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The Word for Today Daily Devotional for 2026

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Tuesday, June 30, 2026 Spiritual pathways (5) Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV The activist pathway. When you're on this spiritual pathway, you have a high level of energy. This may be one of your favourite Scriptures: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." But one of the dangers of relating to God best through the activist pathway is that a big chunk of your motivation can be self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction. Hence Paul wrote: "Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church" (1 Corinthians 14:12 NLT). When you are an activist, you love a fast-paced,...More Monday, June 29, 2026 Spiritual pathways (4) Psalm 122:1 NKJV The worship pathway. When you're on the worship pathway, you resonate with the Psalmist: "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" Something deep inside you feels released when praise is given. Your heart opens up and you come alive. You find yourself in tears, sometimes in moments of deep joy, because God seems so close. But here are two cautions if you're on this pathway: (1) Don't judge people who are not as outwardly expressive as you. Some of them grew up in churches where no one raised a finger, let alone a hand in worship. (2) Guard...More Sunday, June 28, 2026 Spiritual pathways (3) Psalm 119:59 NKJV The serving pathway. On the serving pathway, you find God's presence seems most tangible when you're helping others. You identify with the words of Jesus: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40 NKJV). And you may find that you are uncomfortable in a setting where you don't have a role to play or a service to perform. An example of this would be Dorcas, whom the Bible says, "was full of good works and charitable deeds" (Acts 9:36 NKJV). Mother Teresa would be a modern counterpart to Dorcas. She said the primary reason she was so involved...More Saturday, June 27, 2026 Spiritual pathways (2) Psalm 119:35 NKJV The relational pathway. People who follow the relational pathway find that they have a deep sense of God's presence when they are involved in significant relationships. Jesus' words, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20 NKJV), makes perfect sense to the relational type. If you are on the relational pathway, you may feel guilty when you hear other people speak of long periods of solitude with God and think: "Solitude wouldn't be so bad if I could just bring a bunch of other people along." You have often experienced key...More Friday, June 26, 2026 Spiritual pathways (1) Psalm 119:5 NKJV A spiritual pathway has to do with the way you most naturally sense God's presence and experience spiritual growth. We all have at least one pathway that comes most easily to us. And there's enormous freedom in identifying and embracing your spiritual pathway. It means you can focus on relating to God in that way. For the next few days, let's look at some different spiritual pathways and see which one's yours. First let's examine the intellectual pathway. When you are on this pathway, you draw closer to God as you learn more about Him. You love to study Scripture. When you go to church,...More Thursday, June 25, 2026 Permissible or beneficial? 1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV God can deliver you from anything in a single day, but you've got to back it up with daily discipline. If you don't practice spiritual discipline day in and day out, your deliverance will be short-lived. You'll fall back into whatever it was that God delivered you from. Anybody can set a life goal; the hard part is going after it every day. You get into shape one workout at a time. You get out of debt one paycheck at a time. Whatever goal you are going after, you have to take it one step at a time, one day at a time! Notice that Paul didn't just say, "Walk not after the flesh";...More Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Rahab: redeemed and redirected Hebrews 11:31 NKJV Much could be said about Rahab without mentioning her profession. She was a Canaanite. She provided cover for the spies of Joshua. She came to believe in the God of Abraham before she ever met the children of Abraham. She was spared in the destruction of her city. She married a contemporary of Joshua's, bore a son named Boaz, had a great-grandson named Jesse, a great-great-grandson named David, and a descendant named Jesus. Yes, Rahab's name appears on the family tree of the Son of God. Her résumé needn't mention her profession. Yet in five of the eight appearances in Scripture,...More Tuesday, June 23, 2026 Always acknowledge your dependence on God 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT In his classic book called Prayer, Dr. O. Hallesby wrote: "Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only those who are helpless can truly pray... Prayer therefore consists simply in telling God day by day in what ways we feel helpless. We are moved to pray every time the Spirit of God... emphasizes anew to us our helplessness, and we realize how impotent we are by nature to believe, to love, to hope, to serve, to sacrifice, to suffer, to read the Bible, to pray, and to struggle against our sinful desires." Now let's be clear: Feeling helpless is different from feeling hopeless or...More Monday, June 22, 2026 Raise the bar 2 Samuel 21:21 NIV After David killed Goliath, four other men, including his nephew Jonathan, killed giants that rose up against the Israelites. "In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot - twenty-four in all. He was also descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him" (2 Samuel 21:20-21 NIV). David had raised the bar. Witnessing the defeat of what others had previously deemed impossible gave them the strength to overcome their own giants. Until 1954, no one had ever...More Sunday, June 21, 2026 Be a father Malachi 4:6 NKJV In 1985 Tim Burke saw his boyhood dream come true when the Montreal Expos baseball team took him on as a pitcher, giving him an annual salary of $600,000. (Back then, that was big money for a player). After four years in the minor leagues, he was finally given a chance to play in the big leagues. And he quickly proved his worth by setting a record for the most relief appearances by any rookie pitcher. Along the way, however, Tim and his wife, Christine, adopted four children with special needs - two daughters from South Korea, a handicapped son from Guatemala, and another son from...More Saturday, June 20, 2026 Keep running! Habakkuk 3:2 NKJV The Bible likens the Christian life to a marathon. The writer of the book of Hebrews said: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured" (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV). Paul wrote to the Philippian believers: "There is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me" (Philippians 3:13-14...More Friday, June 19, 2026 Resurrect your dream Job 33:14-15 NIV God is the giver of dreams. "For God does speak... in a dream, in a vision... when deep sleep falls on people" (vv. 14-15 NIV). Unless you want to spend the rest of your life being unfulfilled and uninspired, take your dream out of the closet and blow the dust off. It's easy to get caught up in the "have tos" of life - working; caring for children, spouses, and aging parents; taking care of homes, etc. But you must believe that you can resurrect your life and your dreams and believe you have the ability to tap into the enthusiasm you once felt for life. You must have the courage to face...More Thursday, June 18, 2026 Stay positive Philippians 4:8 NKJV Marcial Losada is an organizational psychologist who studies the power of positivity. He argues that we need a negative feedback loop to survive. Without midcourse corrections, we mindlessly make the same mistakes. But if you want to thrive, you also need a positive feedback loop. His studies have produced what is known as the Losada ratio: it's the ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback in a system. It doesn't matter whether that system is a church, a family, or your workplace, there needs to be at least 2.9 positive feedback's for every one negative. So, what's your ratio...More Wednesday, June 17, 2026 Pray about it Jeremiah 29:13 NIV Fanny Crosby, the noted hymn writer, said she never attempted to write a hymn without first kneeling in prayer. Given that she wrote about 8,000 songs, she was obviously a woman of prayer! Beloved hymns such as "Blessed Assurance," "To God be The Glory," and "I am Thine, O Lord" were born from times of prayer. But like many creative people, she was often under pressure to meet deadlines. One time she tried to write lyrics for a tune composed by W. H. Doane. She couldn't seem to find the words, but then she remembered she had forgotten to pray. As she rose from her knees, she dictated - as fast...More Tuesday, June 16, 2026 You can outgrow the problem! Acts 20:24 NKJV Before leaving the leaders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, Paul told them: "The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy" (vv. 23-24 NKJV). There are two ways to deal with a problem: (1) Pray and believe God to remove it, like He did with the walls of Jericho. (2) Outgrow the problem. In the 1920s, an English adventurer named Mallory led an expedition to try to conquer Mount Everest. His first two attempts failed....More Monday, June 15, 2026 God has more in store for you Hosea 6:3 NKJV The Lord charged the church at Ephesus with having "left your first love" (see Revelation 2:4) and the church of Laodicea with being "neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm" (see Revelation 3:15-16). R. T. Kendall said, "The greatest opposition to what God wants to do next comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God did last." Read the following Scriptures carefully and prayerfully: "Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For you do not inquire wisely concerning this" (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV). "The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto...More Sunday, June 14, 2026 Pray for a revelation of God's love (3) Romans 8:35 NIV Paul asked: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And the answer is - nothing! Then he came up with a laundry list of worst-case scenarios, from trouble to danger and anything in between: "Trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword" (NIV). When Paul wrote "hardship," he was back in the Mediterranean Sea during a terrible typhoon. "Persecution" pinged his memory of being stoned at Lystra and left for dead. "Trials": Paul stood trial before Nero himself. He also went without food, was bitten by a poisonous snake, and had the clothes stripped off...More Saturday, June 13, 2026 Pray for a revelation of God's love (2) Ephesians 3:17-18 NIV Thomas Aquinas was one of the most prolific writers and thinkers of the Middle Ages. His Summa Theologica is one of history's most exhausting and enduring theologies. But Aquinas never finished it because of something that happened on December 6, 1273, that caused him to quit writing. "All that I have written seems to be like straw," Aquinas said, "compared to what has now been revealed to me." Exactly what was revealed remains a mystery, but that one revelation surpassed all the knowledge he'd acquired. No matter your IQ, that's what you need. You are not smart enough to reason...More Friday, June 12, 2026 Pray for a revelation of God's love (1) Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV In the realm of general relativity, an event horizon is the point of no return. It's the point at which gravitational pull becomes so great that it's impossible to escape. The most obvious example is the black hole - a celestial object so massive that light can only enter but never exit its gravitational field. The escape velocity of a black hole is greater than the speed of light, which is impossible to exceed. So, once you cross its horizon, there is no turning back. God's love is like that. The Bible says, "God is love." The implications of that one statement will take all of...More Thursday, June 11, 2026 You can pull down that stronghold 2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV Just as Jericho was a stronghold in Canaan, we have strongholds in our lives. Paul wrote: "The weapons of our warfare are... mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (vv. 4-5 NKJV). A stronghold is an "argument" or a "high thing" that "exalts itself against the knowledge of God." It is a conviction, outlook, or belief that attempts to interfere with the truth. A stronghold is a false premise that denies God's promise. It "sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (v. 5 NIV). It...More Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Samson (6)—A Heart Issue “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb” … When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” Judges 16:17–18 ???? Samson (6)—A Heart Issue Again and again Samson found himself in trouble on account of Philistine women. The Book of Proverbs, with its wise counsel, had not yet been written, but as a Nazirite of God, Samson should certainly have been on the alert. Alas, he was a Nazirite most of his life...More Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Practice God-confidence rather than self-confidence 1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT Pride promotes self-reliance. It tells us we can indeed do things on our own. In our attempt to walk in self-confidence, we slam the door in God's face and shut out the work of the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Paul was educated, sophisticated, and consecrated, yet he humbly declared, "I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I'm not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God's church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favour