God Will Guide You

DAILY VERSE

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11

 

DEVOTION

Do you have a dream, a clear vision for where your life will end up going one day? A career choice, a home, someplace you want to visit, your spiritual walk with Christ? God’s Spirit resides inside each of us. We can rely on Him to show us when we make good and bad choices. He will direct our path if we allow Him to do so. Submit your hopes and dreams to Him and let Him lead the way.

Storing Up Treasure

DAILY VERSE

Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

 

DEVOTION

A few verses prior, hypocritical fasting is mentioned. God knows what we do in private and He honors and rewards that. If your motivation for doing something good hinges on how others will perceive it, as mentioned in the prior verses, that’s all you’ll get. As our hearts change and are molded by the Almighty, doing good should become second nature, not an empty display that will get us brownie points from our peers.

A Fallen World

DAILY VERSE

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works.

Titus 2:14

 

DEVOTION

The Bible is a book of laws, a moral blueprint for living a moral life. One night watching the evening news will show just how far away from God’s moral code this world has fallen. It’s up to those who believe, in holding fast to the morality and integrity God expects from us, to reveal Christ to the world around us.

Power of Prayer

DAILY VERSE

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matthew 18:20

 

DEVOTION

There is power in prayer, even more so when two or more or gathered. I’m not sure how this differs from just praying for things myself, but I do know when groups of people pray, mountains can be moved and the sick can be healed. If you’re going through a difficult time, rally the prayer warriors. If you know of someone who is going through a tough time or illness, pray for them. God honors the prayers of believers.

Redemptive Suffering

DAILY VERSE

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things”

2 Corinthians 1:4-6

 

DEVOTION

We all go through difficult times. As God allows us to lean on Him as He works these things out, the result is, we have the ability to help others get through similar struggles. This is called redemptive suffering. Redemptive suffering is when you go through a problem or a pain for the benefit of others. Tell your story, allow others to learn how God helped you get through tough times.

The Problem Solver

DAILY VERSE

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:3

 

DEVOTION

With the Holy Spirit, we have all the tools we need to deal with life’s problems. We often forget to draw on His insight and lean on His understanding, relying on our own strength and how the world dictates we should react. Switch your focus off of the problem and onto the Problem Solver.

Fear Not

DAILY VERSE
He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

2 Corinthians 1:10

 

DEVOTION

Fear reveals places in our lives where our trust in God is shallow. As we tread through deep waters, we need to ba able to give God everything, especially our fears. Make it a point today to jot down your fears and give them over to God. As your trust builds, so too will your faith. Releasing your fears will bring freedom and peace.

Seasons

DAILY VERSE

“We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead”

2 Corinthians 4:8b-9

 

DEVOTION

Have you ever gone through a season where you felt as if you were being punished for some great wrong you committed? Those seasons can feel like they will never end, time seems to slow down. God is good, He doesn’t cause bad things to happen, but He can use these times for good, to draw you closer to Him. You will get through them with a stronger bond with your heavenly Father and a deeper faith.

Safe Space?

DAILY VERSE

Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.

Hebrews 11:36-37

 

DEVOTION

Many people view Christianity to be a “safe space”, that following Christ will come with protections and prosperity which will result in a joyful easy life. If you’ve led a simple easy life as a Christian, you’re either truly blessed or you have some questions to ask yourself. Following Christ requires serving others before yourself, and there will be trials that will come close to breaking you, but in the end, will increase your faith 10-fold. The results will be a fulfilling and joyful life, oddly enough, because God will carry you through, giving you a new perspective on life as you rely on His strength and become closely knitted into His family of believers.

In His Arms…

DAILY VERSE

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalms 63:1

 

DEVOTION

Do you love God or just the idea of God? Is your time spent in prayer or reading God’s word a chore or something you look forward to? Many times we can allow the daily noise to drown out our relationship with God or minimise its importance.

In his book “God is the Gospel”, John Piper wrote, “The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”

Being wrapped in Jesus’ arms and hearing, “Well done my good and faithful servant,” should be the end goal for those who believe.