Daily Disciples

September 6

Today's Reading: Psalms 148; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

Today's Thoughts: Praise Him and Find Victory

Praise Him for His might acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:2, 6

As we meet and talk with women, we often hear of their struggles, especially in their own thoughts. They feel unworthy to be serving the Lord. Thoughts like, "Who are you to be doing this?" or "Why are you working on this—someone else could do it better?" are common components of mental attacks. These thoughts then trigger certain emotions and the next thing for women is a pit of depression and hopelessness, just what the enemy had planned. The enemy wants you to feel so condemned and depressed that you quit or are too demoralized to minister effectively and powerfully.

Some Christians recognize that these types of thoughts are not of the Lord but they do not know how to stop them. Some of us quote verses, rebuke the devil, and attempt to reason our way out of it with logical comebacks, but still have no real victory. Instead of fighting back, we begin to justify the bad thoughts, thinking that maybe these self-condemning behaviors are from the Lord to keep us humble. Wrong!

Jesus came to give us life to the fullest. He wants us to share in His joy, not wallow in our flesh. We are sinners. We are unworthy to do anything to please God. We are to love Him and to worship Him. Our faith is the only way to please God. It is not for us to dwell on our unworthiness but to praise Him for His willingness to save us.

How can we change this process? Start praising the Lord! Put on praise music, read the psalms aloud (as if you wrote them to the Lord) and worship the Lord. The key is to get our eyes off ourselves and focus on Him. He is worthy and by His blood that cleanses us, we can do all things through Christ, even change those negative thoughts.

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.

September 5

Today’s Reading: Psalms 146; 1 Corinthians 15

Today’s Thoughts: Hold Fast


 
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Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel that I preached to you, which also, you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

One day, I spent time with a patient who had just been diagnosed the day before with breast cancer that had spread to her brain, liver and lungs. She was a young woman in her forties. I met her on the Oncology Unit in the hospital where doctors were just beginning a treatment plan. This patient seemed to have a peace. She spoke to me about her signs and symptoms that led up to this diagnosis; she was honest with her emotions and heart’s desires to get better. When I had asked her what her source of strength was during this time, she told me that over 300 people were praying for her and that she had wonderful family members and friends to see her through this difficult time. As the conversation continued, I asked her if she had the assurance of her salvation. I asked her if she had ever accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. Her answer was quick and confident as she said, “I don’t need to do that because my father is a minister. I have the church’s support.” My heart was grieved for there aren’t any grandchildren in heaven. God wants to adopt sons and daughters into His Kingdom. God desires to personally raise each one of us, to call us each by name and for His kids to call back to Him, “Daddy,” knowing that His arm isn’t too short too save or ear too dull to hear the cry of His own children.

Becoming a child of God and receiving the assurance that you are His child is so easy. However, we resist so hard. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays down the basics of salvation again. A child of God accepts that Jesus came to earth, fully God and fully man, and that He died on a cross for our sins, He was buried and rose from the dead three days later. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. His death on the cross allowed sinful man to have a relationship with a Holy God. His resurrection gives us the power to live this earthly life for His purposes, instead of our own. Romans 10:9-13 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” If you want to be sure that you have come to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way, pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and forgiving me. I want you to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want to live for You as I believe You died for me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. I want Your Spirit to fill 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.

September 4

Today’s Reading: Psalms 137; 1 Corinthians 13

Today’s Thoughts: Admit Your Fears

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.  - Psalm 56:3

Is it hard for you to admit that you are afraid or fearful of something? Think of the circumstances and people that occupy your mind during the day. Are your thoughts filled with peace or fear? It is difficult to admit as Christians that we are fearful. For some reason we believe that the presence of fear disqualifies the strength of our faith. But it is foolish to believe that Christians are not fearful. Every stage we enter in our walk with the Lord has to shake our faith in order for us to understand the seriousness of the choices at hand. I love the Word of God, the Lord allows us to be honest about our fears and then helps us work through them as we learn from the examples of others as described in His Word.

When reading Psalm 56, we learn that David wrote this Psalm. From what we know about David, we know a boy who could slay a lion and a bear to protect his sheep. Then we know him as a man who was a mighty warrior and wise king. And yet, God allows us to see into this man’s heart and we find that David was a lot like us, struggling with fears at times. But what makes David, “a man after God’s own heart,” was that he knew what to do about his fears. Those fears did not separate him from the Lord or hinder his faith. David had faith amidst the fears. How?

