Monday – Called by God
"The Lord gave me this message:
'I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.'
'O Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!'
The Lord replied, 'Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!' Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, 'Look, I have put my words in your mouth!'" (Jeremiah 1:4-9 (NLT).
We are all called to work in God's kingdom. God has blessed us with the abilities and talents that He will use to shine His Light into this lost and dying world. God doesn't have to use us, but He chose to use us as servants to each other. We all have different “gifts” and by using our talents, we glorify God. Furthermore, when we band together and use our abilities along with the abilities of others, we even have a stronger witness for Christ. This is why the church is so important. It's through the relationships that we create with other Christian brothers and sisters, that we become a louder voice and a larger presence for our heavenly Father.
So, when (notice I said, when, not if) you are called to use your talents for God, remember what the Prophet Jeremiah experienced. He thought he was too young to be used by God, but God set him straight on that, very quickly. Today's Scripture (Jeremiah 1:4-9) is a great reminder about how God will use us if we let Him. God will provide all you need, so that you might be able, to complete your mission for His kingdom.
Thanks be to You, Lord God, for using Your willing children to take Your message of love, mercy, grace, and repentance to the world. Lord, let each of us be willing to say, “Lord, use me.” In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Tuesday – In Need of a Savior
"This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT).
I'm so thankful that we have a Savior who comes to us as we are, broken, sinful creatures! He came to earth and left His throne to save us from ourselves. Without His love, mercy, and grace, we would be doomed to an eternity of separation from God, in other words, hell. But because of His kindness, we are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ. We can now approach the throne of God with confidence, not because of what we have done but by what Jesus did for us.
Father God, help us understand that we are not capable, but You are capable to make all things possible. We praise You, Lord. Forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Wednesday – Lies and Deception
"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, 'Let there be light in the darkness,' has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4-6 NLT).
Our world has been blinded by the power of the lie. Satan is the master of lies and deception. Our world is running around in circles chasing lie after lie. The devil is causing havoc.
As Christ-followers, we must rebuke Satan and shine the light of Jesus into the eyes (hearts) of those who are blinded by the ploys and temptations of the evil one. It's time for Christians to put on their big boy/girl panties and exclaim the truth of our God.
The fight for the souls of the deceived is in full battle mode. Are you in the fight or out? May God be with you. Fight the good fight. Thanks be to God.
Lord God, give Your children the strength to exclaim Your truth. Give us Your protection as we go into battle with the evil one. Father, hold us as we stumble, pick us up as we fall. Never leave us Lord and help us to fight the good fight for truth, Your truth. Lead us today, Lord. We know that Satan and his demons cannot stand in Your presence therefore we can go and know that You are with us. We have nothing to fear as long as we stand with You Lord. We praise You for Your gift of salvation. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
Thursday – Victory Granted
"This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:15-17 NLT).
This was in one of the Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy. I think that this could have easily been written by many of us, if not all of us. Please pray for each other so that we might understand the great gift that God gave this world. Through that gift, we will inherit His heavenly kingdom. What we forget sometimes is that God's gift, Jesus Christ, is not just about our admittance into our heavenly home, but also that we can have a wonderful life, here on earth. God's gift is a gift of the present and for eternity.
Life in this broken world will not always be easy or fun, but when it gets tough, we have a God who loves us more than we can ever understand. He knows we are fighting earthly battles along with spiritual battles. We can count on His warring angels to be fighting the spiritual battles that are all around us, as He gives us the strength to fight the battles of the flesh.
Jesus has given us victory, but we have to keep up the Good Fight and put on the entire body of His Armor (Eph. 6:10-17).
Father, we pray that many of Your lost sheep hear Your voice and come to You. Accepting You, Jesus, is truly a life change, today and for eternity. It's in Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
Friday – Word Exchange
"Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God" (Matthew 3:8 NLT).
A couple of questions:
- When you get caught doing something wrong and you know it's wrong; do you feel remorse and repent and truly take the responsibility for your actions?
- Are you just sorry that you got caught or do you truly feel the guilt of your actions, repenting and vowing to do your best to not do that same thing again?
Now exchange the word "sin" for the words "thing," "something," and "actions." Is it remorse or is it repentance? Yes, you can be remorseful in conjunction with being driven to repentance, but to reach that point God wants us to reach, we must repent. We must turn and do our best not to commit that same indiscretion again. It's that desire to ask forgiveness, repenting, and the attempt to turn from that sin that, I believe, makes God smile.
Yes, we may stumble again, but we are not living in that sin. The process begins again...sorrow, repentance, and the goal to "go and sin no more."
Lord, help us to see how broken we are and that no matter how sinful we live, You are waiting on us to repent and come to You. We praise You and thank You for Jesus, our Lord, and Savior. Amen.
Saturday – Trust in the Rock
"Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock" (Isaiah 26:4 NLT).
Are you trusting in God at all times while navigating life's curves? Let's face the fact that life has many ups and downs. We are broken humans with bodies that break down. We get sick. We get well. We live then we die. It's part of life.
Are you thanking God not only in the good times but also in the tough times? Are you trusting Him when times are bad? He is our Rock in all situations! Thanks be to God!
Lord God, we come to You in prayer and praise. We ask that You heal the sick, enable the lame to walk, repair the hearts of the broken-hearted, and give us the strength to meet the needs of this day. Father, we also come to You in praise for all that You have done, are doing, and will do in our lives. Lord God, we give You our lives, our hearts, and our minds. Lead us today and direct our paths. Father God, Your will; nothing more; nothing less; nothing else. Amen.
Sunday – Our Path
"Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you" (Psalm 25:4-5 NLT).
We tend to travel the path of least resistance. We tend to take what we think is the easiest trail through the woods. We tend to deviate from the right path while knowing that we are not following the road map or the trail guides.
Many times God shows us the “right path” but we choose our own scribbled map and compromised compass to follow. Isn't it time to stop following our desires and start reading God's Word and following His map for life?
Isn't it time that we realize that it's God who supplies all of our needs? Isn't it time to stop running from His directions? Isn't it time to put all of our hope and trust in Him and stop following the path that is paved toward destruction?
Thank You, Lord God, for giving us the true path to a better and fulfilled life, presently and for eternity. It is in the precious name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
This article originally appeared on the Stand.