on me - and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but...More Monday, June 8, 2026 God will give you knowledge and understanding Proverbs 2:6 NIV Bill Gates predicted: "There will be 'two societies' in the future; high-paid knowledge workers and low-paid service workers." The saying "knowledge is power" is true. And it's even more dynamic in the spiritual realm. The more you know about God, the more confident you'll be. Knowledge of God's Word can give clarity to the puzzling issues of life. When a certain religious sect tried to pull Jesus into one of their debates on a particular issue, He replied, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God" (Matthew 22:29 NLT). There are...More Sunday, June 7, 2026 The life-giving Word John 6:63 NKJV Jesus was called "Rabbi" eleven times in the Gospels. But He wasn't like any other rabbi. Rabbis quoted others, but Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you... " In the gospel of John, He said it twice: "Truly, truly, I say to you... " The reason Jesus wasn't like any other rabbi was because He was God manifested in the flesh. And Paul says, "Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3 NKJV). The early church fathers had a favourite saying: "The Gospels are a river in which a gnat can swim, and an elephant can drown." The Gospels - the record of...More Saturday, June 6, 2026 Developing a spiritual mindset Romans 8:5 NIV Muscle memory isn't stored in your muscles. It's a procedural memory that is stored in your brain any time you repeat a muscle movement. Whether it's putting a golf ball or playing a violin, the muscle memory becomes stronger the more it is repeated. Have you heard about the 10,000-hour rule? Psychologists say that's the amount of time it takes to become an expert at anything. That's encouraging because it means anybody can do it, but it's discouraging because it means there are no shortcuts, no matter how smart or gifted you are. Just like a foreign language, developing a spiritual...More Friday, June 5, 2026 How to conquer your Jericho (2) Joshua 5:2 NKJV Before conquering Jericho, God told Joshua to "circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time." Six hundred years earlier, God had inaugurated the practice of male circumcision. He told Abraham that it would be "a sign of the covenant between Me and you" (Genesis 17:11 NKJV). What was the message here? Remember whose you are! In a sense, all believers have been circumcised. Paul wrote, "When you came to Christ, he set you free from your evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a spiritual operation" (Colossians 2:11 TLB). That means you are now God's child...More Thursday, June 4, 2026 How to conquer your Jericho (1) Joshua 4:7 NKJV Jericho was the strongest city in the Promised Land and the first Joshua's army had to conquer. You could say it represents the biggest challenge you're facing right now. Because the towering walls of Jericho looked impregnable, it would have been intimidating to any would-be invader. So God told His people to remember and record what He'd done for them in the past. In essence He told them, "Before you look forward to Jericho, look backward to Jordan and what God accomplished for you there." He said, "Take... twelve men... one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, 'Take for yourselves...More Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Knowing and enjoying your inheritance Romans 8:16-17 NKJV We share the same inheritance as Christ! Whatever He has, we have! "Our standing in the world is identical with Christ's" (1 John 4:17 MSG). So, if we are co-heirs with Christ, why do we struggle through life? For two reasons: (1) We don't know about our inheritance - "The exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Ephesians 1:19 NKJV). No one ever told us that instead of fighting for victory, we fight from a position of victory. If you have given your heart to Christ, He "has blessed [you] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3...More Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Believe God for abundance Deuteronomy 30:9 NKJV A young artist called her aunt one day to let her know she was leaving on a trip to a fashionable resort to try and sell her wood carvings of seabirds to the owner of a gift shop. She asked her aunt to pray that her venture would be successful. Her aunt assured her that she would pray for the largest order she had ever received! That evening, the young artist called her aunt back. Not only had the gift shop owner purchased all of her carvings, but the owner of a chain of gift shops had also ordered as many carvings as she could make! She was filled with wonder at how abundantly God...More Monday, June 1, 2026 P.R.A.Y. (Pause, Reverence, Ask, Yield) Acts 6:4 NKJV In her book 30 Days to a Stronger, More Confident You, author Deborah Smith Pegues uses the word "pray" as an acronym: "Pause. I stop all activity and focus completely on God. Worship is total preoccupation... The greatest honour and respect we can give to anyone is our undivided attention... Reverence. I express my admiration for all His attributes... At this point, distractions start to pop up like dandelions... I will suddenly remember a task I need to put on my to-do list. I have learned to jot down the task in my journal and ignore the other issues for what they are -...More Sunday, May 31, 2026 Today God is "with you" Matthew 28:20 NKJV To have a personal relationship with someone, there must be two-way communication. Even the most uncommunicative husband has to grunt every once in a while, or it isn't a marriage - it's a monologue. So, the Lord being with you, and you being with the Lord, takes place primarily in your mind. Two people may occupy the same room, but if one of them is sleeping or engrossed in television, they're not really with each other. There must be interactive awareness. Now, as human beings, we don't have "direct access" to each other's thoughts. We can use words, human touch, or hand gestures to...More Saturday, May 30, 2026 Ask God for a dream Job 33:14-15 KJV Job the patriarch said: "For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night... while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men" (Job 33:14-16 NKJV). A dream can be an important message from God or an answer to your prayer. God gave Paul a dream in which a man from Macedonia appeared to him saying, "Come over and help us" (see Acts 16:9). And Paul went there and preached the gospel. Solomon's reign as king of Israel begins with these words: "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I...More Friday, May 29, 2026 God is working in you, with you, and through you John 17:26 NIV Just before He was arrested and taken to the cross, Jesus prayed: "[Father], I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." When it comes to recognizing and responding to God's presence in our lives, Christian author, John Ortberg, says he lives by these twelve truths: (1) God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see Him. (2) Coming to recognize and experience God's presence is learned behavior; I can cultivate it. (3) My task is to meet God in this...More Thursday, May 28, 2026 Try fasting Isaiah 58:6 NKJV God gave His people the following reasons for fasting: "To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke" (v. 6 NKJV). Fasting is one of the best ways to break the power of the flesh. If you can say no to food, you can say no to just about anything. No matter what addiction you struggle with, fasting is the way to break the yoke of bondage. No matter what cause you care about, fasting invites the favour of God. When you abstain from food to seek God, it shows Him you're serious. And He takes you seriously if the cause honours...More Wednesday, May 27, 2026 Christ can satisfy your soul John 4:15 NKJV She lived in Samaria, had been married five times, and was now living with a man who was not her husband. Maybe gossipers wagged their tongues about her. How else would you explain her midday appearance at the well? Other women fill their buckets at sunrise, but this woman opted for noon, preferring the heat of the sun over the heat of their scorn. Were it not for the appearance of a stranger, her story would have been lost in the Samaritan sands. But He entered her life with a promise of living water that would quench the thirst of her soul. He wasn't put off by her past. He told her:...More Tuesday, May 26, 2026 The touch of His hand Daniel 10:18 NKJV In her book A Slow and Certain Light, Elisabeth Elliott wrote: "When I lived in the Forest of Ecuador, I usually traveled on foot... Trails often led through streams and rivers which we had to wade, but sometimes there was a log high above the water which we had to cross. I dreaded those logs and was always tempted to take the steep, hard way down into the ravine and up the other side. But the Indians would say, 'Just walk across, senorita,' and over they would go, light-footed and confident. I was barefoot as they were, but it was not enough. On the log, I couldn't keep from looking...More Monday, May 25, 2026 Overcoming workaholism Mark 6:31 NIV One of Satan's tactics is to take us from one extreme to the other - from laziness to workaholism. Understanding the difference between being a hard worker versus a workaholic is key. Hard workers have the wisdom to set limits on how much they will do in the course of a day. In her book 30 Days to a Stronger, More Confident You, Deborah Smith Pegues wrote: "I was in denial about my propensity toward workaholism until I realized that I had too many of the telltale symptoms: I worked late the majority of the time. Most of my conversations revolved around the issues at the office. I rarely...More Sunday, May 24, 2026 God is "at work in you" Philippians 2:13 NIV God is at work "in you." What is He working on? Your "will." What does He want you to do? "Act according to His good purpose." How does He accomplish this? Through your mind: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5 NKJV). God can speak to you audibly, through circumstances, or through another person. But because God can give you His thoughts or guide your thoughts, your mind is the meeting room where He will most often communicate with you. That's why Satan will try to place evil thoughts in your mind. If he cannot succeed, he will try to fill your...More Saturday, May 23, 2026 He's the God of new beginnings James 5:20 NIV Our God is the God of new beginnings! The Bible says: "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." It is never too late for a new beginning. And what's even more remarkable is that God uses people like us to help others find a new beginning. The Bible contains many accounts of men and women who got a second chance and, by God's grace, used it well. Like Peter, who denied Jesus but went on to become a leader in the New Testament church. Or David, who committed adultery and murder, yet his psalms are a major part of one...More Friday, May 22, 2026 Know who you are 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV Who are you? It seems like a simple question but is often one of the most challenging to answer. To know who you are and what you stand for, to be aware of how you're perceived by others and how you present yourself to the world, is one of the most important aspects of a well-lived life. This could be called your "personal brand." Your brand consists of attributes that are present for every encounter you have with work colleagues, family, or friends. You could call them "deliverables," virtues you bring to all your social and business interactions. You may take your deliverables...More Thursday, May 21, 2026 You have full forgiveness Galatians 2:20 NKJV How many times must the apostle Paul, who was once known as Saul the persecutor of Christians, have had flashbacks to Stephen's stoning? Or the countless other Christians he hunted down like animals? Paul was an eyewitness, which means those snapshots were sealed into his visual cortex. When he closed his eyes, those images could have haunted him for the rest of his life. By today's standards, Saul was a terrorist - but he had an encounter with Christ that blinded him. He regained his physical sight after three days, but the grace of God enabled him to turn a blind eye to his...More Wednesday, May 20, 2026 "Overnight success" usually takes many years Mark 11:24 NKJV Country-music star Randy Travis and his manager, Lib, remember the lean days of his career - all 3,650 of them. For ten years, Lib did whatever it took to keep her club open long enough for somebody to discover Travis's talent. For his part, Randy sang his heart out. And when he wasn't singing, he was frying catfish and washing dishes in the kitchen. Then it happened. His break came, and everything seemed to click for him. He had a hit called "On the Other Hand," an album contract, a tour offer, and a movie deal. He was hot! Suddenly, everyone seemed to be calling him an overnight...More Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Are you washing your nets? Luke 5:2 TLB Why would fishermen wash nets that hadn't been used? The answer is they were quitting because of an overnight problem. "We have fished all night and caught nothing" (see v. 5). Their expectations had been destroyed. They believed that the way things were was the way they'd be. They were beaten! That's when Jesus showed up. He came to where they were; He walked right into the middle of their disappointment with a solution. First, He asked them for their boat and used it to preach to the crowd and heal the multitudes. Child of God, turn everything over to Him - all you have, all you are, and...More Monday, May 18, 2026 The worst failure... is failure to try Joshua 1:9 NKJV It's impossible to live successfully without taking risks. Leo Buscaglia wrote: "To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out to another is to risk involvement... To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk being called naïve. