Daily Disciples

August 16

Today’s Reading: Psalms 94; Romans 15:14-33

Today’s Thoughts: A Man who Found his Home

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? - Mark 8:36

Several years ago, I had asked my neighbor if she knew of someone who did handyman work. She immediately replied, "Use Larry. He isa Christian and homeless. He only has a car and a beeper." I had seen this man frequently in the neighborhood. He was very clean-cut and polite.  While speaking to him, I knew that the Lord wanted me to ask him about his home life. I said to the Lord (in my mind), "But Lord he doesn't have a home."  I heard again, "His home in Heaven." So, I asked Larry about his home life and that sparked a long response as to what happened to him. Larry told me that he used to be a multimillionaire who lived in a 32-room mansion.  At first, I was not sure if I believed him, but my neighbor confirmed that his story was true. She knew Larry during those days. Through a variety of circumstances, he became homeless.  Now he lives in his car, doing handiwork jobs for a living and ministering to the homeless.  He said to me, "I have lived in the best addresses in Rancho Santa Fe but I'm no longer concerned about those addresses. I constantly keep my mind focused on my next Home address." He said that many people are living in homes but they are truly homeless because they are empty inside. They have no peace. He quoted me his favorite verses that he claimed on a daily basis:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances may be. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any, and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want”  (Philippians 4:11-12 paraphrased).

After we finished talking with each other, I started meditating on those verses. I noticed that "I have learned" is mentioned twice. Learning to be content is a choice. Larry was not immune to fear, loneliness, worry or doubts. Larry had troubles but he trusted in Jesus' words. We are only passing through earth in these temporary tents to get to our eternal home in heaven. The world's promises do not bring peace, but Jesus brings peace. Remembering that we have a reservation in heaven keeps us focused on what matters most.

The fruit of Larry's homeless life has led many homeless and hopeless people to Christ. Larry learned to live for what matters most. Larry is now at his new permanent address as he went home to be with the Lord in his early 60s. Larry lived the second half of his life with nothing but a car and beeper; however, Larry gained everything because he lived his life here for his eternal home. 

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 15

Today’s Reading: Psalms 91; Romans 15:1-13

Today’sThoughts: Under the Shelter of His Wings

And He shall cover you with His feathers. And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your a shield and buckler. - Psalm 91:4

Some summers ago, our family purchased a 6-week old male cockatiel. But it was around a month ago that I started noticing behavioral changes in Mercy as he began to softly sing songs, slowly rocking back and forth, while hiding in dark, quiet and soft places (like our sock drawer). He seemed to be nesting. Was Mercy having an identity crises or was our male bird “a girl”? One day, the mystery was solved as Mercy laid an egg.  She actually laid a total of 3 eggs during 1 week period of time. But with the first egg, Mercy took on the role of a mother. She would stay in the corner of the cage to protect the eggs. She did not want to get her eggs dirty so she would not leave any droppings while in the cage. Mercy waited until we lifted her off the eggs and got her out of the cage. She stopped chirping to not give away her position. Our little bird suddenly and instinctively changed. It was amazing.  

After watching how Mercy sheltered her eggs, I began to understand why God uses a bird’s wings to describe Himself to us. Mercy would skillfully gather her rolling eggs and gently sit on them. However, her little body was not big enough to cover all three eggs. So, she would then tilt her body slightly forward and gracefully expand her wings to keep the three eggs protected from injury and to keep the eggs very warm. She was completely determined and resolved to stay in this position to keep the eggs under her wings. Mercy would even sleep in this position as her head would fall forward and rest on the floor of the cage. Only if I lifted her off the eggs to eat, drink and exercise, would Mercy leave her eggs.

If this little bird would do all this for empty, unfertilized eggs, how much more does our Heavenly Father protect and comfort us? The Lord’s biggest difficulty with us must be that His little eggs have feet to get up and leave the nest! I suddenly realized that He honors our unwillingness to not stay under the shelter of His wings. It is not best for us but we have a choice.  

How many of us need to return to His nest? Do you need to find a place of rest and warmth by the counsel and comfort of His Spirit? God is faithful and during this difficult season in our economy, know that He never leaves you nor forsakes you. Rest in His nest as you open His Word and seek Him for wisdom and discernment. He will provide for us and protect us. It is God’s heart desire to gather us as chicks.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 14

Today's Reading: Psalms 89; Romans 14

Today's Thoughts: Why Do We Suffer?
Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord willprosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:10-11

We struggle when we think that we will have to experience "trials of various kinds." Various kinds of trials invariably come with suffering. It does not take much effort to see that there is so much suffering, but we wonder: Why do Christians have to experience it when Jesus came to give us life abundantly? We frequently forget that the abundant life starts here, amidst all the suffering. We all know that there are more ways to suffer than just physically. Mental, emotional and circumstantial events can all bring aspects of suffering. At any given time, we could be faced with a serious trial by any one of these means. Why would God allow that to happen?

The word Christian means "little Christ." As Christians, we are not greater than our Master and His call on earth was to suffer. The NIV says that He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus was filled with all the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) while still suffering and in sorrow. That is the goal of the Christian's life. Despite all the emotional, mental, physical, circumstantial torment, we have love, joy, peace, patience—through it all.

