Authentic Vs. Phony Faith

I want an authentic faith, don't you?

I'm tired of fakeness. I'm tired of all the lies, junk,

And everything in between. 

This little devotional helps me to hold on. 

It helps me to believe there is still hope and I need

All the hope I can believe in.

Not only do I need hope, but I also need the real deal.

I'm done with everything in between and my hope is that 

Anyone who reads this will join me for the case of

Authentic faith because without it, we are a doomed people.

God Bless.

Authentic vs. Phony Faith

John Piper


The question before us all is: Are we included in the “many” whose sins he bore? And will we be saved by his coming “for salvation”?

The answer of Hebrews 9:28 is, “Yes,” if we are “eagerly awaiting him.” 

We can know that our sins are taken away 

and that we will be safe in the judgment if we trust Christ 

in such a way that it makes us eager for his coming.

There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ,

but is only a fire insurance policy. 

Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. 

It has no real desire for Christ. 

In fact, it would prefer it if he did not come, 

so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. 

This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world.

So the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? 

Or do we want him to wait while our love affair with the world runs its course? 

That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.

So let us be like the Corinthians who were

“awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7), 

and like the Philippians whose “citizenship was in heaven, 

from which also [they] eagerly waited for a Savior, 

the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

That’s the issue for us. Do we love his appearing? 

Or do we love the world and hope that his appearing 

will not interrupt our worldly plans? Eternity hangs on this question.

From “Loving the Second Coming and the Assurance of Salvation”

Fellowship

I believe that my sins are forgiven and I'm not going to go to hell for not confessing my sins every second, every hour, or even every day.

However, I want to fellowship with my God everyday and I need to have a clean heart to listen and hear what He wants to tell me. 

I also know that God's not mad at me and loves me. So, if I love Him and want to fellowship with Him more, I must recognize my sins, and take responsibility for my actions, it's not God's job to do it anymore. I'm not sure it was His responsibility in the first place. 

But He longs for a relationship and speaks to my heart and tells me what I've done that keeps me from Him because He loves me and if I love Him, don't I owe it to Him to confess and get myself clean before Him? I believe so, it's the least I can do for He paid a high price for me and for you all in the name of fellowship with Him.

God Bless.

FELLOWSHIP

By John Kuperuson 

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
—1 John 1:7

A wife commented to her husband as they were traveling in the car, “When we dated, we always sat so close together, and now we are so far apart.” From the driver’s seat, the husband responded, “I haven’t moved from behind this wheel; if anyone has moved, it is you.”

This may help us in thinking about our relationship with God. If God seems distant to us, it is not because God has moved. If we walk in the light, we enjoy God’s purifying presence and the fellowship of all who are in the light. But if we walk in darkness—that is, away from the light of God—how can we expect to remain connected with God? We know God’s light pushes away the darkness, and Jesus comes to bring us out of our darkness (see John 8:12; 10:14-18; Luke 15). But if we continue walking in darkness, that is like running away from God.

The apostle John shares God’s remedy for this: to confess our sins. To confess is to agree that we have sinned and disobeyed God. As Tony Evans puts it, “If God calls it sin, you cannot reduce it to a bad habit … you cannot say it is a personality disorder … you cannot say everyone else does it.” If God calls it sin, then it is sin.

Let us daily confess our sins to God, asking for forgiveness.

Prayer:
Father, open our eyes to see things the way you do. We enter your cleansing light to purify us from all our filth. In your name, Amen.

When You Pray For Your Friends

This devotional has helped me to think in a new way of how to pray for my friends.

We need to pray for people, to do that, maybe we should see them as friends instead of unknown people.

If we did that, who knows where this world might be. But for now and in the future, let's make a pact to pray for our friends!

God Bless!

When You Pray For Your Friends

“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” Job 42:10.

Pray for her. Yes, she didn’t respond the way you wanted her to respond. She wasn’t considerate of your pain and that hurt. Pray for him. Yes, you gave him your heart, and he walked all over it. He didn’t do everything he promised. Pray for them. They loved you when you had something to give them, but now they seem to get some sick pleasure out of seeing you no longer on top and successful like you used to be.