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing... Only the person who risks is truly free." Franklin Roosevelt spent much of his life...More Sunday, May 17, 2026 The way up, is down 1 Peter 5:6 NIV God will not tolerate pride from anyone. If self-exalted ones refuse to humble themselves, they leave God no other choice than to do it for them. One day, pride got the better of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon: "As he looked out across the city, he said, 'Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor" (Daniel 4:30 NLT). That was raw, unvarnished, arrogant pride. A year earlier, Daniel had told the king through the interpretation of his dream that he should change his ways. But he had...More Saturday, May 16, 2026 Live like you believe it! (2) Romans 4:20 NKJV The Archbishop of Canterbury was acquainted with an actor named Mr. Butterton. One day he asked Butterton, "What is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with the speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?" Butterton replied, "We actors on stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary." The world needs Christians who speak like they believe what God said in His Word is true,...More Friday, May 15, 2026 Live like you believe it! (1) Proverbs 23:7 NKJV A fascinating experiment was conducted a half century ago. Three men tested their strength on a gripping machine, with an average measure of 101 pounds of pressure. Then the participants were hypnotized, and the experimenter told them, "You cannot grip because you are weak." Under the power of suggestion, their average grip strength fell to 29 pounds of pressure. Then the experimenter said, "Now you can grip." Their average grip increased to 145 pounds of pressure. Their strength was increased fivefold when they said, "I can," versus when they said, "I can't." It helps to think of...More Thursday, May 14, 2026 Will you hear Christ, or the crisis? Mark 4:35 NIV Jesus told His disciples: "Let us go over to the other side." Next, we read: "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat" (v. 37 NIV). The disciples turned to Jesus and found Him sound asleep! They screamed, "Don't you care if we drown?" (v. 38 NIV). Jesus woke up, commanded the storm to shut up, and then said to the disciples, "Do you still have no faith?" (v. 40 NIV). What a stunning rebuke! The sea was raging; the water was churning. Why did Jesus scold them? Simple: they didn't take Him at His Word. He said they were going to the other side. He didn't say, "We are...More Wednesday, May 13, 2026 The whole world must hear God's Word Mark 16:15 NKJV In 1993, a group called AD2000 United Prayer Track came up with an innovative idea. To help realize their goal of "a church for every people and the gospel for every person by AD2000," they established a program called "Praying through the Window." The "window" referred to an area on the globe from ten degrees to forty degrees north of the Equator, from North Africa and Southern Spain eastward to Japan and the northern Philippines. Almost three billion people live in this area, where the most prominent religions are Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. For the entire month of October 1993, and...More Tuesday, May 12, 2026 When you long for companionship Genesis 2:22 NIV God recognized our need for companionship when He said, "'It is not good for the man to be alone'... Then... God made a woman... and he brought her to the man" (vv. 18, 22 NIV). Most of us are social beings who are at our best around others. We garner energy and support from them. But there are those who feel a sense of shame over admitting their loneliness. They long for people to share their lives with but feel they must pretend they don't need anyone. You should not feel shame for wanting love and social connection. Admitting your desire to be loved and taking a step toward...More Monday, May 11, 2026 Growing through life's tests James 1:4 CEV James writes: 'Be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given you... But when you ask... you must have faith... Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all' (vv. 2-8). Note three things in...More Sunday, May 10, 2026 You are an agent of reconciliation 2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV Paul wrote: "If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God" (vv. 17-20 NIV). Sometimes our first reaction to learning that a fellow...More Saturday, May 9, 2026 Just play your part Romans 12:6 NKJV If you study famous musicians, you'll often find that they learned their craft by playing in a band or orchestra. That's because certain skills - learning to blend with other instruments, keeping tempo, learning to play louder or softer, following the conductor's lead - can only be learned by playing with others. And what's true of a band or orchestra is even truer of a community of believers. Jesus illustrated this in His famous parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30). One man was given five talents and ended up with ten. Another man was given two talents and...More

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Live for a cause greater than yourself Joshua 14:12-13 NKJV When Moses sent Caleb to spy out the Promised Land, Caleb saw something that troubled him: the town of Hebron. Abraham buried his wife there. He was buried there. So were Isaac and Jacob. Hebron was a sacred site. Now it was inhabited by their enemies, and it bothered Caleb. It was more than he could take, so he asked Moses for Hebron. He didn't ask for Jerusalem, perched on Mount Moriah; or the Valley of Eschol, where grapes grew as large as plums; or Jericho, where the Jordan River flowed. He wanted Hebron, whose soil had known the visitation of angels and whose earth entombed the holiest...More Tuesday, May 5, 2026 It came to pass - it does not stay Genesis 4:3 NKJV There is a little phrase repeated 436 times in the Bible: "It came to pass." Whatever trial you are going through today, remind yourself, "It came to pass - not stay." If the fulfillment of the vision God gave you seems to be taking longer than you thought, remind yourself "it will come to pass!" In his biography, God in My Corner, the two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman tells a story about an elderly woman who was asked her favourite Scripture verse. She replied: "And it came to pass." She explained why: "I know that whenever a trial comes, it doesn't come to stay; it...More Monday, May 4, 2026 Confidants, constituents, comrades 1 Kings 3:9 NKJV Listen to devotion Nearly all key relationships in your life can be broken down into three categories: confidants, constituents, and comrades. Let's look at each. (1) Confidants. These are the people whose relationships with you are lifelong. They love you unconditionally, stand by you, and have your back in good times and bad. Your best interest is their number one priority. They never seek to use what they know about you for their own gain or throw your secrets back in your face. Paul said concerning Timothy: "I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your...More Sunday, May 3, 2026 Embrace "the whole counsel of God" Acts 20:27 NKJV More than a hundred years ago, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, spoke prophetically when he said, "The chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell." That's as true now as it was then. Paul exhorted the leaders of the Ephesian church to declare, "The whole counsel of God." He said: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to...More Saturday, May 2, 2026 Having a Spirit-controlled tongue (2) James 3:6 NLT The Bible says, "A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And... the tongue is a flame of fire" (vv. 5-6 NLT). People living in hot climates know the danger of ravaging bushfires driven by desert winds and can readily identify with these words: "See how great a forest a little fire kindles!" (v. 5 NKJV). A single spark from a match has started many massive fires. Spreading faster and farther than we might ever imagine, that kind of fire destroys homes and businesses worth millions of dollars, leaving a scorched landscape and devastated lives. Similarly, how many reputations have been...More Friday, May 1, 2026 Having a Spirit-controlled tongue (1) James 3:2 NLT The Bible says: "If we could control our tongues, we... could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth" (vv. 2-3 NLT). If you've ever bridled a horse, you know the bridle that slips over the horse's head and behind its ears has a "bit," a metal bar that goes in its mouth and lies on top of its tongue. When the rider wants the horse to stop, he pulls back on the reins and the bit presses down on its tongue. The rider who controls the horse's tongue can actually control the horse's whole body - steer it to the right or...More Thursday, April 30, 2026 Paid in full Matthew 18:21 NIV There is a saying in baseball: "Three strikes and you're out." We tend to play life the same way. We give people two or three chances, but no more. But God never gives up on us. It's not in His nature. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus set the gold standard. Peter answered his own question by saying, "Seven times." But Jesus ups the ante to seventy times seven (see v. 22 NLT). Then He ups the ante even more with a story of a master who forgave his servant a ten-thousand-talent debt. Let's do a currency exchange. One talent totaled 180 months'...More Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Rely on God, not yourself 2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a nineteen-year-old young man who loved Christ deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He'd never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing, or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he'd experienced, and he replied: "I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I'm beginning to lose my...More Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Overcoming envy Proverbs 27:4 KJV Unlike jealousy, which is the fear of being displaced, envy is ill-will toward those who possess something you want. Jealousy says, "I'm afraid you are going to take what I have." Envy says, "I want what you have, and I resent you for having it!" Envy is one of the most frequently concealed emotions. You may be more likely to admit to an uncontrollable temper, a phobia, or any other negative emotion than to acknowledge that you are envious. Envy inevitably leads to resenting and criticizing the person you envy. And once you allow envy and resentment to enter your heart, they act like...More Monday, April 27, 2026 Learn to listen to God 1 Samuel 3:10-11 NKJV If you are serious about having a truly interactive relationship with the Lord in which you speak to one another and hear from one another, you will need to spend quality, uninterrupted time opening your heart to Him. When Samuel finally prayed, "Speak, for Your servant hears," the Bible says, "Then the Lord said to Samuel." All too often, our prayer is "Listen, God, for Your servant is speaking." Listening to God can involve a variety of practices: reading His Word, spending time in solitude and silence, and hearing from God just like a seasoned friend you trust. Here's an...More Sunday, April 26, 2026 Stay true to the truth of God's word James 5:19 MSG The Bible says, "If you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction" (vv. 19-20 MSG). That means it's possible for a true believer to do this. It also means we must never put our convictions on the shelf. If we don't make a deliberate effort to stay close to the truth of God's Word, we will wander from it. After all, we live in a world with lots of distractions. Today many people are on a quest for "unity at all costs" and are therefore devaluing the importance of the truth as...More Saturday, April 25, 2026 The challenges and rewards of leadership Isaiah 48:15 NKJV As a leader, you must understand what you do well and know where you need assistance. Your strengths and weaknesses don't make you wrong or right; they just make you who you are. If you've ever heard the saying, "No man is an island," it was probably said about a great leader. Few people achieve success on their own. Consider an actor in a play. He may be the one out front in the spotlight; with perfect hair, makeup, and costume; reciting poignant lines and getting all the applause. But he didn't do it alone. He had to rely on the costume designer for the outfit he wore, the hair and makeup...More Friday, April 24, 2026 Experiencing God's peace Job 22:21 NKJV Within a matter of seconds, Vicky's life was shattered. A trapeze artist, she lost control of the fly bar and landed head-first in the net. She broke her neck between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae and became paralyzed, a quadriplegic. Three years after the accident, she had fallen into deep despair and self-pity, determined to take her life. Her attempt failed, and she ended up in a psychiatric hospital. On the fourth anniversary of her fall, she and her husband separated, and bitterness set in. One day, a home-health aide was assigned to help Vicky. Her name was Mae Lynne, a...More Thursday, April 23, 2026 Healing for anxiety 1 Peter 5:7 NIV Paul wrote: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand" (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Jesus said: "Don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Matthew 6:31-33 NLT). Instead of meditating...More Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Prayer is your connection to God Isaiah 62:6 TLB The remora fish has an oval sucking disc on the top of its head that allows it to attach itself to the underside of a shark. Once attached, the remora does not have to worry about food, transportation, or safety. It feeds on the food that falls from the shark's mouth. Of course, it has the option of swimming on its own, but when it decides to attach to the