First, David made a conscious effort in prayer to admit to God that he was fearful. As believers, we often tend to not include the Lord in our fears, knowing that we shouldn’t be "fearing" anything but Him. Not David, he understood that the Lord sees and knows all things about us. We can’t hide from the Lord, so why pretend He doesn’t know how we are feeling?

Next, David confidently told the Lord that he chose to trust in Him about those fearful things. So now, think of those things again that are fear inducing in your life. Talk to the Lord about them. Tell Him everything you are thinking. Now, tell the Lord that you choose to trust Him with those very things. You might have to tell Him over and over, but in time, you will train yourself to be like David…a man after God’s own heart.

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.

September 3

Today’s Reading: Psalms 140; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

Today’s Thoughts: Does Your Heart Burn?
Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" - Luke 24:31-32

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is the story of the two on the road to Emmaus. They had heard the account from the women who had gone to the tomb and found it empty. Jesus was gone. His body was not in the tomb. All of their hopes for a king were gone as well. But as they walked and discussed all that had happened, Jesus showed up. Jesus began to question them about what had happened, as they were completely unaware of Whom they were talking to. After breaking bread with them, Jesus vanished and then they knew. Their eyes had been opened to the spiritual realm and they got it. Their hearts burned within them as Jesus talked to them. They understood His Word. The Scriptures came alive to them, just as, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among them" (John 1:14).

Has your heart ever burned within you as if Jesus were speaking to you personally? Jesus left us His Word and His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit living within our hearts, we can discern spiritual things, and it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can comprehend the Word of God. When we fall in love with His Word, we have fallen in love with Him. We find ourselves unable to get enough of His presence. We just want more of Jesus. It is then that we begin to have our eyes truly opened to know Him personally.

Praise God today that we do not have to hope for an encounter with Jesus. If we have accepted Him into our hearts as our Savior, then we have His Spirit living within us. Through reading and studying the Bible, we can understand His ways and grow in the knowledge of Him. Our lives will change, day by day, from glory to glory. Read Luke chapter 24 today as part of a further study in the Word. Ask the Lord to open your mind to understand the Scriptures. Maybe you will find your heart burning within you, before you are done.

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.

September 2

Today’s Readings: Psalms 137; 1 Corinthians 13

Today’s Thoughts: You are Important to God

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:17-18

How many of us really believe that the God of the universe is thinking kind thoughts about us? Doesn’t He have more important things to think about?  How can He really care about us and be all that this verse says? The key point for us is to realize that God considers us to be veryimportant to Him. If we stop for a moment and consider some of the basics of what the Bible teaches, we may better understand the truth of these verses.

Over and over, the Bible is filled with verses of truth that describe His love for us. John 3:16 tells us that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” for us.  Jesus came to earth, fully man and fully God, to give His life for our sins so that we may know Him personally. As hard as it may be to believe, God loves us so much that all He wants is to be with us; the God of the universe wants a personal relationship with you and me. That is why He thinks about us so much. That is why He never leaves us, even as we sleep. He wants us to know that He is still with us when we wake up.

My dog wakes me up each morning, sometimes earlier than I like. Now, my dog does not have to be let out, he has his own doggy door. He is not hungry or thirsty. He just wants to be with me. He wants to be petted and loved on, even for a few minutes until I am fully awake and then he goes back to sleep. As I wake up, I know that the Lord wants me up too. He has been thinking about me all night, watching over me and waiting on me to get up and be with Him. Mornings spent with the Lord are precious, and it is in those moments that He lets me know just how much He loves me. The Lord does not need anything from me, but He wants my attention and my love, and He gives me so much more in return.

Today, stop and give some time and attention to the Lord. Tell Him you love Him. Thank Him for His thoughts of you and for always being with you. And when in doubt, read the full chapter of Psalm 139…you will be blessed.

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.