Pray for every friend in your life, both old and new. For where God is taking you, you can’t afford to have bitterness and resentment in your heart toward anyone.

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord turned his situation around. God gave him twice as much wealth as he had before. It is the Lord that will turn things around for you when you wise up and do what big girls do. As you pray, God will bless you richly with a release and will turn things around for you.

Prayer: Father God, I pray You help me with this. I’ve been disappointed by people who I considered my friends, and now I bring my heart to You. Heal me God and help me pray for them from a right place. With the faith and love of Jesus, I forgive them. I ask that You bless them Lord with Your mercy and grace. Give every friend in my life, old and new, a heart to know You more. Protect their families and place them in Your perfect will for their lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daughters of the King

I've had my doubts from time to time wondering if following Christ is worth it.

I don't know about you but there has been times in my life where I've had

doubts about this Christian walk. But as life goes by and trails come and go,

one thing I know for sure is indeed Christ is worth it. 

And when I read this devotional, it encourages me to keep on keeping on!

God Bless!

DEVOTIONAL

Is Christ Worth It?

John Piper
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own fatherand mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26–27)
Jesus is unashamed and unafraid of telling us up front the “worst” — the painful cost of being a Christian: hating family (v. 26), carrying a cross (v. 27), renouncing possessions (v. 33). There is no small print in the covenant of grace. It is all big, and bold. No cheap grace! Very costly! Come, and be my disciple.
But Satan hides his worst and shows only his best. All that really matters in the deal with Satan is in small print on the back page.
On the front page in big, bold letters are the words, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), and “All these things I will give to you, if you fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). But on the back page in small print — so small you can only read it with the magnifying glass of the Bible— it says: “And after the fleeting pleasures, you will suffer with me forever in hell.”
Why is Jesus willing to show us his “worst” as well as his best, while Satan will only show us his best? Matthew Henry answers, “Satan shows the best, but hides the worst, because his best will not [counterbalance] his worst; but Christ’s will abundantly.”
The call of Jesus is not just a call to suffering and self–denial; it is first a call to a banquet. This is the point of the parable in Luke 14:16–24. Jesus also promises a glorious resurrection where all the losses of this life will be repaid (Luke 14:14). He also tells us that he will help us endure the hardships (Luke 22:32). He also tells us he will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). He promises that even if we are killed for the kingdom, “not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:18).
Which means that when we sit down to calculate the cost of following Jesus— when we weigh the “worst” and the “best” — he is worth it. Abundantly worth it (see Romans 8:18).
Not so with Satan. Stolen bread is sweet, but afterward the mouth is full of gravel (see Proverbs 20:17).
From “Satan Shows His Best and Hides His Worst; Christ Shows His Worst and His Best”

Adopted Into The Family

WE'VE BEEN ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY! HOW COOL IS THAT!

WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND HOW YOU'VE GOTTEN TO BE APART OF THIS?

THIS LITTLE DEVOTIONAL I FEEL WILL HELP GIVE US A SENSE OF WHO WE ARE!

God Bless!

ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY

By Rob Jansonson Sun, 24 May 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” - Romans 8:15

Salvation is a homecoming, God’s act of adopting spiritual orphans into his eternal family. Sonship refers to our adoption as children of God. The life-transforming grace and love of adoption is what makes the Christian faith so unique and full of joy.

Jesus paid the price for our adoption, giving us the right to be children of God (John 1:12). We are not born naturally into this relationship; it is a spiritual rebirth. Jesus calls it being “born again,” “born of the Spirit” (John 3:3, 8). While adoption is a legal contract that completely transforms the status of a child, it is more importantly a profound expression of parental love.

For reasons that can be summarized only by love itself, God chose you. He selected you to be his child and adopted you into his family. The idea of being chosen is simply that God’s love makes us children of God. Nothing else—no works, merit, or righteousness on our part—can do it. Both our existence as human beings and our salvation are ultimately dependent on one thing: the love of God the Father. And through the sacrifice of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—which we celebrate today—we become fully renewed children of God!

How do you feel, knowing that God chose you?