shark, it goes where the shark goes. It does not attempt to go in a direction contrary to the shark. Protection? It's a non-issue for one that's connected to such a powerful creature. The remora is secure, and it knows the shark can take it...More Tuesday, April 21, 2026 God forgives and forgets (4) Micah 7:18 NKJV God has a remarkable memory. The Omniscient One doesn't just know everything; He also remembers everything. In fact, He remembers it before it happens! Every moment of your life was ordained in God's imagination before it became a memory - every laugh, every dream, and every sacrifice. The Psalmist wrote: "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (Psalm 139:16 NLT). Nothing is lost on God, not even your tears. He doesn't just remember them; He collects them in a bottle (see Psalm 56:8...More Monday, April 20, 2026 God forgives and forgets (3) Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV The English word for new is the Hebrew word hadas. It doesn't just mean again and again, as amazing as that would be. It's new, as in different. It means never before experienced. Today's mercy is different from yesterday's mercy, or the day before that, or the day before that! Just as the seasonal flu vaccine changes from year to year, God's mercy changes from day to day. It's a new strain of mercy. Why? Because you didn't sin today the way you did yesterday! Try this little exercise: figure out how old you are - not in years but in days. Whatever number you come up with isn't...More Sunday, April 19, 2026 God forgives and forgets (2) Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV The Israelites had celebrated the Passover as a way of commemorating their exodus from Egypt. The evening before the exodus, the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb without defect and to mark their doorframe with its blood. Then, when the Death Angel passed through Egypt, he would pass over their home. Little did Jesus's disciples know that they were eating the Passover meal with the Passover Lamb. Jesus rebooted their understanding of the bread and the cup, explaining that they represented His body and blood. And because of what He accomplished at Calvary's cross, we come...More Saturday, April 18, 2026 God forgives and forgets (1) Hebrews 8:12 NKJV God forgives and forgets. Amazing, isn't it? He remembers everything you've done right while forgetting everything you've done wrong. Yet, while God cannot remember our confessed sin, we have a much harder time forgetting it. We tend to remember our mistakes more readily than our successes. That's why it's harder to forgive ourselves than to receive God's forgiveness. We tend to remember what we should forget while forgetting what we should remember. That inability to forget the sin we've confessed is part of our sin nature itself. The fall fractured the image of God in us, including...More Friday, April 17, 2026 Be confident of God's love for you 1 John 4:16 NLT When you fail, God's love for you does not fail. And to enjoy the fullness of what He wants you to have, you must believe that. The knowledge of God's love will carry you through to victory when the powers of hell are against you. The knowledge of God's love will carry you through life's storms and into a place of peace. God's love is not restricted to the days when you have performed well. He loves you just as much during the times when you fail. You need to be confident of His love, especially when you have trials and the devil is accusing you and saying, "Well, you must have done...More Thursday, April 16, 2026 Click the save button John 8:32 NKJV If you use a computer, you know what the save button is. To save a created document, you just press the save button. Words on the screen descend into the core of the machine. As long as the words are limited to the screen, they are vulnerable to the irascible cursor. It earns its name. We curse the little monster as it gobbles up our hard work. But once we save it, it is safe. Question: Are you clicking the save button on Scripture? You save truth when you deliberately allow what you've read or heard to become part of who you are. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the...More Wednesday, April 15, 2026 Meditate and assimilate Psalm 119:15 NKJV Meditation is the most effective way to assimilate God's Word. David describes the "blessed" man this way: "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2 NKJV). And whatever you meditate on and memorize, the Holy Spirit will help you recall when you need it. "He will... bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26 NKJV). As one of the highest-ranking American captives in Vietnam, Jeremiah Denton was subjected to grueling torture. But he survived, and returned home to become one of Alabama's United States senators....More Tuesday, April 14, 2026 Responsibility and the "ability to respond" 2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV God never gives a person responsibility without giving the ability to respond. So, you can look in the mirror today and say with confidence, "God, You've given me this responsibility and the ability to respond to it." In the Bible, when God called regular people to do great things, they usually responded with a sense of inadequacy. When God charged Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage: "Moses pleaded, 'O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me... I have a speech impediment" (Exodus 4:10 TLB). God...More Monday, April 13, 2026 "I have set the Lord always before me" Psalm 16:8 NKJV Say these words aloud several times and let them roll around in your mind: "I have set the Lord always before me." Take some time to imagine how this might actually be experienced in your life. What would it be like to wake up with God on your mind? What would it feel like at night if you were aware of Him as you fell asleep? What would your conversations be like with other people if God were the unseen third party present? What would work or school be like if you were continually aware of God and were communicating with Him as you sat in your office or at your desk, asking for His help and...More Sunday, April 12, 2026 True repentance brings restoration Luke 15:18 NKJV The story of the prodigal son illustrates the meaning of true repentance. It's about a young Jewish man who rebelled against all that he'd been taught, turned his back on his father, was lured by the bright lights of the big city, and ended up in a pigpen feeding swine. But he did three things that turned his life around. First, he changed his mind. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'" (v. 17 NIV). Second, he redirected his will. "I will... go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have...More Saturday, April 11, 2026 Fight for your marriage 1 Peter 3:1 NIV Paul wrote: "Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ." Satan is the enemy of marriage. In order to defeat him, you must first know how to identify where, when, and how he's at work. As long as you focus on fighting each other or blaming yourself, your marriage will continue to slide into further misery with each failed request for intimacy, each unmet expectation, and each day spent hopelessly wishing your spouse would change. Sure, you need to learn better communication and learn how to forgive, and sickness or money problems need to be dealt with. But when you see these things...More Friday, April 10, 2026 How to "renew" your mind Romans 12:2 NKJV You were created for love, but you have learned to fear! The neurological love pathway in your brain consciously evaluates toxic thoughts, and as you choose to hand the situation over to God, you do not submit to fear. And love is the stronger of the two pathways! "There is no fear in love; but perfect love [the knowledge and acceptance of God's unearned and unfailing love for us] casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect [mature] in love" (1 John 4:18 NKJV). As a redeemed child of God, you are wired for love, which means that love is your...More Thursday, April 9, 2026 Live on purpose, for a purpose Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV If you make wise decisions now, you'll have a better future. If you waste your time now, you'll have regrets. That's why you need to do the right thing when you have the opportunity to do it. Paul wrote: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). God is able to do great things as His power works through you. So, it's not just about God doing things for you; He also wants to do things through you. Stop wishing your life would change, and start taking action! Pray and study God's...More Wednesday, April 8, 2026 You can make a difference John 1:41-42 NKJV What do Billy Graham, Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright, Young Life founder Jim Rayburn, and the Navigators founder Dawson Trotman have in common? The answer is a Sunday school teacher named Henrietta Mears. When Henrietta was thirty-eight years old, she moved from Minnesota to a burgeoning town called Hollywood, California. She taught Sunday school at First Presbyterian Church, and she eventually attracted an astounding attendance of 6,500 students. For four decades, she faithfully devoted herself to her passion of building a cradle-to-grave Sunday school. She also started a...More Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Humble yourself, and try to make it right Proverbs 6:2-3 NASB (1995) In 1755, a twenty-three-year-old army colonel was running for a seat in the Virginia assembly, when he made an insulting remark as part of a campaign speech. It was addressed to a hot-tempered man named Payne, who responded by knocking the colonel down with a hickory stick. Soldiers rushed to the colonel's assistance, and it appeared a full-blown fight would ensue. But the would-be politician got up, dusted himself off, called off the soldiers, and quietly left the scene. The next morning, the colonel wrote to Payne requesting his presence at a local tavern. Payne obliged, but...More Monday, April 6, 2026 Healing for your mind Ephesians 4:23 AMPC We are three-part beings: spirit, soul, and body. When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, our spirit receives healing from spiritual death. But there are still two areas that need Christ's healing touch: our souls (mind, emotions, and will) and our physical bodies. God's Word teaches us that physical health and mental health are irrevocably linked. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). What we think about ourselves is inevitably what we become. Unhealthy thinking produces unhealthy living. John wrote: "I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in...More Sunday, April 5, 2026 Jesus conquered death for you Matthew 28:6 KJV One day your heart will give a final pulse, and your lungs empty a final breath. And barring the return of Christ, you will die. The psalmist asked, "What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?" (Psalm 89:48 NKJV). Young and old, good and bad, rich and poor; neither gender is spared; no class is exempt. "No one has power over the time of their death" (Ecclesiastes 8:8 NIV). The geniuses, the rich, the poor - no one outruns or outsmarts it. Julius Caesar died. Elvis died. John Kennedy died. Princess Diana died. We all will die. We won't...More Saturday, April 4, 2026 Your debt has been paid John 19:30 NKJV In Old Testament times, you received forgiveness from God by bringing a sacrificial lamb to the altar, where a priest would shed its blood and offer it as atonement. The first person in Scripture to do this was Cain's brother, Abel (See Genesis 4:4). When Solomon dedicated his magnificent temple, he sacrificed one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand sheep and twenty-two-thousand oxen as a sacrifice for the entire nation. In the Old Testament Tabernacle, the sacrificial fire was never allowed to go out; it had to be kept burning. The Israelites carried it with them on their journey through the wilderness,...More Friday, April 3, 2026 Much more Romans 5:20 NKJV Just minutes before his final breath, Jesus cried out, "Tetelestai!" from the cross. In English, it is translated as "It is finished." It was the same word that was written on receipts in New Testament times, indicating that a debt had been paid in full. Jesus' death on the cross was the final installment on sin. The entire debt for every sinner who comes to Him for salvation has been paid in full at Calvary. Paul wrote: "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." Did you catch it? "Much more!" The mercy bank is never closed. And there are never insufficient funds. The supply of...More Thursday, April 2, 2026 He's looking for labourers Matthew 9:38 NKJV When Martin Luther began the work that became the Great Reformation, his friend Myconius said, "I can best help where I am. I will remain and pray while you toil." Then one night, Myconius dreamed that Jesus approached him and showed him His hands and feet, wounded by His crucifixion. He looked into the eyes of his Saviour and heard Jesus say to him, "Follow Me." Jesus led him to a mountaintop and pointed eastward. Myconius looked and saw a plain stretching away from the horizon. It was dotted with thousands and thousands of sheep, and one man was trying to shepherd the great flock. Myconius...More Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Avoid comparing yourself to others Job 32:8 NIV Elihu suddenly spoke up in Job chapter thirty-two. It's apparent he had been present all along, but he held his peace because he believed Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were older and wiser than he was. "I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know" (Job 32:6 NIV). After hearing the long and meaningless discourses of Job's three older friends, Elihu suddenly felt emboldened to speak: "It is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. It is not only the old who are wise... Therefore I say: Listen