Devotionals

Psalm 95:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving Day! May God—the Rock of our salvation—be ever in our thoughts and praise. He has provided everything we will ever need to ensure our home with him in glory. Our part is to believe and receive his provision in Messiah and the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice people of God and praise him for his mighty deeds of love and goodness. Share that goodness with others. Blessings for your day!

Psalm 95:1-2

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wonderful way you have provided salvation for me. You are the Rock upon which I stand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 24:7-10

As human beings and Christ-followers, we face some form of spiritual battle everyday. The battle you face may be different than the battle I face, but no matter how you look at things the common factor is we all face an enemy who wages war to gain dominion in our lives. This is called a spiritual battle and even though this battle begins in the spirit realm it is experienced in the temporal realm of human life. Therefore, we must stop empowering the battle through negative and defeating thoughts and words and begin to empower the Lord, because He is strong in battle and no enemy can stand against him. When you find yourself facing great opposition or challenges, stop…drop to your knees and invite the Lord who is mighty in battle to bring victory. Speak what the Word of God says about you and about the Lord’s power to save. Then, lift up your head, because salvation is coming to fortify your spirit! He is the King of glory and the Savior of your soul. Let a spirit of thanksgiving overtake you with this knowledge.

Psalm 24:7-10

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

Prayer: Lord, you are my King of glory. Thank you for fighting my battles for me. You will never be defeated and when I invite you to fight for me I am always victorious. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 105:1-3 The Voice (VOICE)

Do you see yourself as a joyful person? God desires for his children to live joyfully and that means we must allow God’s presence to stir within us a spirit of thanksgiving. Your level of joy is connected to your level of thankfulness, because joy is a gift from the Spirit. When we experience miracles—when we are alert for the signs of his presence in our lives—we are filled with wonder, awe, and joy. Open your eyes today and look for God to reveal his presence in your life. It is the certainty of your salvation. May joy fill you, today!

Psalm 105

1 Come, offer thanks to the Eternal; invoke His holy name.

Tell other people about the things He has done.

2 Sing songs of praise to Him;

tell stories of all His miracles.

3 Revel in His holy name.

May the hearts of the people who seek the Eternal celebrate and experience great joy.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me experience joy as I choose to live with a spirit of thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 117 New Living Translation (NLT)

Do you like things short and sweet; brief but relevant? Well, our passage today is short and sweet. It is the shortest chapter in the Bible, as well as the middle chapter in the Bible. This passage from the psalmist shares a precious promise from the Lord; our holy and loving Lord desires for the whole world to come to him for salvation.

This week we will focus on being filled with a spirit of thanksgiving. Our Lord is powerful in love and he remains faithful to help us no matter what comes our way. Praise him today with a spirit of thanksgiving for his enduring love for you.

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord!

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations.

Praise him, all you people of the earth.

2 For his unfailing love for us is powerful;

the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your enduring love; you are always working things for my good. I desire your highest and best for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 John 2:15-17

For the past three to four weeks, I have been bombarded with emails from retailers. My “junk mail” box is full of them every morning. I’m sure you know what I mean. If I have searched the internet for an item, then the next time I know I have every kind of advertising arriving by email that even remotely resembled my search. It is all worldly stuff to distract me from maintaining a holy balance, as well as a healthy spiritual perspective and direction for my life.

The world vies for our love and devotion in order to lure us away from loving God first. We live in the world, but we cannot allow our love for the world to supersede our love for God or devotion to his commanded ways for our lives. As believers, we are to live for eternity; we are to live by praising and pleasing Almighty God with every aspect of our lives. Severing our allegiance and soul ties to worldly things and pleasures will be the work of our Redeemer. We belong to Christ; we made a covenant by choosing our Master and Lord that was signed in his blood. Our love for God must be our first priority; our lives will reveal our level of devotion. Our love for our neighbors—everyone else including self—must follow. The key to keeping the right priority this upcoming holiday season is to focus on enjoying and nurturing relationships. Spend time with the Lord and express your love and gratitude for his extravagant generosity, as well as affirm your love and appreciation for others by giving authentic lovingkindness…by giving of yourself. When we give ourselves to others we are giving Christ in us.

1 John 2:15-17 Do Not Love This World

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your extravagant love, wisdom, and grace found in your gift of Jesus Christ. You have given me these gifts so I can enjoy a holy balance for my life while I live on earth. Holy Spirit, help me with my priorities and stir within my heart a spirit of thanksgiving, as well as a craving for your ongoing work of salvation and redemption. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Matthew 23:9-14

Last Sunday, the Lord took me to teach on Luke 21:5-19 with an emphasis on the false teaching from false prophets Christ prophesied would precede his return. In our passage today, we find a parallel to the passage in Luke. Matthew actually shares in deeper detail the persecution of believers that will precede the Second Coming of Messiah. In our Tuesday morning prayer time this week, we had a visitor who came by the church and asked to be a part of the prayer time. She said her heart was burdened for persecuted Christians—our brothers and sisters. She felt compelled of the Spirit to gather our hearts and pray for believers worldwide. It was confirmation of what God had revealed to me last week.