The rain falls on the just and unjust alike. It falls on the saved and the unsaved. We are not spared from trials because we are Christians. But it is through the everyday issues of life that we are changed into Christ-likeness because of them. Jesus is our example as well as our intercessor who knows and understands whatever we are facing. Turn to face Him, knowing that the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 13

Today’s Reading:  Psalms 87; Romans 13

Today’s Thoughts: Knowing Christ

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. John 9:18

To open the eyes of the blind was a clear sign that Jesus was the Messiah. The religious leaders knew that no one could open the eyes of the blind. However, they did not believe that the man had really received his sight until his parents confirmed the fact that he had been born blind. The Jews choose to not believe that Jesus healed his sight.

Today, Jesus is still performing miracles as He gently touches us and others. He is still answering prayers on a daily basis. Nevertheless, like the Pharisees, we do not always appreciate the work of God because of the hardness of our own hearts. We personally want to tell God what He can and cannot do. We want to challenge the miracles and call them “coincidences” or deny that a miracle happened at all. We talk Christianity and try to exclude the "Christ."

I had a man say to me once that he tried “that Christianity stuff and it did not work”. He went on to tell me that he read the Bible, prayed and did good works within the church but it was only a phase. I then asked him the following questions: "Have you ever gotten down on your knees, begging God to cleanse you from your sins? Have you ever told the Lord that you only desired to live for Him, to serve Him and to follow Him wherever He wanted? Have you ever had such a hunger and thirst to read His words that He placed within His book just to get to know Him better? Did you ever want Jesus more than you wanted anything else and desired to please Him in everything you did?" He clearly and quickly answered, "NO." And I said, "Then I don't think that you ever came to know Jesus, and without Jesus, there is no Christianity." Christianity without Christ is just a lot of wasted time and effort, doing some good things that do not really matter. Jesus does not need us to do anything. He wants us to come to Him, listen to Him and enjoy His fellowship.

There are many reasons why we may want to be religious. God does not want our actions; He wants our hearts. When our hearts align with His, our actions will follow to please Him. No one has to pretend or try to act like a Christian. As you believe in Him, He will change you. Pray that your heart will stay soft to recognize the works of God in your life. Pray that the miracles of Jesus make a difference in your day and affect the lives of others. Pray that you see Him moving in you, touching you and healing you from the depths of your heart today. Jesus wants to gently and quietly love on you. God does not need you to play Christianity. God wants you to know Christ.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 12

Today's Reading:  Psalms 84; Romans 12

Today's Thoughts: A Shepherd, Not A Hireling

But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. John 10:12-13

Have you ever left something or someone in the hands of another person? Is it difficult to leave your child with a babysitter; or your home with a house sitter? For those of us who have left our "valuables" in the hands of another person, the feelings can be unsettling at times, regardless of how much we may trust the person. We know that their care and concerns are just not the same as ours. Why? Because we know that person is a "hireling."

Jesus uses this same illustration to show His care and concern for us. No one loves and cares for us more than Jesus. He is our Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. Jesus looks at each one of us as His very own precious little lamb. He treasures us so much that He would lay down His life for us. He would do anything to save us from harm or death. And that is exactly what He did: He gave His life for each one of us.

Take comfort today in knowing that you have a Good Shepherd watching over you. He watches you come in and go out. He knows your every move because He cares about your safety. If you should find yourself straying from Him, maybe venturing out too far, just listen for the sound of His voice. As a Christian, you are His lamb and part of His sheepfold. You will recognize His voice, just as a sheep recognizes its shepherd; and you will hear Him calling you back. Jesus never leaves us in the hands of someone else because He knows that no one will watch over His valuables more than Himself.  Trust in your Good Shepherd and know that He will never leave you.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc. 

August 13

Today’s Reading:  Psalms 87; Romans 13

Today’s Thoughts: Knowing Christ

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. John 9:18



To open the eyes of the blind was a clear sign that Jesus was the Messiah. The religious leaders knew that no one could open the eyes of the blind. However, they did not believe that the man had really received his sight until his parents confirmed the fact that he had been born blind. The Jews choose to not believe that Jesus healed his sight.

Today, Jesus is still performing miracles as He gently touches us and others. He is still answering prayers on a daily basis. Nevertheless, like the Pharisees, we do not always appreciate the work of God because of the hardness of our own hearts. We personally want to tell God what He can and cannot do. We want to challenge the miracles and call them “coincidences” or deny that a miracle happened at all. We talk Christianity and try to exclude the "Christ."

I had a man say to me once that he tried “that Christianity stuff and it did not work”. He went on to tell me that he read the Bible, prayed and did good works within the church but it was only a phase. I then asked him the following questions: "Have you ever gotten down on your knees, begging God to cleanse you from your sins? Have you ever told the Lord that you only desired to live for Him, to serve Him and to follow Him wherever He wanted? Have you ever had such a hunger and thirst to read His words that He placed within His book just to get to know Him better? Did you ever want Jesus more than you wanted anything else and desired to please Him in everything you did?" He clearly and quickly answered, "NO." And I said, "Then I don't think that you ever came to know Jesus, and without Jesus, there is no Christianity." Christianity without Christ is just a lot of wasted time and effort, doing some good things that do not really matter. Jesus does not need us to do anything. He wants us to come to Him, listen to Him and enjoy His fellowship.