to...More Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Demonstrating God's kingdom where you live Matthew 6:10 NKJV Every time you are in conflict with someone, but you go to them and seek reconciliation and forgiveness - the kingdom is breaking into this world. Every time you have a chunk of money and decide to give significantly to somebody who is hungry or homeless or poor - the kingdom is breaking into the world. Any time someone has an addiction and wants to partner with God so much that they are willing to get help from a loving community - the kingdom is breaking into the world. Every time a workaholic parent decides to stop idolizing their job, rearranges their life, and begins to love and care for the...More Monday, March 30, 2026 You are a steward 1 Chronicles 29:14 NKJV When the people of Israel brought offerings to build the temple, David said: "For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours... Both riches and honour come from You... All things come from You, and of Your own we have given You" (vv. 11-12, 14 NKJV). Imagine for a minute that you're responsible for giving away someone else's money. You aren't allowed to spend it; you can only decide where it goes. When you think of it that way, it's not hard to imagine finding pleasure in playing the philanthropist. Who wouldn't enjoy being a vital lifeline to those who truly need it? Or...More Sunday, March 29, 2026 Be content Hebrews 13:5 NIV People who were happy when they bought their clothes at thrift stores typically remain happy once they can afford designer duds. Those who weren't are still the same unhappy people they were when they were poor; they just dress better. Learning how to be satisfied with what you have, and to feel grateful for it, starts with understanding what money can and cannot do. There are things in life you cannot put a price on: good health, a family that loves you, the support of a friendship that has lasted many years, the feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard and seeing your...More Saturday, March 28, 2026 The eighth Beatitude Matthew 5:10 NKJV Jesus said: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice... for great is your reward in heaven" (vv. 10-12 NKJV). To be persecuted for righteousness' sake is to live as Jesus lived - with His character, His motives, His obedience, His trust in the Father, and His purity of heart. It's to be a peacemaker, to hunger and thirst for what's right, to turn your back on sin, and to be a fountain of mercy. If you live this...More Friday, March 27, 2026 The seventh Beatitude Matthew 5:9 NKJV The Hebrew word for "peace" is shalom; it refers to a sense of well-being that produces calmness and confidence, even in a crisis. It's assurance in the midst of uncertainty and confusion. Those who have an immovable, unshakeable, rock-solid trust in God are those who experience genuine peace of heart. How do you acquire such peace? First, you must know what God says in His Word and believe it. You must make God's Word the foundation of all you believe and, therefore, of all you say and do. You must take God at His Word and surrender your will to His commandments and His plan. You must...More Thursday, March 26, 2026 The sixth Beatitude Matthew 5:8 NKJV The Greek word for "pure" is katharos, from which we get our English word "catharsis." Psychiatrists talk about catharsis as the cleansing of a person's destructive attitudes. The biblical word refers to a cleansing of all impurities from your inner spirit - impurities that include evil tendencies, evil thoughts, evil desires, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life (see 1 John 2:16). To be pure is to have all these impurities removed so that you might reflect the character of Christ Jesus. One of the main plagues in our society today, and even in many churches, is double...More Wednesday, March 25, 2026 The fifth Beatitude Matthew 5:7 NKJV Mercy is more than forgiveness, less than love, different from grace, and one with justice. Forgiveness becomes operational only when a wrong is committed, but mercy is operational at all times. Mercy leads to and produces forgiveness, but mercy is more than forgiveness. Mercy reaches out to the weak, to the needy, and to those needing protection and direction. Just as forgiveness flows out of mercy, so mercy flows out of love. Love is the source of mercy, but love is greater than mercy - it exists apart from any need or sin. Mercy offers a reprieve from punishment, but grace offers...More Tuesday, March 24, 2026 The fourth Beatitude Matthew 5:6 NKJV Righteousness is not an optional spiritual supplement; it's a necessity for Christian living. It's something you must desire as much as a starving man desires food and a thirsty man desires water. Are you hungry for more of Jesus? Do you have an appetite for His Word? Do you long to experience the kingdom of God? If so, Jesus says that you will be "filled." He will give you more of Himself. When you are hungry for righteousness, He will impart to you the power of a righteous life - which means keeping God's commandments and following the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day. The Lord...More Monday, March 23, 2026 The third Beatitude Matthew 5:5 NKJV To be "meek" doesn't mean to be a doormat or to be indecisive, timid, fearful, or spineless. It does not mean to act like a loser or a cowardly wimp. Meekness is "power under control." The Bible says Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth in his day (see Numbers 12:3). Yet he was willing to go toe-to-toe with Pharaoh, to lead a grumbling people across a wilderness, and to climb a smoking, shaking mountain to meet personally with almighty God. Jesus described Himself as "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29 NKJV). Yet He was the most courageous man who ever...More Sunday, March 22, 2026 The second Beatitude Matthew 5:4 NKJV Jesus was not necessarily speaking about mourning the loss of a loved one, but that those who mourn over their sins will receive God's comfort. When you weep over your sins and the trouble they brought to yourself and to others, you put yourself in a position to receive God's forgiveness. True repentance does not focus on self. It's not morbid or despairing; it doesn't come from false humility or from wallowing in self-pity. It is acknowledging openly, plainly, and simply that you need God's mercy and grace. As long as you delight in your sins, try to justify them, or blame others for...More Saturday, March 21, 2026 The first Beatitude Matthew 5:3 NKJV What does it really mean to be "poor in spirit"? This phrase has nothing to do with finances or status. It means that you become conscious of your own spiritual emptiness - that without God, you are nothing, you have nothing, and you can do nothing of consequence or eternal benefit. To be poor in spirit means you know that all of your self-righteousness is as filthy rags and all of your self-propelled achievements are short-term and fleeting at best (see Isaiah 64:6). To be poor in spirit means that you know you need God. Why would this cause you to be "blessed"? Because you are open to...More Friday, March 20, 2026 Prevailing prayer Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV In an old book titled Prevailing Prayer, author Eli Wigle described John Wesley's prayer life this way: "As a matter of habit and rule, John Wesley's ordinary private praying consumed two hours a day. At times he would gather his company and pray all night, or till the power of God came down. Nothing was considered too great or too small to take to the Lord. Seized with pain in the midst of preaching, so that he could not speak, 'I know my remedy,' he said, and immediately kneeled down. In a moment the pain was gone... Being seized with a pain, fever and cough, so that he could...More Thursday, March 19, 2026 Abounding grace Romans 5:20 NKJV The Scarlet Letter is the story of a woman found in adultery and required to wear a scarlet "A" on her dress as a symbol of shame. We do the same thing, don't we? We label people based on a mistake. Sadly, it's just as true in some churches as it is in the culture. That isn't how God sees us and labels us. He takes off the graveclothes of sin and covers us in the garments of salvation (see Isaiah 61:10). He gives each of us a new name, a new identity, a new destiny. There's a storyline in John's gospel that's not unlike Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. A woman was caught in the act of...More Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Live from "glory to glory" 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV Beginning in 2007, the REVEAL research project surveyed the members of more than a thousand churches. They wanted to determine the percentage of churchgoers who are actually propelled by their faith to love God and love others with their whole hearts. Guess how many met these qualifications? Eleven percent! Nearly nine out of ten believers did not make the grade. Think about it this way: If a school graduated only eleven percent of its students, if a hospital healed only eleven percent of its patients, if a sports team won only eleven percent of its games, if a home builder...More Tuesday, March 17, 2026 A prayer for God-confidence Psalm 34:4 NKJV Father, I come boldly before Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace for deliverance from emotional insecurity (see Hebrews 4:16). Your Word says You will make all Your grace abound toward me so that I will always have all sufficiency in all things and abound in every good work (see 2 Corinthians 9:8). I cast down every thought of inadequacy and every imagination that rises up against what Your Word says about who I am and what I can do (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). I resist any anxiety over the possibility of losing a social, professional, or other position or a desired...More Monday, March 16, 2026 Be sensitive to God's presence 2 Kings 6:17 NKJV One morning in a city called Dothan, a servant of the prophet Elisha awoke and was terrified because an enemy army surrounded him and his boss. "What shall we do?" he cried. Elisha told him to chill out, for "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed for him: "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened his eyes, and he saw that they were surrounded by horses and chariots of fire - the power of God and protection of God (see vv. 15-17 NKJV). As a result, their enemies were neutralized. What if this became your prayer as well?...More Sunday, March 15, 2026 Take good care of your mother Leviticus 19:3 NKJV When your parents grow old and become less capable of taking care of themselves, they need certain things from you, like love, kindness, patience, tenderness, sensitivity, and understanding. When you were a child, perhaps your mother picked you up at school because you didn't like to ride the bus, and now you're upset with her for being five minutes late. If you are a teen or a preteen, it's wrong to be more kind, considerate, and patient with your friends and your friends' mothers than your own mother. Indeed, if you treated your friends like you treat your mom, you wouldn't have...More

Friday, March 13, 2026 Have you been wronged? Forgive! Colossians 3:13 NKJV When you study the lives of those who were greatly used by God in the Bible, you see that they were not spared from hurt, disappointment, or even betrayal. The truth is, if you live long enough, you'll be wronged by someone. The question is, how will you react? The apostle Paul tells us how we should react: "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." The story is told of two friends who were walking through the desert when they got into an argument. One friend slapped the other in...More Thursday, March 12, 2026 The "downside" of immorality Psalm 39:8 KJV After his violation of Bathsheba, King David finally got honest and confessed his sin to Nathan the prophet. "Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However... by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme'" (2 Samuel 12:13-14 KJV). Later, David would write in the Psalms: "Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the foolish." Let's take a moment and consider the "downside" of immorality when it is found out: (1) Your mate experiences shame, rejection, betrayal, and heartache. No amount...More Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Count your blessings Deuteronomy 28:2 NKJV An observant Jew says a minimum of one hundred blessing prayers each day, beginning with the Hebrew formula: Baruch Atah Adonai. Practicing Jews bless God when they see or experience something for the first time. They bless God for smells and tastes. And if something is pleasurable, they bless God. If you enjoy something without saying a blessing, according to the Talmud, it's as if you had stolen it. "All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you." Note the words "come upon" and "overtake." You never know how or when His blessings will overtake you. But unlike His...More Tuesday, March 10, 2026 Show your appreciation Philippians 1:3 NIV Paul takes one entire chapter in the book of Romans to name the people who helped him and to express his appreciation for them. Showing that you care about people beyond what they can do for you lets them know you truly care about them. Sincere praise can energize others and cause them to spring up like wilted flowers that have just been watered. Oh, the dividends that a husband or a wife (or anyone else) would reap from expressing appreciation for the little things. Just in case your gratitude muscle has grown weak, and you take most kindnesses and efforts for granted, read the...More Monday, March 9, 2026 Keep persevering and refuse to quit James 5:11 NIV We often think of great artists and musicians as having "bursts" of genius. But more often, they're models of painstaking patience and perseverance. Their greatest works tend to have been accomplished over longer periods and through