Prayer:

Lord, words cannot express our gratitude for the new life you give. Thank you for real life in Jesus by your Spirit! Amen.

Rob Jansons

Build An Altar

I sometimes forget God's faithfulness because my emotions get the better of me.

I always want to find God faithful. I always want to be remembered of God's faithfulness.

And I don't always want to stay where I am at in my walk with God. I want to keep moving and growing towards living the life God intended.

So when I came across this little devotional, I was encouraged and given an incentive to build an altar to God for His faithfulness and so much more!

God Bless!

Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. (NLT) -Exodus 20:24

We can recall the times of God's faithfulness to us when we think back and count our blessings such as remission from cancer, a job transition, or the birth of a child. However, we can go a step further and proactively remind ourselves of His goodness.

Have you ever built an altar to remind you of who God is and what He has done for you? Could you imagine walking through your home seeing a stone written with words commemorating each time God proved faithful?

It is a proactive, physical way to jog your memory of God's faithfulness. When difficult times come, all you need to do is look around to see God's blessings you've long forgotten!

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5

God Works For You

Do you live like God is working for your benefit? 

I have to admit there are times I wonder if God is truly there 

let alone working on my behalf.

I'm always in the need for encouragement and that is what I feel 

when I read this devotional from John Piper.

My hope and prayer is that you will become steadfast in the 

knowledge that God is working for you not just today, but every day!

God Bless!

DEVOTIONAL FOR MAY 21

God Works for You

John Piper
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. (Psalm 121:1–3)
Do you need help? I do. Where do you look for help?
When the Psalmist lifted up his eyes to the hills and asked, “From where does my help come?” he answered, “My help comes from the Lord” — not from the hills, but from the God who made the hills.
So he reminded himself of two great truths: one is that God is a mighty Creator over all the problems of life; the other is that God never sleeps.
God is a tireless worker. Think of God as a worker in your life. Yes, it is amazing. We are prone to think of ourselves as workers in God’s life. But the Bible wants us first to be amazed that God is a worker in our lives:“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).
God is working for us around the clock. He does not take days off and he does not sleep. In fact he is so eager to work for us that he goes around looking for more work to do for people who will trust him: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show his might in behalf of those whose heart is whole toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
God loves to show his tireless power and wisdom and goodness by working for people who trust him. Jesus was the main way the Father showed this: “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Jesus works for his followers. He serves them.
This is what we must believe — really believe — in order to “rejoice always” (Philippians 4:4) and “give thanks in everything” (Ephesians 5:20) and have the “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7), and “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6) and “hate our lives in this world” (John 12:25) and “love our neighbor as we love ourselves” (Matthew 22:39).
What a truth! What a reality! God is up all night and all day to work for those who wait for him.
From “God Was Up All Night”

Watch Your Words

Love this devotional from the King's Daughter. 

Sometimes you can't put your words into what your feeling and then you come across something in print to put hope back into your life and this is the case this time. 

Please be encouraged and reach for the higher calling!

God Bless!

Watch Your Words

“The tongue can bring death or life; 
those who love to talk will reap the consequences." Proverbs 18:21

While talking to a friend, she wanted God to save her marriage. So we prayed together and a few days later, she came to me saying how frustrated she was and how she wanted out. I told her to get some duct tape and put it over her mouth because she was messing up what God wanted to do in her home with her words. In one breath it was, “Lord save my relationship.” In another breath it was, “This man is the devil! I’m out of here.”

Well maybe you’re in a relationship with someone that acts like the devil, or maybe your boss or parent behaves like the devil, and you don’t know what to do. You want to see a change, but you don’t think you have the patience or strength to wait it out while God does whatever He’s going to do. In this situation, you need understanding. The Bible says understanding will keep you (see Proverbs 2:11). It will help keep your tongue, and it will keep your mind.

Understanding is God’s mind on the matter. Let Him show you what He thinks about the situation you’re in and what He wants you to do.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for speaking directly to my heart. I repent for the things I’ve been saying. Give me understanding and help me keep my mouth. Help me not cancel my prayers through wrong talking. Be glorified in this situation. I’ll cooperate with You. In Jesus name, Amen.