You will probably not see this on the news, but did you know last year 245 million Christians in the world experienced high levels of persecution for making a choice to follow Jesus? Eleven Christians are killed everyday for their faith in third world countries due to Islamic, religious nationalist, or communist oppression. Actually, 1 out of 9 Christians worldwide experience some form of persecution for his or her faith. I pray for worldwide leaders to bow before Almighty God. I pray for our US leaders to wake up and see the need to protect our Christian heritage and people.

Matthew 23:9-14 Persecution of Believers
9 “You can expect to be persecuted, even killed; for you will be hated by all the nations because of your love for me. 10 Then many will stop following me and fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many lying prophets will arise, deceiving multitudes and leading them away from the path of truth. 12 There will be such an increase of sin and lawlessness that those whose hearts once burned with passion for God and others will grow cold. 13 But keep your hope to the end and you will experience life and deliverance.

14 “Yet through it all, this joyful assurance of the realm of heaven’s kingdom will be proclaimed all over the world, providing every nation with a demonstration of the reality of God. And after this the end of this age will arrive.”

Prayer: Lord, I pray for my heart to be burdened for all my brothers and sisters who face persecution because of their choice to follow Jesus. May that burden lead me to pray and intercede for them each day. Please set your angels around your children. Protect us Lord. Bring a powerful demonstration of the reality of your sovereign presence to the world. May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Disciples of Christ have been commissioned to reach out into the world and make more disciples. Many believers “understand” the call of Christ to proclaim the Good News and some passionately “share” with others the need to be born again. Fewer believers actively “participate” in coming along side other believers to help them mature as they live in God’s glory. Learning to walk in the love of God is challenging. In order to do so, we must break free of the worldly mindset of thinking only of ourselves. We must shake off the fear the enemy sends to halt the progress of righteousness. We must care as much for the spiritual formation of others as we care for ourselves. In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds the early church in Corinth to use the freedom grace provides to help others grow up in Christ’s love.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 Living for God’s Glory
23 You say, “Under grace there are no rules and we’re free to do anything we please.” Not exactly. Because not everything promotes growth in others. Your slogan, “We’re allowed to do anything we choose,” may be true—but not everything causes the spiritual advancement of others. 24 So don’t always seek what is best for you at the expense of another. 25 Yes, you are free to eat anything without worrying about your conscience, 26 for the earth and all its abundance belongs to the Lord.

27 So if an unbeliever invites you to dinner, go ahead and eat whatever is served, without asking questions concerning where it came from. 28 But if he goes out of his way to inform you that the meat was actually an offering sacrificed to idols, then you should pass, not only for his sake but because of his conscience. 29 I’m talking about someone else’s conscience, not yours. What good is there in doing what you please if it’s condemned by someone else?

30 So if I voluntarily participate, why should I be judged for celebrating my freedom? 31 Whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God. 32 And make sure you’re not offending Jews or Greeks or any part of God’s assembly over your personal preferences. 33 Follow my example, for I try to please everyone in all things, rather than putting my liberty first. I sincerely attempt to do anything I can so that others may be saved.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be willing to voluntarily live in such a way that honors and glorifies you, as well as provides an example of love for other believers to follow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

Believers are to be imitators of God; we look at the human life of the Savior—Jesus Christ—and we invite the divine Spirit to help us be conformed to his image. Therefore, we need victory over things like lying, stealing, using foul or abusive language, and spewing anger, because those things grieve the Holy Spirit. Anger alone opens the door to the enemy of love. Those kinds of behaviors are not found in the Savior, so they should not be a pattern of behavior for our lives.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds the early church of its mission. We need to be examples of hard working children who know they essentially work for Father God. Honorable work is godly; God pleasing. We need to be examples of givers, because the Savior gave his life so he could be a Giver through the multitude of believers. We need to exalt Christ in our lives, because the Holy Spirit has marked us for eternal life. So let’s really bring our lives into agreement with God; he offers the strength and grace to make it happen we just need to imitate our Teacher.

Ephesians 4:25-5:2
25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Living in the Light
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Prayer: Lord, I want to live my life filled with your love. Holy Spirit, help me be an imitator of Christ, so my life is an encouragement to others, as well as a pleasing aroma before you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

Two people groups make up the human race: Believers and Unbelievers. Believers are those who believe God exists and is a Rewarder of those who seek him; God’s greatest reward is the Good News of Jesus Messiah—the Savior. Believers are covered by the blood of Jesus, receive pardon for sin, and are given the impartation of the Spirit who helps them live in right standing with God. Unbelievers are those who do not know God and deliberately reject the Good News of Jesus who brings forgiveness of sin. Therefore, Scriptures teaches unbelievers will face the judgment of God for their own sin.

In our lesson today, the Apostle Paul writes to the early church in Thessalonica in order to encourage believers to persevere through every hardship. He reminds them to remain faithful, because God is going to one day bring justice. If we are going to live worthy of Christ’s call on our lives, we will have to persevere in faith and trust God to bring good out of even the most challenging places.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 Encouragement during Persecution
3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.

9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for bringing me strength when I need it most; I want to persevere for the Kingdom. May you be honored by how I live my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.