There are many reasons why we may want to be religious. God does not want our actions; He wants our hearts. When our hearts align with His, our actions will follow to please Him. No one has to pretend or try to act like a Christian. As you believe in Him, He will change you. Pray that your heart will stay soft to recognize the works of God in your life. Pray that the miracles of Jesus make a difference in your day and affect the lives of others. Pray that you see Him moving in you, touching you and healing you from the depths of your heart today. Jesus wants to gently and quietly love on you. God does not need you to play Christianity. God wants you to know Christ.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 8

Today's Reading: Psalms 74; Romans 9:16-33

Today's Thoughts: Wisdom with Self Control

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. - Genesis 45:1
Personally, I can't believe Joseph could keep his secret this long. Joseph had God-given self-control. Can you imagine how difficult it must have been to not reveal yourself to your brothers? Joseph handled this situation with such wisdom.

Wisdom and self-control are not natural traits. They have to be developed by and in a person. Wisdom is given by God and self-control is the last attribute listed in the fruits of the Spirit. It is through life experiences that we gain wisdom and it is through intense trials that we learn self-control, However, experience and trials do not necessarily mean that people become wise and self-controlled.

God desires to develop both of these traits in His children. When God can trust you, He entrusts you with greater gifts and callings. Obviously, God tests our hearts through a variety of trials in life. How we react and respond to those trials shows us where we place our trust. How often do we want to look to man or impulsively react to what we think is best? Patience, endurance, waiting and resting are not eagerly sought characteristics today. Thank the Lord that, in Christianity, we are under the covenant of grace which means that we can take the test over and over until we pass.

A person with wisdom and self-control blesses God and others, as well as himself. Joseph is a great role model for each of us. God was so gracious to give us an example of a man who endured years of trials and abuse but overcame the circumstances to be entrusted with governing Egypt. Ask the Lord to show you what's missing in your walk with Him. Then, ask for wisdom and pray for self-control.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

Today’s Reading: Psalms 72; Romans 9:1-15

Today’s Thoughts: Jesus Has Been Waiting For You

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. - Revelation 3:20

I recently received an email from someone who I love very much. She was hurting and questioning the reason for all the pain. The following is a letter I wrote back to her. Today, you may be in the same place or know someone who is struggling with the same issues. We pray that these words minister to your heart.

Jesus has been waiting for you your whole life. He knows exactly where you are and how you feel. He knows what it is to suffer and hurt. Hebrews 4:15 says that we have a great High Priest who understands our sufferings and pain because He, Himself, endured so much more. Our only hope is Jesus. He is the only one who can heal you. And He will heal you, that is why He died. He had to die or we would all be lost. His Holy Spirit is now moving on your heart, which is why you are asking these questions. Your questions are really directed towards Him. All He wants from you is your heart, nothing more. All you have to do is let Him in—you will have no peace until you do. The Bible has your answers but you will not understand what the Bible says until you have been saved by the very blood that was shed when Jesus died. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities—and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). 

He loves you and He wants you to be His child. You are precious in His sight. The Lord will give you answers but you must go through His Son, Jesus. John 14:6 says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Many people refuse to accept this truth but it is the truth. Jesus is the only way. I am going to give you the prayer to ask Him into your heart. Pray this prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank You for Jesus, whom You sent to the cross to die for me. I know, Lord, that I am a sinner. Please forgive me of my sins. Please cleanse me of them all and make me new today. Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart and save me. Please heal me and make me whole. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may understand Your Word and live a new life in You. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for loving me. Help me to live for You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

Today's Thoughts: Our Only Hope

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Romans 8:24-25
Have you ever talked with someone who seemed to have no hope? They were beaten up, beaten down and hopeless. My heart breaks for those who have no hope in the future and have no idea how to take a step towards it. Maybe some of us know people who fit this description; maybe some of us have these same feelings ourselves. To a certain extent I think most people have times in life when it appears that all hope is lost. A sudden tragedy, a chronic illness, or just life in general can bring feelings of hopelessness.

But what is hope? To hope for something is to have an expectation and anticipation of getting it. In a way, hope is like faith because we cannot see hope; therefore, we must believe in what we cannot see. This is easier said than done, especially when we cannot see the sky for the clouds. What can we do in times like these? Our only “hope” is to turn to God’s Word and ask Him for help. Romans 8:25 is a good verse to pray back to the Lord in asking Him to help us with our hope. A sample prayer might be:

Dear Lord, I am struggling with hopelessness and I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need Your word to give me hope and I need Your presence to lift me up today. Your word says I am to hope for what I do not see. I do not see (__________) but I pray for the perseverance to eagerly wait for it. Help me to believe in the hope that only You can give so that I may see Your hand upon my life today. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for giving me hope. In Jesus name, Amen.

Try writing your own personal prayer today. Ask the Lord to help you find hope in Him. Explore other verses that speak to your heart and pray them back to God. He is listening and ready to help.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 5

Today’s Reading: Psalms 68; Romans 8:1-21

Today’s Thoughts: Who is Greater Than My God?

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. 5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. 8 They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them. 9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. 20 You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about. 24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions—Psalm 104:1-9, 19-20, 24

Take a moment and read these verses. Take even more time and read the entire Psalm 104. Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s awesome power and greatness. This Psalm captures the beauty of the Lord in poetic imagery. We can read the verses and almost visualize God’s majesty. He is God and there is none other. He is worthy of all praise and worship.