(Read James 1:5-7)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daughters of the King

View all posts by Daughters of the King

May 20, 2015 Daughters of the King devotions

Watch Your Tongue And Keep Your Mouth Shut

Yep, this little devotional say's it all. This is one of my top ten issues I deal with everyday.

This little devotional gives me hope!

My hope is this will give you hope as well!

God Bless.


Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. (NLT) -Proverbs 21:23

Sometimes emotions can get the best of us and cause us to say words we don't truly mean. Or we are charged with emotions and choose words with different implications than we intended. When you get in this state do your best to stabilize and then try to communicate emotions when you can better watch your tongue.

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Dealing With Disappointment

I have a hard time dealing with disappointments. I get mad and I let my emotions rule over me. It usually takes me several days or weeks before I can get a grip on my reality and start to deal with what has happen to me.

I long for when my emotions are under control and I can deal with things in my life the way God has deemed the way it should be.

But in the meantime, reading word from a devotional like this is what keeps me going and growing.

God Bless.

Dealing with Disappointment

Many Christians are lying along the roadside of life devastated because they have not learned how to deal with disappointment, but it's not God's will for you to live a disappointed, devastated or oppressed life today, or any day.

Part of Jesus' earthly ministry was to go about in the anointing of the Holy Spirit and deliver all those who were oppressed by the devil. Disappointed people everywhere found new hope when they encountered the power of Jesus. This same power is available to us today.

Use that power to defend yourself against disappointment by focusing on God, meditating on His promises, confessing His Word, and submitting yourself and your situation to Him in prayer. Through Jesus, you can fight the enemy's attempts to weigh you down, rebuking him so that he can't destroy you.

When the devil makes one move toward you, keep yourself so spiritually tuned in that you can discern what he is trying to do and then back him down. With the power Jesus made available to you, he has no choice but to run.

Prayer Starter: God, setbacks and discouraging things will come my way, but I will not remain disappointed. As I stay tuned in to You, I will fight off the devil and send him running every time.

A Great Nation

Most of us think what makes a great nation is the country, the leaders, and the history.

But this little devotional sets out to prick your mind and maybe speak to your heart as to change the way you see things.

Maybe what makes up a great nation isn't the country it's self or it's leaders, or even the history but in the people. Indeed it is. If it wasn't for the sacrifies of people and their believes in their cause, United States wouldn't be a great nation, it would just be land.

Maybe it's time we change our thinking and become a great nation again by going back to what worked before!

God Bless.

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. (NLT) -Genesis 12:2

This passage gives us great insight into God view's on blessings. He blesses people and gives them a position of influence so they can share their blessings to others.

He blesses us to show us His love for us and so that we can share His love to others. We often think that blessings are for our exclusive use, but that is not the case. Our selfish inclinations keep us from blessing others, but is there anything we can do to combat that?

 It could be as simple as bringing a friend along when you use a gift card. Or as extravagant as selling your treasures to benefit a needy family.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5

Know Your Weaknesses

This devotional is so good! Not only is it rich with wisdom but also encouragement! Who am I not to pass it along.

Hopefully you will get as much out of it as I do!

God Bless!

Know Your Weaknesses

by Joyce Meyer

However, when Simon saw that the [Holy] Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he brought money and offered it to them, saying, Grant me also this power and authority.
—Acts 8:18–19

Make sure that whatever you are trying to do is something you are really meant to do and not just something you want to do to impress people. How do you know what you can do and what you cannot do? It’s important to understand this if you are to be well prepared. This will prevent you from wasting your time on something you won’t succeed at anyway. I am a good public speaker, but I quickly discovered that I had zero ability as a musician. Had I continued to insist on learning to be a musician, I would have felt like a failure. As hard as you may try, you cannot be properly prepared and feel confident to do something you are not meant to do.

Don’t be afraid to admit what you cannot do. Know your weaknesses and pray for God to send people into your life to do what you cannot do. I cannot play musical instruments, but God has always provided me musicians for my ministry. I am not afraid to say that I’m not good at something, and I don’t waste my time trying to develop my weaknesses.