September 1

Today's Reading: Psalms 135; 1 Corinthians 12

Today's Thoughts: Jesus Lives

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher) John 20:13-16

Can anyone take the Lord away from us? Mary thought so. Her heart was broken, her Lord was dead and now she thought His body had been taken away. Mary cried deeply, thinking that someone could have taken the only part left of Him away from her. At this point, she did not even notice that angels were speaking to her. She just wanted Jesus back. Even when Jesus was standing (literally) behind her, Mary thought He was the gardener. In her loyalty and despite her depression, Mary was willing to do whatever it would take to "get Him" back.

Her devotion is sincere but how can she serve a dead God? What kind of Lord would we have if others could change His position or steal His body? What kind of God would we serve if we have the ability to lose or misplace Him? That kind of god puts the burden on us, regardless of how devoted or sincere we may be. Thank the Lord Jesus that He arose from the grave. We do not worship a dead god but a living Lord. We worship a God who has placed all the burdens on Himself. We do not have to find Him because He never loses us. And God promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him as He comes to us. We are never lost from His sight. We may not see Him but He is always there, even sometimes from behind.

I love the verse in Isaiah 30:21 that says, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This isthe way, walk in it,' Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left." God does lead us from behind at times and we can feel that we have lost Him. But like Mary in John 20:16, when Jesus calls your name even from behind, you will recognize His voice. Remember to keep seeking Him and desiring to be with Him even if He seems to be missing. You have not lost Him because He can never lose you. He conquered death on a cross and rose again. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and He is always with us, leading us in every step.

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 31

Today's Reading: Psalms 132; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Today's Thoughts: Exercise Your Faith


After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."  But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"  Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."  Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."  And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. - Genesis 15:1-6

When God gave Abram the promise that his descendants would be as countless as the stars in the heavens, Abram and Sarai were old and had no children. This promise was still several years away from fulfillment even as the Lord made this covenant with Abram. But despite the circumstances of the current situation, Abram "believed in the Lord" and all that He was telling him. God accounted him as righteous because of his great faith.

It takes incredible faith to believe in a God you have never seen. It takes even more faith to believe in His promises that will directly impact your life. Great faith comes from our resolve to believe in the Lord and who He is, not what we can prove or intellectualize about Him. As a matter of fact, faith can be downright silly in man's eyes, even foolish. Instead of being self-conscious or embarrassed we should all pray to be more foolish in our faith. Why not expect God to move mountains in our lives?

Where is your faith today? Faith is meant to be active, not passive. If we do not keep exercising our faith, we get weak and can be tossed to and fro when the enemy comes to strike. Get into the Word of God on a regular basis and ask the Lord to increase your faith. When you get that sense within your spirit that you need to move, do it…step out and go for it. Sometimes when the fear is the greatest, you have to ask yourself: who is trying to stop you and why? Fear is not of the Lord. So why is the enemy causing you to fear? He does not want you to succeed. Faith brings success.

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 30

Today’s Reading: Psalms 129; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Today’s Thoughts: How often do you read the Bible?

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. - John 8:31-32


 
Last week, I picked up the USA Today newspaper. On the bottom corner, there was a USA Today Snapshot that was entitled: How often we read the Bible? I was surprised by the results:

    At least once a month         53%
    Rarely                                 22%
    Never                                  24%
    Don’t know                            1%

These percentages imply that the majority of the people in the USA are looking for God through the Bible in some way.  Many of us claim that we had a God-moment or a God-inspired thought. God’s spoken word can even be misinterpreted by our own spin or by the spin of another’s interpretation. But when life circumstances challenge those moments, thoughts or other’s comments, we need something more solid. We need something that speaks right to our heart directly. God’s written word is where 53% of us go to seek encouragement, answers and Truth. It is amazing to me that God’s living Word, Jesus, quoted God’s written Word. If Jesus quoted the Bible, how much more do we need to get familiar with the Bible today?

Bobbye and I wrote a book called “Building Divine Intimacy.” The primary objective was to teach other’s how to have a real relationship with the Lord. Some of the chapters deal with prayer, worship, how to apply the Bible to your daily life and learning to discern God’s voice over all the other voices and noises. We have had amazing testimonies like from Karen, “Thank you so much for writing this book. You finally put in words what my heart was seeking to know.”

