Devotionals

Intro: Dreams are images or even stories experienced in the mind while we sleep. Because these images are involuntary, they have the potential of being very surprising, inspiring, as well as fascinating. When we have a rather mysterious dream, we may try to put all the pieces together in our natural minds in order to make sense of them or to discover some hidden meaning. However, in order to gain the righteous interpretation of our dreams, we need a right relationship with Jesus—the Truth.

In our passage today, Jacob has a dream. It is a vivid and Spirit-directed vision where the God of heaven communicates with the man of earth. God wants Jacob to know he is not alone in his journey; God and his angels are with him—protecting and watching over him. At this time, Jacob does not understand the bigger revelation, but we know the stairway he saw was a symbol of Jesus and what he would do through his life, death, and resurrection to connect God with his people once again. This beautiful dream calls for a response from Jacob. Will he reach up to God with respect and gratitude to receive his blessing and offer to guide his life?

God does not show favoritism; what he does for one person he will do for all (Ro 2:11). As believers, we have been given the redeeming work of Jesus to connect us with the Father and have been given the Holy Spirit who guides us into truth so we can live in the blessing. It is the Spirit of Christ poured out at Pentecost who gives revelation knowledge, dreams, and visions for our lives, so we can understand and become blessings to others (Joel 2:28). The presence of the Lord is with us, today; so let’s listen and allow the Spirit to speak revelation to our spirits! Blessings for you and others await!

Genesis 28:10-17 NLT Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

13 At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your protective love covering our lives and loved ones, today. You are so good and gracious in your love for us. Send us out into our communities and cause us to be a blessing to others around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Some of you may know this, but Psalm 119 contains 176 verses that are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titles with the Hebrew letter, Mem, which means the water of wisdom, knowledge, the Torah. It represents both water and the ability to dive deep into wisdom. Every person should thirst for the wisdom of God, but that wisdom can only be found within the Word of the Creator because He Alone is our Living Water. Jesus is the One from Whom we should dive deep as we thirst, drink, seek refreshment, and call out to be replenished, each day, to overflow as His containers who are then guided to release pour Him into the lives of others.

Last week I found myself reaching more and more for the Living Water, asking Jesus to replenish me each night before I woke up the next day. In the midst of worldly chaos, I was connecting constantly with my Guide through His Word, so His wisdom would lead each of my steps. He connected me with a friend who was struggling with a situation. I had come across Isaiah 33, and was reminded that Jesus is our sure foundation, and through our greatest gift of salvation, He provides us with His wisdom, His knowledge, and this happens when we fear (or have reverence) for Him (v.6). Jesus is the One relationship that we should value the most because He is our greatest gift.

Psalm 119:97-104 (NLT)

Mem

97 Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.

98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.

99 Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.

100 I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.

101 I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.

102 I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.

103 How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.

104 Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.

Prayer: Jesus, I love you beyond human words. Thank You for saving me from my sinful ways. Please continue to work within me to quicken my soul to know when I am not living the life that You are calling me to live. Holy Spirit, help to guide me with Your wisdom to live for Eternity now. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Day 10 of 10 – Turning from Looking Back to Looking Up

Luke 21:28 (NLT)

28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

ADORATION:

You are The Bright Morning Star

Revelation 22:16-17 (NLT)

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for being weighted down with cares and bound up in our sin. remind us to lift our eyes up in preparation of your coming & forgive us for our sin, oh God: cares of this world and today’s worries.

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

God’s Discipline Proves His Love
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in North America

Philippians 2:10-11 (NLT)

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

PRAY: for believers to prepare for Christ’s triumphant return, pray for the body of christ to live & work in anticipation of His return & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Looking Back to Looking Up

Set your eyes upon the return of Christ. talk with your community of believers about how you can further prepare for the return of Christ.

2 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

Day 9 of 10 – Turning from The World to The Kingdom.

Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT)

Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

ADORATION:

You are The Prize

Philippians 3:7-13 (NLT)

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for settling for the things of this world and for not pursuing more of a relationship with You, Jesus, who is our righteous ruler & forgive us for our sin, oh God: laziness and instant gratification.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)

17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in Central & South America.

Psalm 96:3 (NLT)

3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

PRAY: for believers to have a revelation of God’s heart for the lost & unreached, pray for the body of Christ to grow as disciple makers & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Living for This World to Living for The Kingdom:

Go through your phone/computer and delete/remove distractions that take up time & are not kingdom centered.

Hebrews 6:10-11 (NLT)

10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers,[a] as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.

Day 8 of 10 – Turning from Greed to Generosity

Proverbs 11:24 (NLT)

4 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.