Lord, it’s easy to be jealous of other people’s gifts. Help me to focus on what I was meant to do and keep me from wasting time on my weaknesses. Amen.

---

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Obey The Word

Are you like me and have a hard time obeying the word of God? It's not that I don't want to, it's because I am letting my emotions get the better of me.

I let the cares of this life consume me instead of what God tells me about this situation. I want to live a life a faith and I've grown so much since I've started this Christian walk but I have a ways to go and I'm so thankful that God hasn't given up on me yet and He shows and teaches me through devotionals like the one from Joyce.

Please find encouragement and let's start a new standard and obey the word!

God Bless.

Obey the Word

by Joyce Meyer

But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].
—James 1:22

I recall a woman who attended one of my seminars. She had a lot of emotional wounds that had left her insecure and fearful. She desperately wanted to be free, but nothing seemed to work for her. At the conclusion of the seminar she told me that she now understood why she had never experienced any progress. She said, "Joyce, I sat with a group of ladies who all had a lot of the same problems in the past that I did. They also had emotional problems, but step-by-step God had been delivering them. As I listened to them, I heard them say, 'God led me to do this, and I did it. Then He led me to another thing, and I did it.' I realized that God had also told me to do the same things. The only difference was they did what He said to do, and I didn't."

To receive from God what He has promised us in His Word, we must obey the Word. There will be times when doing what the Word says is not easy. Obeying the Word requires consistency and diligence. There must be a dedication and commitment to do the Word whatever the outcome. "Yes," you may say, "but I have been doing the Word for a long time, and I still don't have the victory!" Then do it some more. Nobody knows exactly how long it is going to take for the Word to begin to work in this life. If you keep at it, sooner or later it will work.

I know it's a fight. I know Satan tries to keep you out of the Word; and once you do get into the Word, he tries everything in his power to keep you from putting the Word into practice in your life. I also know that once you do start putting the Word into practice, he does everything he can to make you think it won't work. That's why you must keep at it.

Ask God to help by giving you a desire to get into His Word and to do it no matter how hard it is or how long it takes to produce any results in your life.

---

From the book New Day, New Youby Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Why We Should Love Our Enemies

  I absolutely love this devotional. I need it and if you are anything like me, who rather shoot your enemies      than love them, you need this as much as I do.

 My hope is this will bring some clarity and bring us closer to the ways of God.

God Bless

DEVOTIONAL FOR MAY 12

Why We Should Love Our Enemies

John Piper

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27)

There are two main reasons why Christians should love their enemies  and do good to them.

One is that it reveals something of the way God is. God is merciful.

“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10).

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

So when Christians live this way, we show something of what God is like.

The second reason is that the hearts of Christians are satisfied with God and are not driven by the craving for revenge or self-exaltation or money or earthly security.

God has become our all-satisfying treasure and so we don’t treat our adversaries out of our own sense of need and insecurity, but out of our own fullness with the satisfying glory of God.

Hebrews 10:34: “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property [that is, without retaliation], since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” What takes away the compulsion of revenge is our deep confidence that this world is not our home, and that God is our utterly sure and all-satisfying reward.

So in both these reasons for loving our enemy we see the main thing: God is shown to be who he really is as a merciful God and as gloriously all-satisfying.

The ultimate reason for being merciful is to glorify God — to make him look great in the eyes of man.

From “When Is It Right to Repay Evil with Pain?

Doing It God's Way

As you can probably tell, I'm a Joyce fan. All I can say is she get me. The Lord speaks to me through her words and her willingness to obey. 

And today's devotional by Joyce is no different. To sum up about how I feel about this devotional is this: I need to do things God's way for His way's are higher and brighter than mine and it shouldn't be about me any more but about those who need to hear the good news of the gospel.

God Bless.

Doing Things God's Way

by Joyce Meyer - posted May 11, 2015

I am the Way. John 14:6

Many people are hurting so badly, and they are crying out for help. The problem is, they are not willing to receive the help they need from God. No matter how much we may want or need help, we are never going to receive it until we are willing to do things God's way. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the Way." What Jesus meant when He said, "I am the Way," is that He has a certain way of doing things; and if we will submit to His way, everything will work out for us.