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 29

Today’s Reading: Psalms 126; 1 Corinthians 10:19-33

Today’s Thoughts: The Power of God’s Voice

“Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.” - Deuteronomy 4:11-12

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites begin their journey from Egypt, across the Red Sea, heading to the Promise Land. Along the way, they stopped at the base of Mount Sinai and had an experience of a lifetime. It was at this place that the Lord appeared to them for the first time, and they could not handle what they saw. Moses recounts this experience in the book of Deuteronomy and reminds them of what happened on that amazing day. The Lord appeared in smoke, fire and thick darkness. There was thundering and lightning in an awesome display of God's power on the top of that mountain. And, they were scared to death! They told Moses that they did not want to hear from God, just from Moses. He could speak on behalf of God and they would just listen to Moses. The Lord's voice was too much for them to handle.

For us, maybe the Lord's voice is a bit too much to handle at times. Sometimes, His voice seems to be loud and consuming—and scary. Maybe the dark clouds that come into our lives are evidence that the Lord is trying to speak to us. Instead of being afraid, we need to be alert to what God is trying to say to us. Instead of hiding, we need to start seeking Him even more. Our God is a consuming fire, not to our harm or destruction, but to our reverence and worship of Him. He is God. He is a jealous God, and He does not want to share us with other gods. His words from the top of mountain warned the people not to go out and make Him into a molded image, nor to worship any other images of gods created by their hands. His words today are the same to us. The Lord wants us to know Him personally, to love Him with all that we are, and to fear Him in respect and honor. Why? Because He wants to bless, protect and lead us in His ways. We are the safest and the most peaceful when we are obeying His words and willing to listen to His voice, even when it seems too loud and scary to handle.

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 28

Today’s Reading: Psalms 123; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

Today’s Thoughts: Whom Are You Seeking?

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” John 20:15

The first person Jesus appeared to after His death was to Mary Magdalene. She had already told the disciples that Jesus’ body was missing. Peter and John ran to see. Peter did see but John saw and believed. The word “believe” means that he put his trust in God for what had happened. None of them had yet understood the resurrection. He just believed that God was responsible for the missing body of Jesus.

While the disciples went home, Mary stayed at the tomb. She wept and stooped down to look into the tomb. Two angels in white were seated there and they spoke with her. She continued crying and questioning and seeking Jesus, despite the actual presence of angels. She would only be satisfied with Jesus Himself. Jesus stood behind her, but it wasn’t until He called her by name that she turned and clung to Him. I can imagine Mary was thinking, “You got away from me once and I am not letting You go again.”  Once again, Mary went to the disciples, but this time with a different message. She had sought Jesus and He found her.

The first person Jesus revealed Himself to as “the Christ” was the Samaritan woman (John 4). And the first person Jesus revealed Himself to after His death was Mary Magdalene. If you, male or female, are seeking Jesus, He will reveal Himself to you. He shows no partiality or favoritism. We are all given the same Holy Spirit, and one day, we each will behold our Lord face to face. But as of today His promise stands that if you seek Him, you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart. Whom are you seeking?

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 27

Today's Reading: Psalms 120:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9

Today's Thoughts: Preparing to Run

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. - 1 Corinthians 9:24



How often do we feel as though we are running a race? Life seems to be one big race. We run from place to place to get things done, just to accomplish one more task.  But what about the race of life? Some of us run from parts of our lives, some run from the past, some run towards the future, and some just run in circles. Do we ever win this race? Do we even see the finish line? What prize do we expect to receive?

Let us examine the basic components of running a physical race to help better understand the spiritual race. The first step usually involves some sort of training, which depends upon the type and length of race. Good equipment and accessories are integral parts of preparation and participation, such as clothing, shoes, and personal timing devices. Because slight dehydration can jeopardize the heartiest competitor, nutritional supplementations and liquid replacements are critical for endurance and stamina. And a final key component for any serious participant involves their own personal desire and commitment to complete the race, despite hardships and pain. One should not even consider entering a race without some of these basic necessaries.

In Hebrews 12:1, Paul says that we should "run with endurance the race that is set before us." This race is not about our physical lives but our spiritual lives for Christ.  As Christians, we should be racing towards "the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14), not racing for the things of this world but for the eternal prize in God's kingdom. 