Who covers Himself with light? God is light. Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters? God. The same God moves upon the clouds as though they were His chariots and walks on the wings of the wind, because He made them. Who placed the waters in their place and put a border around them? God. The same God put the moon and the sun in their places, for seasons and for days, for light and for darkness. There is but one true God. Creator God. Sovereign Lord. Lord of heaven and earth.

And as if all of this is not enough, He created us in His image. He has a plan for each of us. He loves us beyond our understanding. And He wants to spend eternity with us. He has even prepared the place in heaven that awaits us. What do we have to do in return? Believe in His Son Jesus Christ, and receive the free gift of salvation. Take time today and praise the Lord, not just for all that He has done, but for  just  who  He is. 

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 4

Today's Reading: Psalms 66; Romans 7

Today's Thoughts: Relationship Over Religion

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. - Romans 7:18-19

Religion says that we must follow rules and laws. Relationship says something different. We are “to be” not “to do.”Jesus just wants us to be with Him. You ask, "How can I be with someone I cannot see or touch?" Have you ever talked with someone over the phone and felt as though you were right there with them? And even with emails or letters, we can express and share love and support without touching or seeing the person on the other side. Why? Because we have a relationship with that person. We know them. We love them. We know they love us. Whatever the case may be, we have a personal connection. A true friendship does not require rules and guidelines but requires time, attention, forgiveness, communication, openness, unselfishness, honesty and most of all, love. Jesus wants more than just a relationship with us; He wants our friendship. Why is this relationship so important? 

When Adam and Eve sinned, all of mankind was doomed to death. One sin brought down every human being who would ever be born. From that moment on, we would all be born of sin, and death would be our destination. One sin is all it took to separate us from God. When Jesus died for us, His one act of sacrifice on the cross was all it took to restore us back to God. Through one man, death entered; through one Man, life was restored. We had no choice in being born. And we had no choice in the condemnation of sin that is within each one of us. But we have a merciful God who by His grace has given us a choice today. We have a choice to believe in His Son. We have a choice to accept His free gift of eternal life. We have a choice for total and complete restoration back to our heavenly Father. We cannot change what happened through Adam, but Jesus changed the outcome that awaits each of us. And not only has Jesus given us life eternal, but also He has given us His peace. There is no need to work or to try to earn His favor. His grace promises us unmerited favor and mercies that are new each morning, not through religion but through a relationship with Him.

Spend some time today just being with Jesus. Talk to Him. Walk with Him. Sit at His feet. He will meet you no matter where you are. Stop working, stressing, trying, and striving. Think of Jesus as you would your best friend. He will help you get to know Him better. Pray to have the relationship with Jesus that He wants to have with you.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 3

Today's Reading: Psalms 63; Romans 6

Today's Thoughts: Dead to Sin, Free to Live
Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11

Even though you are dead to sin, sin's strong appeal will often cause you to struggle with feeling that you are more alive to sin than you are to Christ. But Romans 6:1-11 teaches us that what is true of the Lord Jesus Christ is true of us in terms of our relationship to sin and death. God the Father allowed His Son to "be sin" in order that all the sins of the world—past, present and future—would fall on Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). When He died on the cross, our sins were on Him. But when He rose from the grave, there was no sin on Him. When He ascended to the Father, He carried no sin on Him. And today, as He sits at the Father's right hand, there is no sin on Him. Since we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ, we too have died to sin.

Christ already died to sin, and because you are in Him, you have died to sin too. Sin is still strong and appealing, but your relationship with sin has ended. I've met many Christians who are still trying to die to sin, and their lives are miserable and fruitless as a result, because they are struggling to do something that has already been done. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death" (Romans 8:2).

Romans 6:11 summarizes what we are to believe about our relationship to sin because of our position in Christ. It doesn't matter whether you feel dead to sin or not; you are to consider it so because it is so. People wrongly wonder, "What experience must I have in order for this to be true?" The only necessary experience is that of accepting Christ on the cross, which has already happened. But as long as we put our experience before our belief, we will never fully know the freedom that Christ purchased for us on the cross. When we choose to believe what is true about ourselves and sin, and walk forward on the basis of what we believe, our right relationship with sin will work out in our experience.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 2

Today's Reading: Psalms 60; Romans 5

Today's Thoughts: Just Pick Up the Phone

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. - John 15:7  

My mother was over to visit yesterday and we talked about buying tickets for a stage play coming at Christmastime. We both were unsure of what kind of seats to buy. My mom said to me, “Call your aunt. She went to see that play last year and she will know.” I hesitated to call her so my mom picked up the phone and called. When my aunt (my mom’s sister) answered, my mom didn’t even say, “Hello” but just asked the questions. My mom received the answers and hung up.

The Lord impressed upon me the difference between relationships. If I were to pick up the phone and call my aunt, I would have to go through a whole bunch of introductory comments first. I would have to say, “Hi, how are you? I haven’t talked to you in a while. What’s new?” and then, I could ask the questions. Because my mom talks to my aunt frequently, their relationship is different and their conversation just continues where they left off.