extreme hardships. Beethoven is said to have rewritten each bar of his music at least a dozen times. Joseph Haydn produced more than 800 musical compositions before writing The Creation, the oratorio for which he is most famous. Michelangelo's The Last Judgment is considered one of the twelve master paintings of the ages. It took him eight years to complete,...More Sunday, March 8, 2026 When your mate struggles with insecurity Song of Songs 8:6 NKJV If you're dealing with an insecure mate, you must make every effort to be accountable. It's important to voluntarily provide adequate details. After all, he or she is looking for assurance. Learn to explain your whereabouts in a casual but thorough manner. Short, one-syllable responses will provide more insecurity and leave the person to imagine various negative scenarios. A jealous person is insecure and thus has doubts about having what it takes to maintain the relationship. Do not make the mistake of thinking or saying, "Tough - you just need to get over your insecurity." If it...More Saturday, March 7, 2026 Living in the Promised Land 1 Corinthians 10:11 NLT Egypt represents our days in bondage to sin. Then Jesus liberated us and gave us a new life. Our Promised Land isn't a physical territory; it's a spiritual reality. It's not real estate, but a real state of heart and mind. It's a life in which "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37 NKJV); A life in which "we do not lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV). A life in which we are "exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 7:4 NKJV); we are "anxious for nothing" (Philippians 4:6 NKJV); we are "praying always" (Ephesians 6:18 KJV); and a life in which...More Friday, March 6, 2026 Trust in Christ alone! James 2:10 NKJV Paul writes, "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV). Why did Paul say we are saved through grace alone? Because trying to obtain salvation by keeping the law sets you up for failure. "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." You say, "That's an impossible standard!" You're right! The law is like an X-ray machine; it can reveal what's under the surface and identify the problem, but it can't fix it. The law is also like a mirror. It can tell you that you need to...More Thursday, March 5, 2026 Sacred reminders 1 Samuel 17:54 NKJV Each time David saw Goliath's armor hanging in his tent, it was a sacred reminder of God's faithfulness to him and of God's power that was available to him. The word remember recurs almost 250 times in Scripture. And there is a reason why. We tend to remember what we should forget and forget what we should remember. That's why God is always telling us to build altars or make memorials. Jacob built an altar at Bethel, where God gave him a life-changing dream (See Genesis 28:18-22). The Israelites took twelve stones from the river Jordan and used them to build a miracle altar in...More Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Use what God gave you 1 Samuel 17:38 NKJV The Bible says: "Saul clothed David with his armor... and David said to Saul, 'I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.' So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook... and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine'" (vv. 38-40 NKJV). David had to make a choice; one that would determine his destiny. He could go into battle as Saul - wearing Saul's armor, flaunting Saul's sword, clutching Saul's shield. Or he could engage in battle as David - a shepherd with a slingshot. David...More Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Learn to delegate Exodus 18:18 NIV The Bible says: "The people... stood around him from morning till evening... Moses' father-in-law replied, 'What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone'" (vv. 13, 17-18 NIV). You may have noticed on the back of tractor-trailer rigs a sign that communicates their load limit. Highways have weigh stations to make sure these trucks aren't carrying too much weight. If a tractor-trailer with a huge engine has load limits, then it makes sense that we do too. Moses had exceeded his...More Monday, March 2, 2026 God has a purpose for your life “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” John 15:16 KJV It doesn’t take many people to bring about change. In fact, too many people can get in the way. Gideon took 32,000 to fight, but God needed only 300. He doesn’t care how many can be counted—He cares only about how many can be counted on. The truth is that your life could be messed up because too many people are telling you what to do. Hang up the phone. Shut the door. Turn off the TV. Get down before God and ask Him to speak to you. He will give you the word you need (see Isaiah 50:4). God doesn’t need a crowd; He just needs one...More Sunday, March 1, 2026 Healing for someone you love James 5:16 AMPC Because of the connection we have with those we love, when they hurt, we hurt. One of the greatest things we can do is intercede in prayer for those who need healing. God can use us as an agent of healing: "Pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]" (AMPC). We see this principle throughout the Bible. A Roman centurion went to Jesus for the healing of his servant, and Christ did not disappoint him (see...More Saturday, February 28, 2026 Be the master of your debt Proverbs 22:7 NIV Good credit establishes your future buying power. But when you misuse debt, you experience anxiety each month as you pull the envelope from the mailbox with the credit card bill that says you've spent more than you can afford. And what about the unexpected challenges of life? Your car needs a new transmission, or you need a medical procedure not covered by your insurance. The things you buy don't just cost you money; there are other less tangible costs such as your peace of mind and your sense of security. You forfeit these things when you continue to live beyond your means and throw...More Friday, February 27, 2026 Trust in the Lord rather than people Proverbs 29:25 NKJV Sometimes we make the mistake of placing our trust in people when we should be placing our trust in the Lord. And since God cannot fail and people can, we end up getting hurt and disappointed. The Bible says that King Asa of Judah had a perfect heart toward God. Yet when an enemy nation came against him, he panicked and purchased a military alliance with another king. And he did it with funds he took from the house of God. Upon hearing the news of Asa's coalition, his enemy retreated. Asa had figured out the solution. His plan had worked - or so it seemed. Then God sent the prophet Hanani to...More Thursday, February 26, 2026 Sacrificial living Romans 12:1 NKJV With the national coffers depleted from a series of costly wars, King Frederick William III of Prussia found his nation seriously short of funds as it attempted to rebuild. He refused to capitulate to his enemies and couldn't face disappointing his people. He asked the women of Prussia to bring their gold and silver jewelry to be melted down and used in exchange for the things the nation desperately needed. As each woman brought her jewelry, she was given a "decoration" of iron as a symbol of the king's gratitude. On it was inscribed the words: "I gave gold for iron, 1813." The women...More Wednesday, February 25, 2026 Be content Psalm 103:2 NLT A newspaper cartoon was drawn of two fields divided by a wire fence. Both were the same size, each with plenty of lush, green grass. Each field had a mule whose head stuck through the wire fence, eating grass from the other's pasture. Although each mule was surrounded by grass, the neighbouring field seemed more desirable - even though it was harder to reach. In the process the mules' heads became caught in the fence, and they panicked and brayed uncontrollably at being unable to free themselves. The cartoonist described the situation with one caption: "DISCONTENT." There is a lesson...More Tuesday, February 24, 2026 How to pray for your children 2 Peter 3:18 NKJV The Bible says, "In the last days will come... times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]" (2 Timothy 3:1 AMPC). We don't have to look far to see that Scripture fulfilled. It's why we need to pray for the physical and spiritual safety of our children; that they may "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord... Jesus Christ." Heather Riggleman writes: "As you and I watch the news, we weep, we cry out in anger, and then we wonder, 'How we can protect our kids... ?' We wonder if it's safe to send [them] out the front door. We question whether the world is...More Monday, February 23, 2026 Try for reconciliation Matthew 5:24 NKJV Here's something we don't think about enough - but should! How you treat those you are in relationship with influences the relationship you have with God. Jesus spelled it out clearly: "If you bring your gift to the altar [if you serve in the church, pay particular attention here!], and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (vv. 23-24 NKJV). Jesus commands the offender, even if the offense was unintentional, to take the initiative in healing and...More Sunday, February 22, 2026 Do it all for the glory of God (2) 1 John 2:20 NKJV Here are two more things you need to know about your calling. (1) The anointing is for each one of us. In Bible times, anointing oil was poured only on the heads of prophets, priests, and kings, symbolizing God's presence rested on them in a special way. But the anointing is not confined to those in ministry; it's for everyone - including you! It doesn't matter whether you're a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer. From the top of the organizational chart to the bottom, God wants to anoint you to do whatever it is you're called to do. If you need legal help, you certainly want an attorney who...More Saturday, February 21, 2026 Do it all for the glory of God (1) 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV When it comes to your calling, observe these two things: (1) God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called. God will call you to do something you're not smart enough to pull off. A God-ordained dream will always be beyond your ability and resources. Why? So, you have to rely on God every single day! David said: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain" (Psalm 127:1 NIV). Jesus said: "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 NIV). Paul said, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim...More Friday, February 20, 2026 Free from the shame of the past Joshua 5:9 NLT God got Israel out of Egypt in one day, but it took forty years to get the shame of Egypt out of Israel. It happened at a place called Gilgal, 381 miles northeast of Egypt. The Israelites thought like slaves and acted like slaves. After all, it's tough to break the cycle after four hundred years of slavery. Technically, the Israelites were set free at the exodus. But it wasn't until they reached Gilgal that they finally left the past in the past. "Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt." For some of us, it takes years to bring closure to...More Thursday, February 19, 2026 Recognise God's Spirit living within you 1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV Set aside the question of to what extent you are capable of experiencing God's presence in your current spiritual condition. Set aside your past failures and your future worries. If you are a redeemed child of God, His Holy Spirit lives within you. Jesus said, "'He who believes in Me... out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (John 7:38-39 NKJV). The Holy Spirit within you is flowing all the time, welling up within you, quenching your unsatisfied desires, and overflowing to refresh...More Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Share what you have Hebrews 13:16 NKJV Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, prepared for missionary service by working among the poor in London. One night, a man asked him to come and pray for his sick wife. The man had already asked a priest but had been told he would have to pay him eighteen pence, which he didn't have. He didn't even have money to buy a loaf of bread. Taylor went with him but was conscience stricken. He was living on a starvation diet himself, but he did have one coin in his pocket - a half crown. He thought, "If only I had two shillings and sixpence instead of this half crown, I would give these...More Tuesday, February 17, 2026 Resist envy Proverbs 14:30 NIV Some folks are too insecure to applaud the success or achievements of another, be it a coworker, distant relative, sibling, spouse, or even a child. They feel that they must have comparable success, so they won't feel inferior. If they can indeed claim a similar personal achievement, then they are quick to mention it. The truth is that someone will always have more success than you do, and someone will always have less. It takes daily, conscientious effort to fight discontentment and to enjoy whatever level of success God has blessed you with. Television commercials and highway...More Monday, February 16, 2026 Healing when you've been hurt Psalm 147:3 NKJV There are times when we all experience rejection, betrayal, and disappointment. But if we hold on to those experiences, we can remain in a state of perpetual hurt. Indeed, when we refuse to forgive and move on, we place a weapon into Satan's hands that he will use against us at every opportunity. It's not what has happened to us, but how we respond that matters. If we allow the hurt to gain control of our thoughts, it can undermine our emotional wellbeing. Jesus doesn't want us to go through life carrying old wounds; He wants to heal us. This is why He gave us the precious promises in...More Sunday, February 15, 2026 Pray for a divine visitation Isaiah 64:1 NKJV Jesus told the disciples just before He left this earth to return to heaven: "I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49 KJV). As a redeemed child