So how do we successfully compete in this spiritual race? Our training must involve a progressive and disciplined program that equips us with God's wisdom, knowledge and discernment. A Christian church teaching God's Word is an essential component. Other tools include reading the Bible daily accompanied with prayer. A good church, Bible reading and prayer will be used heavily during the race. These necessities are best when supplemented with Bible studies, prayer groups, and volunteer services. The most critical component that CANNOT be compromised involves our sincere desire to surrender our heart and everything in it to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we commit to these basic steps, our race will be run with the assurance of a strong finish to this earthly life.

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 26

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119:89-176; 1 Corinthians 8

Today’s Thoughts: Unconditional Promises

For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord--to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and honey." Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.  So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. - Joshua 5:6-9

God's promises are not conditional. He will fulfill every promise, but in His way and in His time and to whom He wills. God heard the cries of the Israelites when they were slaves to Pharaoh. God had promised Abraham that after 400 yearsof bondage, He would rescue his descendents. That time came and God fulfilled His promise by sending Moses. Despite the Egyptians hard hearts and selfishness, God had His way and the Israelites left Egypt. Through God's outstretched arm and mighty powers, God brought plagues and parted the Red Sea. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. However, the Israelites' hearts were hardened too. After different trials and tests in the desert, it was obvious that their prayer for freedom had not been about the freedom to worship God, but for freedom from difficult circumstances. Once the circumstances became difficult in the desert, these same people chose to forsake their God who had rescued them.

Because of Moses' intercession, the next generation would be the ones who would receive the promises of God and enter into the land flowing with milk and honey. Their willingness to obey and attitude mattered to God. They needed to be obedient to His commands; however, God did not remind them about obedience to the covenant of circumcision until after they crossed the Jordan River. So you see that God's promises were not predicated upon their flesh but on His promises. However, in time—God's time, God would make sure that they kept up their end of the deal. We find ourselves in the same kind of relationship with the Lord today. We can accept Christ and receive His Holy Spirit regardless of our behaviors. He will empower us and use us to fulfill all that He has for us. But as time goes by, He continually reminds us and asks us to keep in line with our part of the relationship. Our willingness and attitude matter first and then our obedience proves if we take His promises seriously.

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 25

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119:1-88; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40

Today’s Thoughts: Our Witness to Our Faith

Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." Acts 26:22-23

My husband has been working with a client who was born and raised Buddhist. She is vice president of a large publishing company. She is smart, tenacious, tough and lost. In working with her over the past few months, my husband has made his faith very clear to her. As the project comes to a close, it seems that their conversations on faith have increased even more. She is open to talking with him about the subject. So often, we find ourselves in situations where we either get that one shot to witness, or we get shot down before even starting. In this case, my husband and this high-powered executive keep debating the issues. These conversations have brought her to a point of admitting how little she truly knows about her own religion. He has been asking her to tell him exactly what she believes. How does it work? And most importantly, he asked her a simple question, "Do you really believe in it?"

Jesus asks this question to those around Him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" Many people find a place in organized religion but have no idea of what or whom they really believe in. We are born and raised in religious traditions. We like the routines, the fellowship, and the comfort such activities bring to our lives. Since when did Jesus use the word "comfort" to describe our walk with Him? Yes, He gives us comfort and peace through His Holy Spirit. But Jesus was clear in saying that He came with a sword, dividing friends and families (Matthew 10:34-35). Placing anyone or anything, including church traditions, above Jesus Christ will bring division between people who choose Him against those who choose their religion.

Many people do not know what to do or what to say at these times. What do we say? How much do we say? When should we speak about our faith? And on and on we wonder and ponder. I like what Paul says in today's verses. First, he says that he gets "help from God." The Holy Spirit will impress, lead and direct us in what to do. Next, Paul knows he must "stand." Sometimes we need to stand, hold our position, be honest, but not start debates unless we are led to do so. Then, Paul says he witnessed "both to small and great."  We must seize the opportunity when we know it is time, regardless of who it is, how many there are, or whatever the circumstances. Sometimes we need to not think too much and just let the Lord work through us.

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 24

Today's Reading: Psalms 116; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19

Today’s Thoughts: In the Morning

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,And I will look up. Psalm 5:3

Have you ever noticed the difference between waking up with an alarm clock versus sleeping until you naturally wake up? When it comes to doing morning devotions, there is a huge difference between the two. Personally, I love to sleep in. But once I am up, I do not slow down; I make the most of my day. I rarely sit down unless I am eating or in a meeting. So I am thankful to the Lord that I have no trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. It is the waking up that gives me the most trouble.