That is how it is with the Lord. When we develop this relationship with Him, we can just start talking and asking Him whatever is on our mind. However, if we haven’t spoken to the Lord in awhile, then we sense the need to reintroduce ourselves to get on the same page before really sharing our hearts. God wants a close relationship with us. He is very near to us; He is in our mouths and in our hearts. The kind of relationship we choose to have is up to us. I have had both kinds of relationships with the Lord and I can tell you that you will have so much more peace when you are closer to Him. Today, ask the Lord to help you learn to draw close to Him. You will find that you don’t even have to dial the phone to get His answers.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

August 1

Today’s Reading: Psalms 57; Romans 4

Today’s Thoughts: Fear is Contagious

The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.' Deuteronomy 20:8

Today’s verse is taken from a message that God gave Moses to give to the Israelites in preparation for their battles in the Promised Land. The Lord began preparing the people before they crossed the Jordan River to encourage them that He was with them and would fight for them. The Lord made a point of addressing the danger of fear in their hearts. He tells the “fearful and fainthearted” to stay out of the battles and to go home instead. Why? Because fear is contagious.


The message for us two-fold: we need to be aware of how our fears influence others and we need to be wise of those whose fears can influence us. Fear is a deadly weapon and a powerful tool used by the enemy. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done to rid ourselves of fear. Even if we can identify our fears, this does not mean we can overcome them on our own. The first step is to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. When we bring our confessions to Him, the healing process begins. The next step is to read God’s Word and believe what it says. Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is built on knowing and believing the Word of God.

Does it still take time to change old habits? Yes.

Will the Lord lead us to make certain changes? Yes.

Are we responsible for following  God’s guidance? Yes.

And, will the enemy continue to remind us of our fears? Yes!

But, the Truth sets us free, if we are truly willing to believe and apply it to our lives. Today, if you are struggling with fear, examine your closest influences and the fears they may be invoking. Ask for wisdom in how to handle them. It is hard to fight your own battles when others are bringing discouragement. Be honest with the Lord in your personal battles with fear and prepare your heart to take a stand against the lies of the enemy. Christians in the world today are in warfare from all sides but Jesus told us to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is our faith that is the victory that overcomes all of the fears that the world brings (1 John 5:4). The Lord will go before you and fight for you, just as He did for the Israelites.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 31

Today’s Reading: Psalms 54; Romans 3

Today’s Thoughts: His Most Precious Gift

His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' - Matthew 25:23

My husband bought me a watch for my birthday. When I first received it, I cherished it and admired its beauty, not thinking too much its function. As time passed; however, I noticed that I was becoming careless with it. When talking on the phone, I would take it off, not noticing where I placed it. I would take it off by the sink and leave it there. One morning, I could not find the watch. I began to panic. Where did I leave it? It was amazing just how sentimental and valuable that watch became again.

As Christians, we sometimes treat our salvation the same way I treat my watch. At first, we cherish our salvation, knowing that it is a gift too precious to ever earn.  We thank God for the privilege of knowing Him and we praise Him for His Spirit dwelling inside us. Then as time passes, we take our Christianity for granted, mostly because we get used to being a Christian.

But what if we could lose our salvation? How are we treating this most precious gift? Are we careless or slothful? Do you share it with others? Are we thanking the Lord for it still… every day? Our salvation is the most precious of all gifts. How are we treating it? These are sobering thoughts. Personally, I want to be found faithful with the gifts and talents He has given me. These gifts are too valuable to be taken for granted. When all is said and done, I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord!”

Today, ask the Lord to impress upon you where your heart is. Do you really value all He has done for you and appreciate all that you have? Ask Him to convict you of any careless behavior that is not pleasing to Him. At any time, you can ask the Lord to forgive your careless behavior regarding the privilege of knowing Him. Then, ask the Lord to return the joy of your salvation to lead others to Him. Jesus has given Himself to you as a gift; nothing is of greater value than that.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 30

Today's Reading: 2 Kings 24; John 5:1-24

Today's Thoughts: Your Sabbath

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” John 5: 8-9

God established the last day of the week—sundown Friday to sundown Saturday—as a day of rest. God said in Exodus 31:13-17 that in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth. On the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed. The Israelites were to observe the Sabbath as a covenant with God. They were to put aside their normal business of sowing, reaping, treading the wine press, carrying burdens and unnecessary travel. They were to call the Sabbath a delight, a holy day of the Lord (Isaiah 58:13). The Sabbath was created so that the people could rest from the busyness of life and find refreshment and restoration in the worship of God. He did not restrict the deeds of necessity (like eating), service to God (the priests’ roles) or acts of mercy (kindness to others including helping animals).

God did not say He stopped working in helping, healing, saving or doing good deeds. Even the Jews agreed that God was "working" because the universe remained intact. A common saying among the Jews was that God did not stop creating or judging on the Sabbath. And so the Jewish religious leaders felt the liberty to become good at judging on the Sabbath also. The Jews wrote volumes of books to define the limitations of work, yet created more burdens in the process.  However, the real burden was that they had taken the Sabbath, God's gift to man, and had transformed it from a day of rest to a day of rules, regulations and restrictions.

Jesus came to set us free and to restore the Sabbath to what it was meant to be. Jesus defined the Sabbath differently. Jesus said in Mark 2:27 that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."  The Sabbath was given so man would rest. The Sabbath was not given for man to worship the day of rest, but to rest in the worship of the Lord, by stopping his everyday work. Jesus got the religious leaders’ attention by continuing to heal and touch lives on the Sabbath. He healed an invalid of 38 years on the Sabbath.  The Jewish leaders scorned the newly healed man for following Jesus' instructions by carrying the mat he had laid on for 38 years. This man's burden was the sin that bound him, not the mat he carried on the Sabbath.

