Daily Devotionals

Have you ever wished someone would listen to you? You may have even asked a person with whom you were talking, “Are you listening?”

We don’t have to wonder if God listens to us. Jeremiah 29:12 says that if we pray, He’ll listen. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

Ponder God’s words. Say them out loud. Take hold of the reality, “When I call on God, go and pray to Him, He listens to me.” Yes, yes, yes! The God of the universe, the God of creation listens to you when you go to Him and pray to Him.

I think there is something we may miss in our multi-tasking culture. When God says, “come and pray to Me” that means we stop what we are doing in order to go to God. It’s the “come to Me” part, rather than shooting “arrow” prayers toward God while we are doing something else.

Because God is Spirit, we do not have to leave our home or office to go to a certain place to meet with God. But we do need to be intentional about going to Him and calling on Him.

Do we take advantage of the amazing privilege and opportunity to live beyond ourselves; to live by the Almighty God’s guiding voice? If not, begin today. Go to God. Ask Him to lead you through your day. Ask for His wisdom. Pay attention to His voice in your thoughts.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who LISTENS when I come to You and call on Your name. Help me to be mindful of the great privilege it is to come to You.

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

Do you ever feel like you’re eaten up with sin? Or can you look back to a time when you succumbed to temptation and Satan “chewed you up and spit you out”? If so, no doubt you praise Christ for being the victor over the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). 

Yes, Satan is the great pretender. He prowls like a roaring lion but he isn’t a lion. He mimics everything about Christ because he is insanely jealous that Christ is Lord, not him. The true lion? The genuine, real deal lion? Jesus is, as Revelation 5:5 explains—“Behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Jesus’ title, Lion of Judah, is traced to Genesis 49:9 when Jacob blessed his son, Judah, and referred to him as a young lion. Christ is traced to this noble tribe of Israel. Rather than being a “young lion,” however, or a fictional lion king movie character, Christ’s title designates Jesus as the true Lion King, the noblest and most powerful One. As Revelation 5:5 states, Christ has overcome all, even death. He’s our Lion King. Give praise to Him and turn to Him when Satan nips at your heels.

Lord Jesus Christ, LION OF JUDAH, I worship You! Thank You for all You have done to defeat Satan and secure my salvation. Move in me increasingly so I am aware of Your presence and power. 

Would you like to learn more about standing firm and resisting the devil, especially in the times in which we live? Watch Debbie’s teaching on 1 Peter 5 HERE or listen to it HERE. You can also purchase her whole Bible study on 1 Peter HERE.