of God the Holy Spirit lives in you (see Ro 8:9). But this promise indicates that you can also have the Holy Spirit resting upon you and empowering you. How did the disciples respond to this promise? "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14 ESV). Author Larry Sparks says, "For too long, the Western church has...More Saturday, February 14, 2026 Consult God in everything Joshua 9:14 NKJV Live with one ear toward heaven: "Is this opportunity from you, God?" "Are you in this venture, God?" "Should I take this road, God?" One time Joshua failed to do this and paid for it. Here's the story. A group of strangers entered the camp of Israel saying, "From a very far country your servants have come" (v. 9 NKJV). Evidently, they knew God's law had made special provisions for cities outside of Canaan (see Deuteronomy 20:10-12). Any city that agreed to make peace with Israel would be spared. So, being afraid, they resorted to deception. Three days passed before Joshua realized he...More Friday, February 13, 2026 Live by the principles of God's Word Joshua 23:6 NIV Entering the Promised Land, God told Joshua: "Be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses." You must identify your core values - and live by them. Swiss philosopher Henri-Frederic Amiel said, "The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings." Your core values are the governing principles you live by. They're the light that guides you. They give stability and structure to your inner world. When that's in order, you can navigate your way through almost anything. Have you ever wondered why God refers to His Word as "laws"? Because they govern your...More Thursday, February 12, 2026 Overcoming the fear of success Proverbs 8:14 NLT The fear of success derails many dreams. Sometimes success brings resentment from those closest to you. Being successful can also create its own anxiety; namely, you fear that you are unable to maintain your success. Then there's the fear of attracting people who want what you've got but are not willing to pay the price you paid to get it. Solomon warned, "Wealth attracts many friends" (Proverbs 19:4 NIV). Then there's the fear of being bombarded by constant requests for money. What if you say no? You must follow your heart, give as God directs you, and leave your image up to Him....More Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Blessings and cursings; the choice is yours Joshua 8:30 NKJV The Bible says, "Joshua built an altar to the Lord... in Mount Ebal... 'an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.' And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord... Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal... He read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings" (Joshua 8:30-34 NKJV). There are two important lessons in this otherwise obscure Old Testament story. First, "an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool" speaks of God's unearned and unmerited grace toward us - no human...More Tuesday, February 10, 2026 "Rescue Me" Psalm 34:6 NLT It had been twenty-five years since Fontella Bass's rhythm and blues single "Rescue Me" hit number one on the charts. She had no career to speak of, and she was penniless, tired, and cold. The only heat in her house came from a gas stove in the kitchen. She had strayed from her faith and the church where she started singing gospel songs as a child. As she prayed, Fontella asked God for "a sign" to confirm that He heard her. Suddenly, she heard her hit song "Rescue Me" on a television commercial! To her, it was as if "the Lord had stepped right into my world!" Fontella was unaware that...More Monday, February 9, 2026 Accepting and appreciating your physical appearance Isaiah 45:10 NLT Isaiah said that God "formed me in my mother's womb to be his servant" (Isaiah 49:5 NLT). God deliberately shaped each of us for His service. How then can we complain that we are too short, too tall, too dark, too fair, or too anything else that is unchangeable? The word "too" implies something is beyond what's desirable or more than what should be. How can anything that God formed be too anything? What we're really saying is "This feature doesn't conform to society's prescribed standard of beauty," so we allow our non-conforming attributes to cause us to become insecure and rob us of our...More Sunday, February 8, 2026 Be optimistic (2) John 16:33 NCV Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, they don't have to define you or defeat you. Even if you cannot change them, you can overcome them. George Bernard Shaw wrote: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." When it comes to faith, we rely far too much on circumstantial evidence. Doubt is letting our circumstances dictate how we feel and what we believe. When we let our circumstances...More Saturday, February 7, 2026 Be optimistic (1) Genesis 1:31 NKJV Before the age of two, Helen Keller lost her vision and her hearing. In an instant, her world went dark and silent. Then a godsend named Anne Sullivan broke through Helen's solitary confinement and touched her soul. As a result, Helen became the first deaf/blind person to earn a bachelor's degree. She also authored a dozen books, including a manifesto on her philosophy of life, Optimism. "No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars," she wrote, "or sailed to an uncharted land." The last page of her book echoes the first page of Scripture: "Optimism is the harmony of man's...More Friday, February 6, 2026 Let's honour one another Romans 12:10 NKJV Have you ever noticed how quick we are to accuse someone else of some of the very things we excuse in ourselves? In so doing, we practice a double standard, requiring more from others than of ourselves. Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3 NKJV). The double standard works like this: 1) When others are set in their ways, they're obstinate - but you are firm and resolved. 2) When your neighbour doesn't like your friend, she's prejudiced - but when you don't like her friend, you're a good judge...More Thursday, February 5, 2026 "Don't compare yourself with others" Galatians 6:4 MSG Paul wrote: "Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life" (vv. 4-5). Jesus was insistent on this. After the resurrection, He appeared to some of His followers. He gave Peter a specific pastoral assignment that included great sacrifice. Peter responded by pointing at John and asking, "'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me'" (John 21:21-22 NCV). In other words, stay focused on your own assignment. A little boy named Adam...More Wednesday, February 4, 2026 As a parent you must be secure Proverbs 22:6 NKJV Whether you lead at home, in church, or in business, you'll be called upon to make hard and unpopular decisions for the good of all concerned. This is particularly so for parents. Those who fear rejection or loss of a child's affection often "go along to get along." That's a selfish decision, because you're putting your own need to be loved and accepted above your child's long-term need for structure and self-discipline. How far do you think your child will get in life without these things? Sadly, many parents are too insecure to discipline their children because they want to maintain...More Tuesday, February 3, 2026 God is for you! Psalm 56:9 NKJV In his bestselling book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell defines the tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." It's the moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior passes the point of no return and gains acceptance. In the realm of physics, a tipping point is when an object is displaced from a stable state of equilibrium into a new state. In economics, it's the point at which an emerging technology becomes the industry standard. In sociology, it's when a quorum of people adopts a behavior so that it reaches critical mass and goes...More Monday, February 2, 2026 Healing broken relationships Proverbs 10:12 NLT Loving relationships are a cornerstone of life. They are the foundation of Christ's church and evidence that we have the love of God in our hearts. God places a big emphasis on how we relate to others, because our relationships impact every area of our lives: at home, at work, at church, at school, and during our everyday interactions. A relationship built on love, sensitivity, and respect can win an unsaved husband or wife to Christ. Peter wrote: "You wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them...More Sunday, February 1, 2026 Keep your priorities straight Psalm 90:12 NLT When he became campaign manager for President George Bush and chairman of the Republican National Committee, Lee Atwater had accomplished the two things he wanted to do by the time he was forty years of age. Then he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Shortly before he died, he wrote these sobering words: "I acquired more wealth, power and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye...More Saturday, January 31, 2026 Always do your best Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV A series of illustrations in a popular magazine once depicted the life story of a 'one-note musician'. From frame to frame, the tale revealed how the woman followed her daily routine of eating and sleeping until the time came for the evening concert. She carefully inspected her violin, took her seat, arranged her music, and tuned her instrument. First the conductor skilfully cued one group of musicians, then another, until finally her moment arrived. It was time for her one note to be played! The conductor turned to the violinist and signalled her to sound her note. She did, and then the...More Friday, January 30, 2026 This experience is preparing you 1 Samuel 17:37 NKJV Every experience in our past has prepared us for some future opportunity. God doesn't redeem only our souls; He also redeems our experiences, both good and bad. He does it by refining our character, developing our gifts, and teaching lessons that we can't learn any other way. We learn the most important lessons in the classroom of life through firsthand experience. The tests are challenging, but no curriculum is more effective. And how you pass the test is by growing in character, developing the gift, or learning the lesson God is trying to teach you through that experience. God is...More Thursday, January 29, 2026 Look for opportunities to "do good" Hebrews 13:16 NKJV Peter describes the life of Jesus in these words: "Who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38 NKJV). So, becoming more Christlike means looking for opportunities to do good. An anonymous author wrote: "When people are unreasonable, illogical, self-centred, and arrogant, love them anyway. When people insist that your goodness contains selfish motives, do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win both false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest, some will seek to twist your words against you. Be honest anyway. If you do good today, some may forget it by...More Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Your words have power Job 6:25 NKJV Here are two stories from history that illustrate how the power of your words can affect others: (1) One day an altar boy was serving the priest at a mass at the country church in his small village. The boy, nervous in his new role, accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. The priest struck him sharply on the cheek. Then in a gruff voice the congregation could hear, he shouted, "Leave the altar and don't come back!" That boy became Marshall Tito, the Communist dictator who ruled Yugoslavia with cruelty for decades. (2) One day in a large city cathedral another boy was serving a bishop at...More Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Be sure to praise the Lord Psalm 33:1 NKJV Of 150 psalms recorded in the Bible, the dominant recurring theme is "praise the Lord!" The book is like a memo from psalmists that says, "Today be sure to praise the Lord." In Psalm 34, David writes: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:1-3 NKJV). In Psalm 113:1-3, the psalmist writes: "Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the...More Monday, January 26, 2026 The healing ministry of the New Testament church Acts 5:16 NKJV Before Jesus left this earth, He told His disciples, "The works that I do [you] will do also" (John 14:12 NKJV). And they did. "Through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done... so that they brought the sick out into the streets... that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people... and they were all healed" (Acts 5:12, 15-16 NKJV). Someone may say, "Oh, that was only in the beginning of Acts, for the purpose of confirming their word regarding Christ's...More Sunday, January 25, 2026 Start small, and keep a winning attitude Zechariah 4:10 NLT Juan grew up in Puerto Rico, the son of a sugarcane plantation foreman. One of a family of eight, he lived in a three-room shack with a dirt floor and no toilet. His first job, at age six, was driving oxen to plow the cane fields. He worked eight hours a day and earned one dollar. Juan said it was in the cane fields that he learned important lessons like being on time, work hard, and be loyal and respectful to your employers. His job and small income were a great source of self-esteem. At age seven he got a job at a golf course spotting balls for golfers, and he began to dream of...More Saturday, January 24, 2026 Love and serve others Galatians 5:13 NKJV In 1881, shortly after Booker T. Washington became head of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama that trained schoolteachers, he was walking past the house of a wealthy family. Assuming that Washington was one of the yard workers her husband had hired, the woman of the house asked him if he would chop some wood for her. Professor Washington smiled, nodded, took off his coat, and chopped the wood. When he carried the armload of wood into the woman's kitchen, a