Because of Jesus' work, we entered into rest spiritually (Hebrews 4). We no longer need to try to keep laws and rituals seeking God's approval. We are saved by grace. Jesus has done it all. Take your Sabbath and spend time with the Lord and let Him give you rest.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 29

Today's Reading: Psalms 49; Romans 1

Today's Thoughts: Would you have supported Jesus’ ministry?

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." - Romans 1:17

Would you have liked to have lived during the ministry years of Jesus?  Do you think you would have sponsored His ministry? In haste I would answer, “Why…yes, I would have liked to have been one of the disciples.”  But after pondering these questions, I realized that His teachings would have been hard for me to understand. Firstly, none of his listeners or disciples had the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 7:39) so they could not understand many of Jesus’ teachings. Also, the things Jesus did and said would not have been consistent with what I thought He should do or say. For example, He would heal someone, then tell them not to tell anyone. He would say things like: “the Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,” “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” People were confused and divided over Jesus. His ministry stumbled others because man tried to define who God should be according to their wisdom and their standards.

We are still struggling with that problem today. How many times have you wondered if a circumstance in your life was from God or Satan? And—think of your prayer life. Can you say it has a tendency to reflect the will of the Father or your will?  We get confused because a lot of times our flesh pleads louder than our spirit. Even as believers, we have our own ideas of what God should do and how He should do it. And if Christians struggle with this, and we have the word of God and the Holy Spirit, think of what the people of the world are up against. The world wants to worship something that makes sense to them. The world wants to see, hear and do what feels good to them. That’s not God’s way. God is pleased when we walk by faith. God desires that we give thanks in all circumstances regardless of how we feel. The Lord wants us to persevere in faith instead of please our flesh.

I had a friend who died at age forty-two, leaving eight kids, from ages two to thirteen. Every part of me was telling God that I couldn’t support His decision to let her die. My attitude reflected my struggle in that I was questioning God’s ways over my friend’s death. My family tried to help me get through this tough time. Even my kids reminded me that God’s ways are not our ways. The righteous shall live by faith…no matter how it feels, or how weak we are, or how confusing the circumstances may be. We need to have an attitude of worship in our thoughts, our actions and our words. I want to sponsor Jesus here on earth regardless of what I think or how I feel because when I meet Him face to face, I want Him to sponsor me.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 28

Today’s Reading: Psalms 46; Acts 28

Today’s Thoughts: Watching the Clouds

And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;  who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven. - Acts 1:9-11 

The apostles had the awesome privilege of watching the Lord ascend into heaven. They gazed up to the heavens as He departed on the clouds! No wonder they all stood in awe and amazement. I am sure they dealt with thoughts such as “Where are you going? Are you coming back? Can I go too? When will we see you again?” And even, “I can’t believe I am seeing this.” But the angels had an answer to all these questions. They said, “….come back….” As a result, the apostles fully and completely believed that the Lord would be coming back in their life time. Time was short, the message needed to get out. They lived every day for the Lord. Think about it...would you live differently if you thought the Lord was coming back today?

I asked the Lord to impress upon me the immanence of His return. I want every day to count for Jesus. I want to be looking for Him, listening to Him and ready for Him. Often, when I look into the clouds, I pray to see Him. To live every day as if today was the day of His return has changed my priorities, my desires and my focus.

Pray for eternal eyes. Pray for an excitement for His return. Pray to live as if He is coming back today. And ask the Lord to remind you of His promise to return every time you gaze into the clouds.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 27

Today’s Reading: Psalms 43; Acts 27:27-44

Today’s Thoughts: What If?

And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 1 Corinthians 7:13-14

How many times do we, as adults, reflect upon our childhoods and wonder "what if?" What if my Christian mom would have left my non-Christian dad? Thoughts of my childhood bring a mixture of emotions. Growing up in a home with a father who did not know or believe in Jesus Christ was hard, even in the best of times. I felt the tensions, had fears, and though I did not understand everything, I knew we were in a battle. My mom fought one of those battles every Sunday, but somehow she persevered to get herself and two kids to church. Those mornings irritated and angered my dad. I now realize just how serious those battles were, for the warfare is not against flesh and blood but against spirits and principalities (Ephesians 6:12). But through His power and love, God gave my mother the strength to stay with my father. And because of the foundation my mother laid in the Lord, I learned to turn to God for help at a young age. God heard my prayers and I learned to trust in His protection, even in the midst of oppression.                                                         

Just recently, my mom and I talked about her relationship with my dad. I am so thankful she stayed with him. Paul says that the "unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife" and that the "children would be unclean, but now they are holy." God honors our desire to keep the commitment we make with our spouses and God knows that the children need both parents together. Even if only one parent knows the Lord, God blesses the home. Besides, we never know when the Holy Spirit will change the heart of the unsaved parent. As a child, I prayed every night for my dad "to be saved," and though he never went to church, my mom remembers the night he prayed the sinner's prayer after watching Billy Graham. He died soon after. We may not understand why God allows certain situations to be so painful and hard for so long, but He honors our desire to please Him over ourselves. What if my mother had chosen to leave my father? Yes, my life would have been different but I am so thankful that my mother stayed.

