that his people might enter the Promised Land. He said to God, “If You’re going to erase their names from the book, then you might as well erase mine too.” Paul felt it, too, when he said, “I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3).

What were these men feeling? The fellowship of the Lord’s suffering. I believe that the Holy Spirit will let us enter into that fellowship of suffering for the lost.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to remember that Jesus suffered to save the lost. Never let us think that we are too spiritual to have a burden for the lost. Thank You for helping us, by Your Spirit, to enter the fellowship of the Lord’s suffering.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit… (Ephesians 6:12-18 NKJV)

How do we “wrestle” against these powerful spiritual beings?  Our “fight” is to stand in the victory that Jesus has already won for us!  Paul says that we are to “take” the whole armor of God, which Jesus has provided for our complete victory.

You and I are caught up in the most angelic wrestling match at all times; we need to be ready for whatever the devil tries to throw at us.  We need to have our loin girt about with truth, which means we’re not into any false doctrine or flaky teachings.  We must surround ourselves with the Word, the Word, the Word!  We also need the breastplate of righteousness.  We must examine ourselves and be sure we are walking in righteousness.  Wherever there is sin or carnality, the devil has a way to get to us with the intent of destroying our testimony and our Christian walk.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12 NKJV)

Have you ever wanted to become something that you are not? Have you ever said, “If only I could be strong in faith and free from fear. If only I would do certain things.” Jesus has given us all power to do and power to become anything that He is—in all our circumstances.

Once I received some heavy criticism from a pastor in our city. I was so angry that I wanted to tell him off immediately. But the Lord said this: “How should you treat your enemies?” I admitted that the Word days we should pray for them, do good to them, and bless them. And God said, “THAT is the very way I want YOU to treat your enemy.”

I replied, “That may be the way YOU treat Your enemies. But I can’t.” He said, “Yes, you can. You have Jesus. You have the power to become like Me.”

I began to bless that pastor with my mouth. He later invited me to be a guest speaker in his church. When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes one’s enemies to be at peace with him.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We pray that TODAY we will enter into what You have for us. We will walk in the power and anointing of Jesus Christ. We will know that in us is Jesus—doing all the work.

In His Name,

Amen

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. –(Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)

When you think about the times a sense of thankfulness fills your mind, it is not usually in times of need or anxiety, but it is in exactly those times that we need to fill our thoughts with God’s presence and recall His blessings.

When we are thankful, we are in the right spiritual place to make our requests known to God and to receive His peace.

What are you most thankful for?

“Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19b NKJV)

Sometimes the act of departing from sin seems like an overwhelming mountain, especially if the sin is a habitual thing or exists in a blinded area of our lives.

Some Christians fall into the trap of grading themselves on the curve. This can be very deceiving. We should never compare the sin in our lives to what we see in the lives of people around us.

The Lord, instead, has shown me there are three easy ways to overcome iniquity. First, we look ahead to what would happen if we were to continue committing this sin. When we look at the ultimate results of sin, we often realize that they are very dangerous.

Secondly, we must look around. God has been so good to us. Look at all of the many blessings He has given us. Start counting blessings. We are complete in Christ. We don’t have to be involved in sin. Finally, we need to look within. He Who is in us is greater that he that is in the world. We are vessels to bring glory to God. By looking ahead, looking around, and looking within, we can depart from iniquity.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us today to name sin as sin, help us not to grade ourselves on the curve, but by Your Word. Help us to forsake sin and receive Your mercy.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.