servant girl recognized him and rushed to her mistress to tell her of his identity. The next morning the woman appeared in...More Friday, January 23, 2026 Where there is a will, there is a way Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV In the early 1950s, Irwin W. Rosenberg, a junior naval officer, was discharged from military service after he was diagnosed with cancer - standard military procedure at the time. The loss of his job was quite a blow, but he was determined to get back both his health and his job. With faith and determination, he battled the disease that tried to take over his body. At one point he was given only two weeks to live, but eventually his cancer was brought under control. Irwin then focused his attention on his desire to become a naval officer. He discovered, however, that regulations...More Thursday, January 22, 2026 Believe God for greater things James 4:2 NKJV Some people think we're not supposed to ask God for too much; otherwise, it's selfish. But God wants you to ask. "You do not have because you do not ask." If you're not asking - then you're not releasing your faith. Jesus said, "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29 KJV). You need to learn to pray bold prayers and expect and believe God for greater things. "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession" (Psalm 2:8 NKJV). That's a bold prayer! But if God tells you to pray it, it's because He is willing to answer...More Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Be an edifier; a people builder 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV The word "edify" means "to build up, strengthen, encourage, and motivate." There are probably people in your life right now who need someone to speak blessing over them. You don't know how much it will mean when you give them your approval and let them know you are proud of them and that you think they can do great things. Everyone needs to be edified. So, what kind of seeds are you planting in your children, in your husband or wife, in your friends? Do you believe in anyone? Have you let them know? Are you taking an interest to find out how you can improve their life? Have you...More Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Your rewards in heaven Matthew 5:12 NKJV The historian Edward Gibbon tracked the speedy progress of Christianity in the days of the Roman Empire, and points to five reasons for it: (1) The fervour of the early Christians. (2) The power of miracles. (3) The pure morals of the Christians. (4) The compact church organization. (5) The belief in future rewards. The Bible often speaks about our rewards in heaven. Here are a few examples: "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice... for great is your reward in heaven" (vv. 11-12 NKJV). "The Son of Man will...More

Sunday, January 18, 2026 Honesty is the best policy Proverbs 10:9 NLT In preparation for a dinner party, a woman stopped by a small butcher shop to buy meat for the meal. She had decided to stuff and roast a chicken as the main course. When she asked the man at the counter for the largest chicken he had, he reached into the cold-storage compartment, grabbed the last chicken he had, and placed it on the scale. "This one weighs four pounds, ma'am," he said. The woman thought for a moment and then said, "I'm not sure that will be enough. Don't you have a bigger one?" The attendant put the chicken back into the compartment, pretended to search through the...More Saturday, January 17, 2026 A prayer for healing family strife Mark 3:25 NLT "Lord, your Word says, 'A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.' Satan is attacking my family, and I'm turning to you for help. Your Word says, 'When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will [be my defence and] lift up a standard against him' (Isaiah 59:19 NKJV). Touch the hearts and minds of every member of this family, and draw them closer to you. You said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God' (Matthew 5:9 KJV). I commit myself to be a peacemaker in this situation, and ask you for the wisdom to know what to say and do....More Friday, January 16, 2026 How to pray when you're lonely Genesis 2:22 NKJV "Father, when Adam was lonely, you made Eve and brought her to him. And just as you knew what Adam needed, I'm struggling with loneliness, and you know what I need too. You said in your Word, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you' (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). There is a part of me that can never be satisfied or fulfilled by any relationship other than you. But you also created me to be sociable and need interaction with other people. Help me to admit and stop any negative behaviour on my part that may cause people not to enjoy and to accept me, such as being critical, envious, hot-tempered,...More Thursday, January 15, 2026 Set boundaries that matter Ephesians 6:4 CEV Opposites often attract, marry, and then have to deal with their differences - especially when their children become teens and they run up against boundary issues. Boundary disputes test the parents' capacity to negotiate differences in deciding what's right or wrong for their child. You let her do whatever she wants... You're driving him away with your strictness... She needs more discipline... He needs space to be a kid. Both parents love their children and want only the best for them, but they disagree on how to accomplish it. In his book Boundaries with Teens, Dr. John Townsend gives some...More Wednesday, January 14, 2026 Unselfishness; the secret of a happy marriage 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NCV Let's begin with three short stories that spell out the challenge of building a strong and happy marriage. First story: A man was observing a couple and said to his wife, "Look at them, they look so happy." She said, "Don't be so sure, they're probably saying the same thing about us." Second story: "A woman once said, "My husband and I have a very happy marriage. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for me. So we've gone through life doing nothing for each other." Third story: A husband told his friend, "My wife and I have decided never to go to bed...More Tuesday, January 13, 2026 What will we do in heaven? Matthew 25:21 NKJV If you are a purpose-driven person, the thought of spending eternity doing little, or nothing will have no appeal to you. But that's not the case. When we get to heaven, God is not going to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you can take the rest of eternity off." No, He will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21 NKJV). There will be "many things" for us to do. We already know that we will be ruling with Christ over this restored earth during His millennial reign (See Revelation...More Monday, January 12, 2026 The healing ministry of Jesus Hebrews 13:8 NKJV Jesus, who was known in the Bible as "the Great Physician," spent much of His ministry healing the sick. Read these four Scriptures: (1) "Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching... preaching the gospel... and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments... and He healed them" (Matthew 4:23-25 NKJV). (2) "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them... And when He had called His twelve disciples...More Sunday, January 11, 2026 Believe God for a breakthrough 1 Chronicles 14:11 NKJV The Bible says: "The Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of God, saying, 'Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?' The Lord said to him, 'Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.' So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, 'God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water'" (vv. 9-11 NKJV). Notice how David likened God's power to the bursting forth of waters. He is saying that when God shows up and releases His power, it will be like a...More Saturday, January 10, 2026 Demonstrate your faith Mark 2:5, 11 NLT The Bible says: "While he was preaching... four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof... Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man... 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!' And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, 'We've never seen anything like this before!'" (vv. 2-5, 11-12 NLT). Notice the words "when Jesus saw...More Friday, January 9, 2026 One day you will understand fully 1 Corinthians 13:12 NCV When Corrie ten Boom travelled the world sharing her experiences, she would often speak with her head down. She appeared to be reading notes, but she was actually stitching a needlepoint design. When she would finish telling her story of the atrocities she suffered from the Nazis, she would reveal the needlepoint she had been working on. She would first show the back side, which was just a tangle of coloured threads with no distinct pattern. And she would say, "That's how we see our lives. Sometimes it makes no sense." Then she would flip the needlepoint over to unveil the...More Thursday, January 8, 2026 Each day of your life is a gift Psalm 90:12 NKJV Motivational speaker Denis Waitley describes an experience that marked his life forever. He was trying to catch a flight for a speaking commitment and was running through the airport terminal. He reached the gate just as the agent closed the door. Denis explained his dilemma, but the agent didn't reopen the door. That's when his annoyance turned into anger. He stomped out of the boarding area and returned to the ticket counter to lodge a complaint and reschedule his flight. His anger increased as he waited for over twenty minutes in a line that hardly moved. Right before his turn at the...More Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Three steps to overcoming depression 1 Kings 19:4 NIV Elijah got so depressed that he wanted to die. Here is the threefold prescription God gave him for climbing out of his depression: (1) Refresh yourself. "An angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again" (vv. 5-6 NIV). Elijah was exhausted. He had just fasted for a long time, so his body was weakened. He had also run eighteen miles to deliver the good news of his victory over the pagan prophets, adding to his physical weakness. Adequate rest and a...More Tuesday, January 6, 2026 The great exchange 1 Peter 3:18 NKJV A saleswoman passed a particular corner each day on her way to work. For more than a week, she observed a little girl trying to sell a flop-eared puppy. The saleswoman finally said to the little girl, "Honey, if you want to sell this dog, I suggest you clean him up, brush his coat, raise your price, and make people think they're getting something of value." At noon, the saleswoman noticed the little girl had taken her advice. The puppy was groomed and sitting under a big sign that read, "TREMENDOUS Puppy for Sale - $5,000.00." The saleswoman smiled and gulped, determined to tell the...More Monday, January 5, 2026 The traits of a champion Jeremiah 29:11 TLB Sports psychologists have identified six recurring traits that are common to Olympic gold medalist athletes. These traits of a champion apply to both men and women, but they are also dominant factors in the lives of those who succeed in nonathletic vocations as well. Let's look carefully at each trait and see what we can learn. (1) Self-analysis. The successful athlete knows their strengths and weaknesses, and engages in a critical appraisal that is honest but never negative. (2) Self-competition. A winner knows that he or she can only control their own performance, so they...More Sunday, January 4, 2026 Bible reading: the key to spiritual growth (3) 2 Timothy 3:16 NCV Perhaps you wonder, 'Is the Bible really inspired by God? Is it true, trustworthy, and infallible?' The answer is yes, and here are three reasons why: 1) It is remarkable in composition. It was composed over sixteen centuries by forty different authors, including soldiers, shepherds, farmers, and fishermen. Begun by Moses in Arabia and finished by John the Revelator on Patmos - it was penned by kings in palaces, shepherds in tents, and captives in prisons. Would it be possible for forty writers, largely unknown to each other, writing in three different languages in several different...More Saturday, January 3, 2026 Bible reading: the key to spiritual growth (2) 2 Timothy 3:14 NCV Don't chart your life's course according to the opinions of people or popular culture. If you do, you'll make the mistake that a farmer's son made. The father sent the boy to prepare a field, reminding him to till straight lines. 'Select an object on the far side of the field and plough straight at it.' Later, when the father checked on the boy's progress, there wasn't a straight furrow to be found. 'I thought I told you to select an object and plough towards it,' the dad said. 'I did,' the boy answered, 'but the rabbit kept hopping.' A straight line requires an unmoving target, so...More Friday, January 2, 2026 Bible reading: the key to spiritual growth (1) Joshua 1:8 NKJV God gave Joshua a big job: conquer the Promised Land and divide it up among the twelve tribes of Israel. He also gave him the key to success: 'This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.' God didn't command Joshua to seek a spiritual experience or a personal revelation. He told him to meditate on the Scriptures. Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson wrote a book called Move. They wanted to...More Thursday, January 1, 2026 Make prayer your first priority John 16:24 NKJV Prayer should be your highest priority. Why? Because when you fail to pray, you set yourself up to fail. You're saying in essence, 'I don't need God's help or input.' God comes by invitation. Prayer opens the door and welcomes Him into your situation. Jesus said, 'Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.' An unknown poet wrote: 'I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God...More

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