God gave us His strength when we were weak. God gave us hope when we despaired. Because of those years, I learned to cry out to God and depend on Him at a young age. I learned invaluable lessons that have shaped my faith today. Despite your circumstances, no matter how dreadful they seem, God is with you. Turn to Him for the strength to make it.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 26

Today’s Readings: Psalms 40; Acts 27:1-26

Today’s Thoughts: The Pit or the Rock

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. - Psalm 40:1-2

The house in which I grew up was built in the late 1800’s and still had some of the relics from that period, such as an old cistern located in the backyard. I think at one time it had been a source of water. Since it was no longer used or needed, the opening was loosely capped with a rusty round lid. As a kid, I remember being in fear of accidentally falling into it. My imagination conjured up this image of a deep dark pit with a sinking bottom in which I would be forever trapped. I look back and think that maybe my fears were a little silly, but then I realize that sometimes as an adult I feel as if I wake up in that pit, dark and damp with no way out. Maybe a lot of us feel this way at times.

Reading the words of King David in this Psalm should give us all hope and encouragement. If David had such moments of despair, then we must know that our feelings of being trapped in a pit of miry clay are not unknown to our Lord. Jesus knew how David felt and He knows how we feel. The Lord hears our cries, the Lord inclines His ear to listen to us, and He will not only lift us up, but will lead us out. The key is to trust Him to do so. We must believe that the Lord is going to rescue us because we cannot do it in our own strength. Trying to climb our way out of the darkness is exhausting and depressing. And sometimes it is in that darkest moment, when we sense a hand reaching down, picking us up and setting our feet back on the rock. We did not need to try; we just needed to surrender our fears to the Lord.

Where are you today? Are you in the “horrible pit” or “upon a rock”? Regardless of the place you find yourself, just know that the Lord is right there with you. He is the only way out of the pit and He is the only one Who can establish our steps in the right direction. Pray today that you can trust Jesus for all your needs and that in trusting Him, you can wait patiently for His perfect timing.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 18

Today’s Reading: Psalms 20; Acts 21:1-17

Today’s Thoughts: So That You May Believe

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." - John 11:4

The disciples accepted what Jesus said at face value. They probably thought something like, “Oh good, Lazarus is sleeping. He will wake up so we do not need to return to Judea where they are threatening to kill Jesus.” But when Jesus said, “Ok, it’s time to return,” the disciples became very uncomfortable. They were now quick to challenge the change in plans. Jesus explained to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (John 11:14-15).

Jesus had a different perspective and purpose and they knew they could not change His mind. Thomas then said what every other disciple was thinking, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Luke 11:16). In other words, Lazarus is dead and by Jesus returning to Judea, He may end up dead, so they might as well all go with Him so they can all be dead together. The disciples were mainly focusing on themselves, not on what Jesus was doing. They had little faith in what Jesus could do. Jesus had waited to go back to Judea until Lazarus was dead three days so that their faith in Him would be strengthened. Jesus chose to wait to return to Bethany, not because His life was threatened, or because Lazarus would get better on His own or because He had more important matters to attend too.

He waited so that you may believe. God’s delays are not God’s denials. We have to trust in how He chooses to answer our prayers. His perspective is always to do what is best for grounding and strengthening our faith.

Pray about it: Lord, help me to accept your ways. Sometimes I look at impossible circumstances and I limit Your ability to intervene. Help me to believe as I trust in You for the details and delays. Amen.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 17

Today's Reading: Psalms 18; Acts 20:17-38

Today's Thoughts: My Mouth and Meditation

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. - Psalm 19:14 

It is interesting to note that the words of our mouths and meditation of our hearts are watched by the Lord. The Psalmist asks the Lord to let them be acceptable in His sight, not in His ears. So what is God looking for in our mouth and meditation?

Recently this verse kept coming to my mind to pray. But just because I prayed it didn’t mean that I noticed anything different or changed in any way. Then, all of a sudden, to my complete surprise I was confronted about something I said. Immediately, the conviction became so severe that my heart started burning within me. I knew that God heard my prayer and what He was seeing in my mouth and meditation were not acceptable. He took my prayer seriously and now was addressing deep-seated issues.

When God convicts us, it is amazing how naked we feel. We naturally want to conceal our motives, justify our words and cover up our actions. Those are all “sight” feelings, like God is seeing our sin. But our only hope at that time is to repent. The more we fight to maintain our sinful state, the more time we lose in receiving His good counsel and wisdom to change. God sees the fruit of our ways. Those ways are manifested through the words of our mouth and meditations of our heart. The fruit is what God sees more than what He hears. But the Psalmist completes His prayer by addressing two very important characteristics of God: my Strength and my Redeemer. God is able to strengthen you to change and redeem your old ways into a new person with ripe healthy abundant fruit. Today, will you ask the Lord with me to allow your words and meditations to be acceptable in His sight?

…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. - Matthew 12:34

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 16

Today’s Reading: Psalms 16; Acts 20:1-6

Today’s Thoughts: Promises of God

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

I was talking to my wise friend about the promises of God. Bobbye said to me, “I have learned to look for the promises but not to live for them.” If God gave us a promise, it is His responsibility to fulfill it. Whenever we are given a message from the supernatural, it takes the leading of the Spirit to have it be fulfilled in the natural. Too many times, we take it upon ourselves to complete in the flesh the promises that were given in the Spirit. We look for the promises in the word as well as look for their fulfillment on the earth but in the mean time, we live for the Lord.