But so often we wrestle and struggle with Him, trying to get Him to do things our way. It just won't work. Countless times have people have stood in front of me at the altar and told me all kinds of terrible things that are going on in their lives and how badly they are hurting, yet they absolutely refuse to do what they are told to do to receive the help they need. Too often people are trying to find some other way to get help rather than by doing things God's way.

The Bible plainly teaches that if we will learn and act on the Word, God will bless our lives. Let me give you an example. The Bible teaches that we are to live in harmony and peace with others and to forgive those who have done us wrong. If we refuse to do that, what hope do we have of receiving what we need?

I remember how difficult it was for me the first time the Lord told me I had to go to my husband and tell him I was sorry for being rebellious against him. I thought I would die on the spot! I realize that one reason we don't always do what we are told to do in the Word of God is because it is hard.

If we don't do what we can do, then God won't do what we can't do. If we will do what we can do, God will do what we can't do. It's just that simple.

From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Praise The Lord

All I can say about this little devotional is: Amen! I agree! The words speaks to me and need to be acted upon. So, today and everyday, won't you join with me in PRAISING THE LORD!!!!

Psalm 146:1-2 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul.  I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 Today is a reminder to praise the Lord! Whatever our station in life, we have every reason to praise Him. We are offered salvation and the greatest hope in Christ Jesus our Lord, and eternal life with Him awaits us! Lord God, let Your joy be our strength!

Holy Spirit, remind us of how great and awesome our God is every single day. He is worthy to be praised! Let songs of worship pour out from our hearts without hesitation. Do not let sorrow or despair steal away God's praise from our lips! We love You Lord! Amen! Amen!

 Verse courtesy of 'Psalm-A-Day' android
app. http://www.idelata.com/apps/psalm-a-day/

How To Fight The Good Fight

The jewels just keep coming from my hidden computer file. In my search of this file I found this helpful devotional that put a spring into my step and gave me a plan of attack against my enemy.

Hopefully you will find this helpful as much as I did. Let's go fight the good fight!!!!

God Bless.

How to Fight the Good Fight

We are to "fight the good fight of faith" against the enemy - but what does that look like practically? Here are six key strategies:

1. Think aggressively. Plan and calculate, like a general preparing for battle, how to engage and defeat the enemy.
2. Pray fervently. Hebrews 4:16 instructs us to approach God's throne confidently. Step forward with confidence and tell Him what you need.
3. Speak fearlessly. First Peter 4:11 (AMP) says, "Whoever speaks, let him do it as one who utters oracles of God." You and I are to have a spiritually commanding voice against the forces of evil.
4. Give abundantly. The way we give is the way we receive (see Luke 6:38). Live a life of generosity.
5. Work intently. Whatever we put our hand to, we need to do it aggressively (see Eccl. 9:10). Stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit and get the job done.
6. Love unconditionally. As children of God, we must love others as God loves us, unconditionally and sacrificially.

Take these steps, and when the enemy comes, you'll be filled with God's power and unbeatable.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don't want to sit back and miss the fight You've called me to. As I move forward, show me how to apply these six strategies in my fight against the enemy.

Abide In His Love

I am finding all kinds of devotionals in my folder that I can believe I've hidden away. One again, I'm not sure where I found this one but for me, it's another one I need to cling on to.

I need to abide in His love today and in the days to come. I so need to know I'm love. I need to understand more about His love. I need to accept His love. I need to pass on His love to others and this little devotional will set me on my way.

Hope you will as much as I did out of it.

God Bless.


Abide in His Love

First John 4:16 emphasizes that we need to be conscious of the love God has for us. It's easy for us to say 'God loves me' without really understanding what we're saying. The knowledge of His love should not be some biblical fact to which we mentally assent but a living reality in our lives.

"God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him."

The word dwell in this verse means 'to abide, to live in.' It does not refer to visiting; it refers to staying or remaining.

God's love isn't just a fact to memorize or a fleeting feeling. His love is here to stay. God's love doesn't just stay in the good times and leave when things are bad. God's love always remains, so we should remain in His love.