For years, I set aside a "quiet time," to just be quiet to pray and to read my Bible during the day. But because of my personality and because of the activities of the day competing for my attention (like work, the kids and the phone), I became too distracted to concentrate on the things of God. I would read verses like Psalm 5:3 and know deep within my heart that I needed to get up before the day started. It took a long time and a lot of prayer to get me into the habit and pattern of waking up early. It is only in the early mornings that I am in a better place to hear from the Lord because there is nothing competing against His words. During this quiet time, I can enjoy the freedom from the noise of the day. The house is quiet and peaceful in the pre-dawn hours.

It is funny that if I was going on vacation or needed to catch a plane, I could more easily get out of bed to the buzzing noise of an alarm clock. But how come with the things of God, we resist so much? Personally, I believe it is because we resist the words ‘discipline’ and ‘dependency’. We need to discipline our bodies to wake up early and we do it to show our dependency on needing the Lord to help us. God loves us and has so much to give to us. His ways are of peace. For me, I have learned that an extra hour in bed cannot compare with the peace I receive spending quiet time with Him first thing; for Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

My encouragement to you is to try it. Set your alarm half an hour earlier than you normally get up and make a commitment to do it every day for a week. And give that half hour to the Lord, ask Him to wake you up to His words and to give you the peace that will carry you throughout your day. When you make this change in your daily habits, God will bless 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 23


Today's Reading: Exodus 23; Matthew 20:1-16

Today's Thoughts: Little by Little

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.

Exodus 23:30

In Chapter 23, God grants the Israelites various promises, including utterly overthrowing and completely cutting off their enemies. The Lord further states that He will bless their bread and water and take their sicknesses away. With the Lord on their side, the Israelites cannot lose.  But in verse 30, the Lord says that He will fulfill His promises by driving out their enemies little by little. Why? Why doesn't God just wipe their enemies out like He did the Egyptians as they entered the Red Sea? What benefit is there to do it little by little?

Exodus 23:29 says "I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field become too numerous for you." In other words, a place of instant abundance and blessings would be harmful for the Israelites. Blessings are not true blessings unless they come when we are able to handle them. Think of areas in your life that you would love to see the Lord work in you today. Maybe you need deliverance from sin that seems to have trapped you or maybe it is your finances. The list can go on and on. God wants to deliver you and bless you, but He will only give you what you can handle. God knows what is best for us. Even the blessings can become curses if we do not have the wisdom, maturity and honesty to handle them.

The Lord's timing is never too late nor too slow. He is patient and kind, assessing the whole situation, so that when He fulfills His promises in you, you will be able to receive them in peace. We want the quick fix or the instant gratification. We want the immediate and the miraculous. However, God's ways are not our ways and He desires to give us a future life in His promises. Little by little, complete victory will be yours by having faith and patience day by day.

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 22

Today's Reading: Psalms 110; 1 Corinthians 5

Today's Thoughts: To Stay or To Go


I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. John 17:15

After reading the prayer of Jesus, I realize how far I am from understanding the truth of His message. Jesus prayed that we not be taken out of the world but that the Father would keep us from the evil one. There are times when some of us want to be taken out of this world as soon as possible just to be in heaven with Jesus. When you love someone, you want to be with them, and as Christians, our hearts yearn to be closer to Jesus. Other times, life here on earth is so hard and such a struggle that we want to be taken out just to get out of here. Admit it; we all have felt this way at times. But these feelings are no surprise to the Lord. 

Jesus' prayer to keep us in the world was truly based on love. He has provided everything we need for life and godliness, despite our circumstances. He has given us creation to see His handiwork and understand His unlimited abilities. He has given us His Word that sanctifies us and sets us apart for Him. And He has given us His own testimony as Jesus, Son of God, who walked on this earth and lived in this world. He prayed that the Father would not take us out of this world but to keep us from the evil one. Jesus prayed that we be made one with Him while remaining on earth. At times, it seems impossible to walk against the pattern of this world. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus understands what we are going through. Our only hope is to depend on Him, which is exactly what He wants in the first place.

