Surprises Oct.13

 

        Jesus of Nazareth is not some hesitant Savior, meaning you must beg over-and-over for his attention. In fact, every day his plan may seem a new surprise, a new gift for you which contains his intermingling joy.  Pay close attention. His ways are still not always what you think. Often, through unusual thinking or action, he sends you a blessing. It can appear even as some hardship, some health issue, a financial message, or a family event. Potentially, any activity may become his channel for surprise because he loves to give when you may least expect. Pray to recognize his gift and not some selfish hardship!

Prayer: Lord, help me remember you injected your love into every cell of my mind, body, and spirit; every neuron fired in my brain is surrounded by your love!

Connections Oct.12

 

As a Jesus follower, pay attention to the constant connection of your inner being and your outward behavior. Even though you live in this world but are not truly of it, you are to build bridges between spiritual devotion and physical outcomes. Think of the difference between the example of Mary and Martha in Luke’s gospel but remember they were still sisters. True fellowship remains the goal in spite of circumstances.

Prayer: Lord, with connections, help me know where and when I fit.

Genuine Help Oct.10

 

We are bombarded with advertisements and institutions that promise to offer some kind of relief. They ask: Can you be set free from the struggles and troubles? Do you wish for the prosperous conditions of those who do not follow Christ, who seem to have no problems? And yet, does not everyone eat, drink, and get hailed on? Is your constant goal to avoid discomfort or suffering? Psalm 121 points you to a magnificent truth: Believers and non-believers can have the same difficulties, but the heavenly Father will keep you from evil. Events that happen to you are neither good nor bad but have the potential seed for either one. God may allow you a hard, difficult, uncomfortable event, but His Spirit can keep you from doing evil. So it remains no accident in Christ’s model prayer that he prayed “. . . deliver us from evil.”

Prayer: Lord, I pray we pay attention when you deliver us from evil thoughts and ways.

 

Small Items Oct.9

 

Life twists and turns like a briar bush and interlays like a mosaic tile-floor as well. Jehovah is interested and just as concerned about the everyday little pieces of life as they fit together. Nothing exists too small or mundane, but what it may be a significant part of the mosaic of Christ. At the end of life you will see and understand, you will recall, piece by piece, the full mosaic that heavenly Father put together. Just lean on faith if you do not understand the pieces now!

Prayer: Oh Lord, help me pay attention to your doings of all the little facets of life.

Your Divided Self Oct.8

 

No ‘ifs ands or buts’. . . surrender your divided self into the realm of Jehovah God. And trust certain principles that what you give yourself to (Jesus the Son) can sustain you with heavenly principles. Any person or action that appeals for your energy needs to call out your best potential. If some issue only brings out the worst in you, it is not of heavenly Father. The Father’s concern and will promote the best  for you, though it may not happen when your self-will expects.

Prayer: Lord, help me know the difference between the selfish non-best and the legitimate your-best to grow self-interest.

 

 

What is most Important? Oct. 7

 

As you live in this world, what becomes the most important result of knowing the Savior, Jesus of Nazareth? Is it heaven? Is it peace? Is it abundance? Is it morality? Is it hope? Is it that you will have your own kingdom? All have merit and deciding one thing becomes difficult, but if you follow Proverbs 2 and gain its treasure, the Holy Spirit will grant a guide most precious: Wisdom.

Clearly there are two kinds of wisdom. One is fueled by ambition that leads to selfish motivation and stays earth bound, not of the heavenly Father. The other comes from heaven and upholds your Savior, while it feeds the fruit of the Spirit. How is the correct wisdom attained? Proverbs says start by accepting the entire word of heavenly Father. In that acceptance comes good sense and better insight into all life, relationships, and overall humanity.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the wisdom to choose and maintain the right wisdom for you.

Indecision Oct.6

 

Try not to hesitate too long. Make your decisions based upon biblical and kingdom principles; avoid predicting any results. Indecision tends to feed fear not faith. Don’t ask first: “How will this affect me?” Rather, ask: “What is the right thing to do? What will feed kingdom growth? How will what I do help someone else? God-directed, right quick decision can also keep you out of the dilemma of doubt.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to waver when it comes to behaving in your kingdom.

Love Maturity Oct.5

 

The Bible exists not just as a book of ideas or theories. It remains a book of historical fact; the things did happen. It has been said that things are not true because they are in the Bible, but they are in the Bible because they are true. You are not only to love scripture for its own sake but because the words bring you into the heavenly presence and Yahweh is all truth.

The magnificence of God’s love isn’t just found in a love object, but in the essence and act of loving. Scripture becomes food to help you stay and grow longer in God’s presence. Jehovah’s beingness is the energy of all life. Think of the newborn who results from a seed because the life force germinates growth. We are the seed; scripture becomes one of the enduring growth sources.  Savior Jesus becomes an enlarging power to produce maturity. A full-blown live-being stays a potential love expression from heavenly Father. A full-blown Christian is a love expression of the Son’s reality and beauty.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord. Just thank you.

A valuable Difference Oct.4

 

One difference in the Holy Spirit being able to work certain powers in your life has to do with recognition. Struggle to maintain conscious effort every day in remembering that, the Christ, can be honored by the little things as well as the large. Your views, attitudes,  abilities, eyes and ears can rest in Christ to make all the difference. Pay attention to everywhere and everywhen God’s Spirit keeps working. There the resurrected Jesus will be.

Prayer: Lord, open my physical and spiritual eyes to see you with me always.

