Beyond Ourselves
When You’re Drained
Do you feel drained or spiritually empty? You know you’re saved, but you’re tired and discouraged. What do we do when we want to serve the Lord and energetically live for Him but we’re weary and feel like there’s nothing left in us to give? God answers our question. In Jeremiah 31:25, He says, “I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” The LORD is our REFRESHER. Jesus echoes this in Matthew 5:3-6. Are we poor in spirit? Are we mourning? Are we hungry and thirsty for righteousness? If so, we can go to the ever flowing river of Life in the LORD. We can drink deeply of His Word and Spirit. We can be refreshed and our energy renewed to do what He entrusts into our hands.
Heavenly Father, our daily lives often leave us feeling drained. Fill us with Your presence. Renew and refresh us so we are energized to serve You and others.
Get on the Right Side of God
Have you noticed that people in our nation are at odds with one another? Maybe it’s the name calling and accusations. Maybe it’s because certain factions look on others as enemies. Did you know that Romans 5:10 says that at one time we were enemies of God? Not a good position to be in! How did we get on the right side of God so we’re not God’s enemy? The verse explains, “we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” It took Jesus’s death to reconcile us to God. The verse continues, “we shall be saved by His life.” No one wants to be on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants to be on the wrong side of God. We have Jesus to thank for reconciling us to our Heavenly Father.
Jesus, thank You for giving Your life so that we could be RECONCILED to God! We rejoice in and praise You!
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10
What’s Coming Up Behind You
Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, you probably know the startled feeling and hope that the driver slow down rather than rear end you. Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of Him as watching out for our backs. “… the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.” In this verse, God is referred to as a rear guard to the Israelites when they escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching danger and evil. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? In the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. How comforting to know You’ve got our back.
It’s easy to forget how God “prompts” us. However, if we record His promptings and verses applicable to our life, we can reread and follow them. Recently, I was able to get a great deal on Prayers of My Heart prayer journal and want to pass HALF OFF savings to you – $7.50 instead of $14.99. It’s a perfect Christmas gift for teachers, friends, family, and your Bible study group so get one for yourself and those on your Christmas list WHILE AVAILABLE at this price.
If You’re Kidnapped, Do This
Did you see the movie, Ransom? Mel Gibson played the father of the son who was kidnapped. There was no way the kidnapped son could free himself. The kidnappers demanded that the father pay a certain price, a ransom, to get his son back. That’s what our Father did for us. We were captives in sin. But our Heavenly Father gave Jesus as the RANSOM to pay for our freedom. Was it only our Father’s idea? No. First Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus was in one accord with the Father. “…Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a RANSOM for all.” Yes, our sweet Lord gave Himself as a ransom so we could be reunited to Him and our Heavenly Father forever. How do we become freed from sin? We say “yes” to the outstretched hand of Jesus who has come to save us.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our RANSOM, our LORD.
Jesus Will Wake Us Up
TIP: How to Pray for Unbelievers
Death. It seems so final. I’d been prepared for my mother’s death because she’d been ill a long time. But the casket. The cemetery. I broke down weeping. Some family members whispered they were surprised at my grief, but all I could think of was how much I was going to miss her. So what does Jesus want us to know about death and what did He prove when He raised Lazarus and others from the dead? He wants us to know that death isn’t final. Jesus describes death as sleep and that just as a loved one rouses us from sleep by calling our name, Jesus will rouse us from our death sleep. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25) Yes, believers will hear Christ’s voice (imagine that!) and wake in His eternal presence. Better words could never be said. Who do we need to share them with?
Lord, thank You for the eternal promise and evidence that You raise those who are dead in Christ into Your eternal presence. We will see our loved ones again.
Dark World, Radiant God
Are you concerned with how our world seems to be getting darker? Religious persecution, disease, abuse, terrorists at home and abroad, moral decline, and political shenanigans contribute to the anxiety and depression we may feel. In the midst of discouraging days, what can believers do? We can keep our eyes on Jesus, who Hebrews 1:3 describes as the radiance of God’s glory. The word “radiance” is only used 5 times in the Bible and in each of those, refers to God. Commentator Vines defines God’s “radiance” as “shining forth, of a light coming from a luminous body.” Isn’t that exciting? Even when things around us are dark, God isn’t. One sweet, glorious day, we’ll join those who have glimpsed God’s radiance. We’ll fall on our faces as they did; overwhelmed by what our eyes see. The day is coming when we go to Jesus or when He returns through the clouds. Keep watching and living for Him!