Each of us can reap a greater harvest of Christian maturity when we press into God's love. You will grow in difficult times when you abide in the amazing love God has for you.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I purpose today to abide in the love You have for me. So many things change, but Your love never leaves, so I choose to stay rooted in Your amazing love.

The Lord Is Your Strength

I am not sure where I found this devotional, it was tucked into a folder on my computer and I came across it today. I don't know about you, but I sure need the words of this devotional not only today, but every day.

I truly want to walk in this life knowing where my strength comes from. I want to radiate it from the mountain tops and pass my hope off to others. I want to be so caught up in knowing God is my strength that nothing that comes against me will change my mind.

I hate the constant mind battle. It's the oldest battle in the world and I give it power everyday. However, little by little, I see I am busting through those battle lines and see a victory in my future. My hope and prayer is this little devotional with give you the strength and the courage to know where your hope lies in.

God Bless.

The Lord Is Your Strength

We must realize that part of Satan's plan for end-time believers is to make us weary. Daniel 7:25 gives a vivid description of a vision the prophet Daniel received regarding the last days: "And he 'shall wear out the saints of the Most High'" (AMP).

But God wants you to be encouraged. Romans 8:37 (AMP) gives Christians this good news: "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us." 'More than conquerors' means that before trouble ever starts, we already know who wins. I like that, don't you?
We can purpose in our hearts to maintain such an intimate relationship with God through prayer and His Word that we are constantly being strengthened by the power of His promises. Intimacy with God produces strong Christians who can outlast the devil!

Live your life totally confident in God's strength and have no fear of the trials that can produce weary warriors and fainting saints. Remain strong 'in Him' and in the power of His might.

Prayer Starter: God, You alone are my strength. I won't let Satan make me a weary Christian, but I'll remain strong in my intimacy with You.

Let God Be Exalted

I love this little devotional by Joyce Meyer. For me the smallest of devotional's are have the most impact on me and give me a reason to keep going.

In this devotional I found by Joyce, she talks about the haughtiness of men and I can say this is probably one of the hardest areas in my life. I think people are stupid sometimes. I see me above everyone else and not through the eyes of God.

I find I have no problem exalting my thoughts and believes and leaving out the one who should be exalted. Thank God, He isn't done with me and He continually changes me and my thinking about His ways and His people. So my wish is that you will be blessed by this devotional as much as I am.

God Bless

Let God Be Exalted

by Joyce Meyer 

The proud looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Isaiah 2:11

None of us are where we need to be, but, thank God, we are not where we used to be. Don't look at what you are going through right now; look at the person you are becoming. We are always in the process of becoming like Christ (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Brokenness hurts, but the alternative is much worse. The Word says, Haughtiness comes before disaster, but humility before honor (Proverbs 18:12). Pray to be bendable, pliable, and moldable so that you will be more like Christ in all that you do today. Pray to be broken so that the Lord may be exalted in your life.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Let Me See You Smile

Have you ever heard the phrase "It takes a little to make someone happy." Well according to Joyce Meyer, a smile could be the very thing a person needs to make it through a day, an hour, or even the exact moment of contact.

I believe I'm being challenged to smile a little bit more often even when I don't feel like it. Sometimes, you just have to look at the bigger picture and realize it isn't about you it's about the people you come in contact with and that every life matters and it's our job to make them see just how much they are really worth not only in our eyes but in the Creator's eyes.

God Bless

Let Me See You Smile

by Joyce Meyer 

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus... Philippians 4:21 NKJV

It is amazing how a smile and a friendly greeting put people at ease. It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so smile and give your face a break!

You might be thinking, Well, that is just not me. I am a serious-minded person; I am more reserved and private. I just prefer not to get involved with people that much, especially people I don't know. If you feel that way, I understand because I was exactly the same way until I kept seeing what the Bible says about encouragement, edification, exhortation, and making people feel valuable. I finally decided that God had not called me to merely be comfortable, but to be obedient, so I started being friendly on purpose.

For years, the apostle Paul told those to whom he ministered to greet one another with a holy kiss (see Rom. 16:16), which was customary in their day. I am only asking for a smile!

Love Others Today: Remember to smile and be friendly today!

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.