Write a prayer about your expectations concerning your personal promises of God and ask the Lord to reveal His will for you:

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 9

Today’s Reading: Job 38; Acts 16:1-21

Today’s Thoughts: Teach Them Diligently

"And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”  Deuteronomy 6:6-7

My children got into the car after a day at their Christian school and told me that a friend of theirs was going to hell. They said, “He lies, mom, and liars go to hell.” I asked, “Why do you think that?” Then the two kids broke out in a song that has a line that says, “Liars go to hell…liars go to hell…Revelation 21:8, 21:8…burn burn burn.” I thought to myself, “How can my kids believe this when we know we each fall short everyday?” Well, the subject changed and I never addressed it.

Around 4:30 the next morning, I woke up with this thought racing in my mind: “You need to teach your children about grace. They are not being taught how to live in God’s grace at their Christian school. The gospel is about God’s grace to sinners. Your kids don’t understand how to extend grace to others or themselves.”

After much prayer, I approached the subject of grace and what Revelation 21:8 says. My son said to me, “Are you telling me that I sin everyday (lying included) and God doesn’t hold that against me? Are you telling me that I can do whatever I want, and because of the blood of Christ, it is covered and God sees me as righteous anyway?” Immediately I prayed, “Oh Lord, I really want my 13 year old son to completely get this but this Truth can lead to poor choices…help.” And the wisdom of the Lord came upon me as I opened my mouth and said to him, “Yes. That is exactly right. However, if you really love the Lord and know Him, you won’t want to sin and hurt Him. Your heart should respond back to His love and as a result, you will live a life that is pleasing to Him.” Both of my kids nodded in agreement and said, “Cool.”

I thanked the Lord when my daughter then said to me, “Mom, school teaches us about God but you teach us how to know Him better and love Him more.” God gets the glory because I ignored it initially.

Today, we need to realize the responsibility we have to give our children a strong biblical foundation. We have to role model to them the love of Christ from our hearts and we have to teach them how to know Him better. Be sensitive to the conversations you have with your children. God will lead you in what to say…just be diligent!

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 8

Today's Reading: Job 36; Acts 15:22-41

Today's Thoughts: Things to come
Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; and concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. Isaiah 45:11

It has taken most of my life, my Christian life, to finally realize that if I want to know something from the Lord, then I just need to ask Him. Sounds kind of like a no-brainer, but for some reason, I spent most of my time with the Lord dealing with my personal requests. I have prayed pretty much my whole life. I have prayed very specifically at times and I have prayed in the bigger picture at times, but I have always prayed. What I did not necessarily pray about, though, were of "things to come." I think many of us tend to pray about the “here and now” issues, or the things that we want "to come," not necessarily asking the Lord to reveal what He is doing "concerning the work of My hands."

Why is this so important to understand? When I see verses that say to "ask" the Lord for something, then I know that must be His will. Today's verse even says, "you command Me." Instead of just focusing on the issues in our immediate path, let's ask the Lord about what He is doing down the road. I have been immensely blessed and have had huge increases in my own level of faith because I have learned to ask the Lord "of things to come" and have seen Him answer through circumstances or situations that have come to pass. My role is to ask, then to pray for wisdom and discernment in how to go forth in what He shows me.

We need to know that the Lord is more than willing to reveal things to us, if we are seeking Him with all of our hearts. As we grow in our walk with Christ, He will teach us His ways and mold our character into more of His image. When we spend time in His Word, we begin to see how verses like Isaiah 45:11 take on a completely new meaning to us personally. When the Holy Spirit impresses a verse upon your heart, take it to prayer and seek the Lord in what He is saying to you. Maybe God wants to reveal something to you—maybe even "of things to come."

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

July 7

Today’s Reading: Job 34; Acts 15:1-21

Today’s Thoughts: The Real Food

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.   But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 1 Corinthians 8:8-9
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 How often do you think about food?  What types of cravings do you get for your favorite foods?  Midnight snacks and mad dashes through our favorite drive-thrus are part of our lives and culture.  Hunger is a drive necessary to sustain life while appetite is a desire to satisfy our cravings for food.  Food is a necessity to our physical bodies and to enjoy good food is one of our greatest pleasures. However, even with all its necessity, this earthly food has no value to us spiritually.

If Paul is saying that what we eat, or do not eat, has no effect on our relationship with God, then why can we not eat whatever, drink whatever and be merry? One reason is because the choices that we make impact others. We must realize that our actions are being watched by others and that we have a responsibility as Christians to set godly examples for others. God does care about the behaviors and attitudes we exhibit that affect those around us.

There are numerous examples of this behavior in our churches today. Movies and television choices can influence our families and friends.  What kind of example do we set for those in and out of the church? Would seeing certain movies stumble others? What about drinking alcohol? Many Christians have no problem with limited alcohol consumption. But, would it not influence the Christian who feels that this type of drinking, without exception, is wrong?  Some might argue that the Christian church in general stumbles non-believers, because much of our behavior is not just in the world, it is of the world.

Food is not the real issue, but it is certainly representative of how our behaviors as Christians can greatly affect those around us, even if there is technically “nothing wrong” with certain activities. Jesus gave His life for us so that we can have the real food—the bread of life.  If we follow Him, our choices in this world will bring glory and honor to His name while also setting the right example for others.  We should pray not to get hung up on things of no value spiritually but to get caught up in the Spirit of God so that we may be a blessing to others, not a stumbling block.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.

Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.