Heavenly Father, our hearts are overwhelmed as we read the accounts of those who have had glimpses of You. We can’t imagine what it will be like to see Your glory. We praise You now and forever.
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,…” Hebrews 1:3
If You Want to Hear God’s Voice
LISTEN
“Lord, are You there? Speak to me.” Have you ever wanted to hear from God? The fact is, the Bible tells us in Zephaniah 3:17 that God is in our midst and He’s a victorious warrior, but He’s also quiet in His love. What does that mean? I like to think of when I’ve held our little ones. My heart feels like it could jump out of my skin because I’m so full of love for them. However, I’m not going to be loud with them. Instead, I hold them close to my heart. I wonder if they feel my heartbeat as they lie comfortably in my embrace. God is magnificient and the Bible is filled with His words to us. If we wish He would speak to us, He has and is. Open the Bible. Hold it close to your heart. Feel His heartbeat and listen to what He quietly says to you in love.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17
Lord, thank You for Your QUIET LOVE and for the Words you speak to us. May we hold You, them, close to our hearts and feel Your heartbeat.
Feeling Spiritually Sluggish?
Do you ever feel sluggish? You know – blah? Can’t quite find your “get up and go” even though there are things you could be, should be doing? Nobody likes that feeling. So what do we do when we don’t feel motivated to pray, work, or get moving? We lift up our soul to God. (Psalm 143:8) We read God’s Word regardless of how we feel, and while reading, discover that we’re encouraged and inspired. God’s thoughts become our thoughts. His passions our passions. We ask our Heavenly Father to give us the mind and energy of Christ. The King James Version of 1 Corinthians 15:45 contrasts the first man, Adam, with the “last Adam,” Jesus, in this way: “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a QUICKENING SPIIRT.” As a Quickening Spirit, Jesus arouses and invigorates us. Christ followers are not spiritually dead. We’re alive! Pray and ask God to fill you with His Holy Quickening Spirit; then pay attention to His promptings in your heart and mind.
TIP: I daily open my Prayers of My Heart journal so I can record what God quickens me to pray and prompts me to do. Having our Bible, pen, and journal in hand signals to God that we are ready and willing to listen to and follow His promptings. Currently 1/2 price HERE.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus who is a Quickening Spirit! Arouse and invigorate us to do Your will.
How to Prepare to Meet Jesus
Do you “clean up” before something important? Maybe we have a job interview or are going to a wedding or out with friends. Do we shower and put on clean clothes? Of course we do. We prepare for the one we’re meeting. One of Jesus’s beloved followers tells believers in 1 John 3:3 that we should prepare for when we meet Jesus in heaven. “Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him (Jesus) purifies himself, just as He is PURE.” But hasn’t Jesus already made us pure? Yes. Jesus washes us and cleanses of our sins when we repent and confess Him as Lord. But John makes the point that as God’s children, we should anticipate meeting Christ and therefore guard against daily sin. If we knew we would meet Jesus in the next few moments what might we do in preparation? Right a relationship? Apologize to someone? Say “no” to a sinful habit? The fact is, we will soon meet Jesus. How might we “purify ourselves” in readiness to see our risen Lord?
Lord Jesus, You are PURE and we desire to be pure. Forgive our sin. Fill us with Your pure, Holy Spirit.
When You’re At the End of You
“I can’t be the Christian I’m supposed to be. I can’t overcome this sin.” Have you ever said those words? If we sometimes feel incapable of being the Christian we want to be, we’re not alone. The Apostle Paul, who was instrumental in helping spread Christianity, once referred to himself as the chief of sinners. Here’s the good news. God knows that we can’t live the Christian life by self effort. That’s why He reminds us in Galatians 3:5 that He’s provided us with His Holy Spirit. We don’t please God by trying to improve our old self. We please God by learning to walk by faith in Him. We’re not short on godly provisions. Instead of saying we can’t live the Christian life or we can’t accomplish what God’s entrusted to us to do, we can ask Christ to fill us and accomplish His work through us. Then, we can practice walking by the Spirit. Will we walk by the Spirit perfectly 100% of the time? No, because as long as we’re in our human bodies, our fleshly nature will oppose the Spirit. (Galatians 5:17) and we’ll continue to struggle against spiritual forces of darkness/wickedness (Ephesians 6:12) because Satan is the ruler of this world. (John 14:30) Practice walking by Christ’s Spirit knowing that God is at work perfecting us.
Lord, thank You for PROVIDING us with Your Spirit by whom we can walk and fulfill the work You entrust us to do.
“…does He who PROVIDES you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”