ADORATION:

You are Lavishly Generous

Romans 8:31-32 (NLT)

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

Growing in Faith
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for selfishly clinging to our meager possessions rather than imitating you, Jesus, and trusting you will give us everything we need as we seek you & forgive us for our sin, oh God: stinginess, ungratefulness, and selfishness.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in Europe/Eurasia

Psalm 86:9 (NLT)

9 All the nations you made
will come and bow before you, Lord;
they will praise your holy name.

PRAY: for God’s believers to move away from the world’s system, pray for the body of Christ to reach out in generosity to those in need & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Greed to Generosity:

Create a homemade gift or make food and give it to a neighbor or someone you wouldn’t normally give to or give a monetary gift anonymously.

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NLT)

10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Blessed are those who wait for his help.

Revelation 5:2-4 (NLT)

2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for caring more about the opinion of others than of yours, move our hearts to be fully devoted to you in absolute trust & forgive us for our sin, oh God: idolatry, people pleasing, and slave to fear.

Isaiah 33:6 (NLT)

6 In that day he will be your sure foundation,
providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in West & Central Africa.

Matthew 24:14 (NLT)

14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

PRAY: for God’s believers to obey God over man, pray for disciple makers to cast down any idols & to follow God alone & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Fear of Man to Fear of God:

Tell your story (testimony) of god’s faithfulness and forgiveness to someone today!

Psalm 128:1-4 (NLT)

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
all who follow his ways!
2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
How joyful and prosperous you will be!
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
as they sit around your table.
4 That is the Lord’s blessing
for those who fear him.

Day 6 of 10 – Turning from Control to Surrender

2 Chronicles 30:8 (NLT)

8 Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.

ADORATION:

You are the Worthy One

Jude 24-25 (NLT)

A Prayer of Praise
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.

25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Revelation 5:11-12 (NLT)

11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for stubbornly clinging to control from fear, doubt and unbelief, instead help us to hand over our will to you, the king of kings & forgive us for our sin, oh God: unbelief, fear, and conforming to the world.

Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

A Living Sacrifice to God
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in East & Southern Africa.

Psalm 67:2 (NLT)

2 May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.

PRAY: for the spirit to empower believers to fully trust God, pray for church leaders to surrender to being led only by the spirit of Christ & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Control to Surrender:

Ask God to show you areas of your life in which you are clinging to control. spend 5 minutes in silence listening to the lord. write it down and then rip it up to release it to the lord.

1 Peter 4:1-2 (NLT)

Living for God
1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

Day 5 of 10 – Turning from Safety to Serving

Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

ADORATION:

You are Rescuer and Deliverer

Psalm 18:16-19 (NLT)

16 He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
but the Lord supported me.
19 He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.

Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for clinging to safety and being fearful of following you when it requires risk, embolden us by your unfailing love which quenches fear & Forgive us for our sin, oh God: religion, doubt, and unbelief.

Proverbs 24:11-12 (NLT)

11 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
12 Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in Middle East & North Africa.

Luke 24:46-47 (NLT)

46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

PRAY: for God’s believers to risk what it takes to serve others in love, pray for the Body to move boldly into the gaps to grow the kingdom & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Safety to Serving:

Make a sacrifice today to serve someone else in a practical way, especially an unbeliever.

Romans 15:20-21 (NLT)

20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,
“Those who have never been told about him will see,
and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Forgive us for harboring hatred and unforgiveness in our hearts when you have forgiven us of so much! Forgive us for our sin, oh God: prejudice, bitterness, and unforgiveness.

Romans 12:17-21 (NLT)

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.

20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in Central Asia.

Colossians 1:21-22 (NLT)

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

PRAY: for God to remove cultural & religious prejudice from believers, pray for the body to overcome prejudice by loving their enemies & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Prejudice to Love:

Spend focused time asking the lord to show you people you’ve had bitterness/unforgiveness towards; if you can, go to them, and either way, ask Jesus for forgiveness & make restitution.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT)

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Day 3 of 10 – Turning from Independence to Unity

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,

who is over all, in all, and living through all.

ADORATION:

You are One God in Three Persons – Unity in Diversity

1 Peter 1:1-2 (NLT)

Greetings from Peter

1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more grace and peace.

Luke 3:22 (NLT)

22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.

REPENTANCE:

Forgive us for thinking more of ourselves than others, for caring more about making a name for ourselves rather than Jesus & serving others in love, forgive us for our sin, oh God: selfishness, pride, and exalting myself above others.

1 Corinthians 12:24-27 (NLT)

24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

PRAY FOR:

A harvest in South Asia.

Psalm 22:27 (NLT)

27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

PRAY: for Believers to work together as one in Christ, ask God to break dividing walls between different ministries & for the bible to be accessible & readable in all languages.

FROM PRAYER TO MISSION:

Turn from Independence to Unity:

call and invite a new friend, family member, or acquaintance to join you for your next prayer gathering or time of worship.

Galatians 3:28 (NLT)

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.