Where are you today? Do you secretly desire at times to be taken to heaven? Only you know the reasons why you feel this way but know today that Jesus has a plan for you being right here, right now. He loves you and has a plan for your life. Ask the Lord to give you strength in times of trouble, peace in times of struggle and hope when the world seems to be hopeless. Only in Jesus can we stay in this world and experience heaven on earth.

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

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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.

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 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 12

Today’s Reading: Psalms 4; Acts 17:16-34

Today’s Thoughts: Both Near and Far

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.Isaiah 7:14

We read this prophecy written thousands of years ago and understand that the fulfillment was Jesus, as it is quoted again in Matthew 1:22, testifying to the virgin birth of Jesus as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah.

However, there was also a closer fulfillment of that prophecy as we read in Isaiah 8:3, “So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz’.” The prophecy for us is about the virgin birth of Jesus, but it was also immediately about this prophetess having a son as a sign to the people during Isaiah’s time. This verse is an example of near and far prophecy. “Near” to Isaiah but also predicted “far” for us.

Prophecy still works like that in our lives today. There are prophecies that have near and far fulfillments. As we read the Scriptures, we know that those verses were placed in the Bible for a set time and place. But, those same verses pop out to us as verses that we can claim for our own lives. How does that work?

God’s Word is alive and His Word has the ability to reach through all places, settings, times and events. His Word is as applicable and real to us and for us today as it was when written. I have seen near and far fulfillments in verses for myself. Many times, I receive a verse (or promise) from the Lord for the circumstance I am currently facing, and then years later in my life, I see the Lord further fulfill that verse in a new way.

God wants to speak to you and He does that by prophesying through His Word. Claim those verses but then relax. If God said it to you, He will fulfill it….again and again…both near and far.

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 11

Today's Reading: Psalms 1; Acts 17:1-15

Today's Thoughts: Delighting in Him


 
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Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3

I love the promises of this Psalm. There are promises of blessing to the one who delights in the law of the Lord, a promise of fruit, strength and prosperity in whatever we do. And what does He want us to do? He wants us to love His Word; the law of the Lord is His word. John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, which means that Jesus is the living Word. If we delight in the Word, then we are delighting in Him. So, our delight should be to desire the Lord more than anything else, so much that we meditate and think about Him day and night.

There are so many other things to think about in our lives today. From televisions to radios to computers, everything around us makes some kind of noise or sight that demands our attention. Regardless of what we are doing, we are always thinking about something. The activities and the stimuli seldom stop in our busy lives. And then we wonder why we are so tired (our leaves wither) and why we are not efficient or effective (prosperous) in our works. The answer lies in God's Word. We will find our strength when we make the Lord the priority of our thoughts, by tuning out the other sights and sounds.

God promises us His blessings if we focus on Him, keep His word close to our hearts, and make Him the center of our thoughts. Start today by reading through the Psalms starting with chapter one and reading a Psalm a day until ending with chapter one hundred fifty (150). You will see the blessings of God as you delight in His Word every day.

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: Job 41; Acts 16:22-40

Today's Thoughts: Signs of Today or Eternity?

He [Jesus] answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Matthew 16:2-3

Jesus understood how much the weather plays a part of our daily lives. He spoke about discerning the face of the sky, trying to predict the day’s events. Just think about how much we know today from the weather channel, newspapers and computers. We have local and remote forecasts available in an instant, unlike in Jesus’ day. And just as we have advanced in understanding the weather, we also have advanced in understanding the signs of end times. Our lives can change as a result of a natural event, and our eternity is shaped by being tuned in with the signs of end times.

Do you live your life for today or for eternity? Everything we live for here will burn some day, but our soul has a choice to burn in the fire or live in the presence of the light of Jesus. In a moment, the weather can change completely. It is the same with our lives. Today, pick up the Bible and read something in Revelation or find a book that can update you with the signs of end times. Until I studied the book of Revelation, the thought of reading it frightened me. That fear is gone because the love of God is even so evident in the book of Revelation. He wants all to come to Him and He has made a way for all to understand.  Ask the Lord for discernment to understand. We can never be sure of the future outcome of the weather, but we can know the outcome of our eternity.

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.