Laser Targeted Prayers

DAILY VERSE

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

– Hebrews 4:12

DEVOTION

Our prayers are powerful. But when we pray God’s own words back to Him they hold greater power.

Some of our most sophisticated weapons are “smart bombs”. They can be targeted using lasers to hit their mark with unimaginable accuracy.

Think of praying God’s words as laser targeting your prayers!

Lord, I know you have specific plans for my life. Your plans are good. Your plans are to keep me from harm’s way and foil the attacks of the enemy. Because of your plans, my future is hopeful. Lord, I pray you make a way. I pray for breakthroughs that will allow your plans to be manifested in my life. I pray all of this in Jesus’ Name.

(inspired by Jeremiah 29:11)

Pray God’s Word!

Bad Things Happen to Good People

DAILY VERSE

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

– Romans 8:28

DEVOTION

You’ve certainly heard people question why God allows bad things to happen to good people. It’s been a stumbling block for people who do not yet know Christ, and it pushes some people to question their own faith.

Like a gallon of milk, we all come with a predetermined expiration date. We don’t know what that date will be, but it is certain. For situations other than death, sometimes God allows things to happen to us so we’ll draw near to Him. Read the book of Job and you’ll see the quintessential illustration of this. Then there’s the human factor; we all fall short and we all sin. People are going to allow Satan to tempt them into every sort of sin that affects good people, collateral damage.

Some will look at the Old Testament where God wipes out all of mankind except for Noah and his family. Then there are the Israelite’s going from town to town and killing everyone at God’s direction. Know this, like in Noah’s time, these people were worshiping false gods and sinning on a deeper level.

Know that God is good. We will NEVER understand His ways. But knowing that He is incapable of evil, we must trust that His intentions are pure.

God is Good!

Let Thankfulness Become a Habit

DAILY VERSE

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

– James 1:17

DEVOTION

Everything we have; material possessions, food, shelter, family, friends, employment — all of it comes from God. We tend to forget this and therefore forget to be thankful on a daily basis.

A great practice is to immediately thank God for our rest and the new day the minute we wake up. Each day is a gift! The more we practice being thankful, thankfulness becomes a habit.

May God bless you today with good things and answers to prayer!

God Will Finish the Work

DAILY VERSE

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

– Exodus 33:14

DEVOTION

Have you ever spent an entire day at Disneyland or any amusement park? The final walk to your car is the epitome of a struggle!

Trials are the same way but on a much grander scale. The emotional gymnastics can leave you completely spent of all energy.

God is with you! He’s the one giving you the strength to get through each day as you inch closer and closer to the finish line. If you’re like me, maybe your foot’s been hovering over that line for a while, stuck in an other-dimensional slow motion?

Wherever you find yourself, God will finish the work He began in you!

With Joy Comes Faith

DAILY VERSE

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

– 1 John 4:7

DEVOTION

Affliction is what you feel while enduring a long period of trials. Our tendency, mine for sure, is to get discouraged the longer things drag out, especially when there are periods when information is scarce. But I’ve realized that discouragement is something that Satan wants us to feel. To be discontent in our waiting, not trusting that God is actively working in the background to resolve things.

That’s where our joy comes in. We can be confident that whether we see it or not, God has already planned a resolution and worked out the timing. We can have hope, and in hope, we can have joy, and with that joy comes faith!

Be patient, God has results you will soon see!

Favor in God’s Sight

DAILY VERSE

Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.

– Exodus 33:13

DEVOTION

Trials. We all face them. When we go through them it’s mainly when we feel as if we’ve lost favor with God. What is it we are seeking? If it is a better job, more money, a nicer home, or something material, we’re missing the mark and missing out!

To truly know God was what Moses was after. He knew that, above all things, this would be the ultimate blessing. 

God certainly blesses His people with “nice things”, but if we’re focused on the material things above a true relationship with Him, we’re selling ourselves short.

Seek to favor in God’s sight!

We Have Been Forgiven!

DAILY VERSE

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

– Psalms 32:1-2

DEVOTION

It became obvious from the day the “original sin” was committed that mankind was never going to live up to the purpose God had created us for. It was in His Mercy that He spoke to Noah and saved his family from the flood. He was obviously finished with the sin the had enveloped nearly everyone.

He gave Moses the commandments He wanted us to follow. Again, He showed Mercy when mankind couldn’t do that. He sent His Son! Jesus took the sins of the world upon His shoulders. He took them to the grave with Him and in a display of the ultimate form of forgiveness, He conquered death and rose from the grave! 

Friends, we have been forgiven! Let’s walk in that and make a difference!

Glory Revealed

DAILY VERSE

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

– 1 Peter 4:12-13

DEVOTION

If you’re in the midst of an excruciating season of life, hold on, the Lord is not finished with you. It may seem as if everything is out of control, but God has been storing up blessings for you beyond your comprehension. As Peter states, God’s glory is going to be revealed through your trial.

God isn’t idle during your trials. Your heavenly Father has been actively working since your ordeal started, storing up his appointed blessings for you. 

God’s glory will be revealed!

You Have Not Been Discarded

DAILY VERSE

But as it is written, “Things no eye has seen and no ear has heard, that have not entered the heart of mankind— these things God has prepared for those who love Him.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:9

DEVOTION

Have you ever driven by a scrapyard? Most cities require these places to be surrounded by a tall fence because the piles of scraped and discarded items are unsightly.

Sometimes we can feel this way too. We can feel our sin has caused us to be discarded. We can feel our sin has put a wall in between us and God. We can begin to feel the trials we go through are deserved, a form of punishment.

But God doesn’t operate on earthly feelings or human constructs. He is God. He sent His Son to bridge the gap sin had created. When He looks at you, He sees His Son’s sacrifice. You can be confident that God is with you always! He has not discarded you as if you were scrap and the walls of sin have been torn down by Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Unimaginable blessings await those who call Jesus their Savior! 

Collectively with Others

DAILY VERSE

It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart—for you all are partakers of grace with me…

– Philippians 1:7

DEVOTION

Andrew Carnegie said, ‘It marks a big step in your development when you realize that other people can help you do a better job than you can do by yourself.’ (After all, you can’t whistle a symphony; it takes an orchestra!)

Take Jonathan for instance; he befriended King David and relinquished all thoughts of the throne for himself, even though he was the king’s son. He showed humility by submitting to God’s will.

Sometimes God’s will leads you to be faithful and loyal to serving another’s dream that God has collectively placed in your heart.