Practice the true presence Oct. 3

 

If you will believe that all things really are held together by heavenly Father and that He can be the source and sum of all you attempt, then every practical behavior and action can be praise to Him through his son Jesus. Your breathing, eating, your beingness, every cell is yours joined by Holy Spirit. So, when you experience any of these, they can serve as conscious acts of praise and honor to God and kingdom growth. Just say so!

Prayer: Lord, let everything I do glorify your name in some way.

Influence Oct.2

 

You may not see what is left behind from your involvement with others. But because the Holy Spirit gives the follower of Jesus  everlasting principles that sustain heaven as well as earth, your influence will also be eternal. Each word or act in Jesus’s name gives off cosmic energy that outlasts earthly time. Stay alert to what you say and do every day.

Prayer: Lord, I stand amazed that something I might say could last eternity. Let the Holy Spirit filter my mouth.

Criticism Oct.1

 

Simply refuse to criticize anyone and soften your corrective methods. Pray instead. Keep your value of sensitive caring turned toward others. Let any tough-minded thoughts stay within yourself, but do not be too hard on yourself. At the point of your harshness, forgive. . . and do not overly criticize.

Prayer: Forgive us Lord. It is so easy to pass judgment on other people’s behavior and often forget about our own misgivings.

Find Distinction Sept. 30

 

 

            Concentrate today and do a specific action that shows what an authentic genuine Christ-follower would do.

 

            Prayer: Lord, help me pay attention to do what you ask with any of my behaviors.

       

Trustful Happiness Sept. 29

 

            The truth remains that you can find thankfulness from any of your opposing experiences. Heavenly Father also wants you to trust happiness along with his Son. Nature, life, light, and any creative-experience can give you joy. As you remind yourself to pray and work through Him. Celebrate all your relationships. Slow down and feel a connection.  

 

            Prayer: Thank you Lord, for family, friends, work and thanks for all the little unmentioned things that you send my way.

 

Purposeful Action Sept.28

 

 

            As a follower of Jesus, your savior guide,  shows you a need, if he let you see it clearly, the ability to see it becomes a part of the Spirit’s urging to take some action and meet the need. You may not meet every need but work the one most clearly. Along the way, remember, forgiveness trumps justice. Distinguish God’s Spirit.

                Prayer: I pray you will help me recognize and meet someone’s need          today.

Unready Sept.26

 

 

            Heavenly Father’s kingdom bears its own fruit because it joins the proper soil. In a sense, as we are made originally from dirt, we become the soil. We get established; we become plowed anew, enriched, and readied for the seed of the kingdom. For followers of Christ, our Savior, gives the life energy to grow the fruit, but we must be ready to become the proper seed. If we rebel, we grow weeds that take place in the good soil. Weeds wither and die. Only the kingdom-type plants endure to move on to the next harvest growth.

 

            Prayer: Lord, sometimes it is scary being the soil and knowing we get plowed up but give us courage to accept the right seed.

 

What Control? Sept.25

 

            When Jesus walked with his twelve disciples and ate grain from the stalks in the field, he got challenged by man’s law “to not gather grain” on the Sabbath. Soon he posed the question: “Was man made for the Sabbath or the Sabbath made for man?” One way to think about this, in other words, was a person made for the environment or the environment made for a person? 

            Be aware that your circumstances do not control you, but you control your circumstances. You have lasting decisions to make. Your job, friends, family or even your cultural changes should not overrun you.

 

           Prayer: Lord, help me make your clear, decision-making concerns every aspect of daily living.

 

The Small Effort Sept.23

       

 

       Every little gem of wisdom scripture passes on to you comes from heavenly Father and exists like a drop of fresh water to parched lips of the soul. Share all you can as often as you can. Today, especially, be faithful in the small things of the kingdom: encourage the downhearted, give a compliment, help someone smile. Your effort takes no more energy to be kind than to be rude or harsh.

 

         Prayer: Lord, thank you for reminding me to treat others with your compassion, as I would want to be treated.             

 

The Gift of Time Sept. 22

 

To you who follow, remember, rather than almighty, heavenly Father giving up on you, He gave part of himself{Jesus} for you.

 

    Prayer: Lord, I don’t always understand how your great love works. I am trying to learn the rhythm of your universe, and I thank you for your Son, your name, for your giving-sacrifice.

 

Confused Values Sept. 21

 

           

            As a struggling follower of Jesus, we seem to be a country trying to entertain our way into prosperity, war our way into peace, spend our way to wealth, and ride a road prepared by pleasure into heaven.

            But God’s word reminds us prosperity does not come through lies{artificial endeavor}. War remains only war. Spending more only works if it’s a gift of a Christ-generated Self. Only enjoying our way to heaven may mean we are missing the struggles that are opportunities to spiritually grow. We grow more through the challenges, and then we may rest in Christ. Still, we may choose! God’s Grace provides any path!

 

            Prayer: Lord, sometimes, challenges seem too much, but help us see the growth in all of them to go beyond circumstances as you still hold our hand!

       

Trade Feelings Sept. 19

 

                You may need stronger reason to combat some emotions. You must learn to trade the bad emotion for a better one. For instance, practice conscious effort and say to yourself, ’I’ll trade my anger for love.’ Let the emotional and chemical quality of righteous love help neutralize and renegotiate anger. For the follower of Jesus, the Lord, will help turn negative anger into the energy of redeeming love. Pray now and daily make the trade.

                Prayer: Lord, help me know your love in practical ways and to be willing to trade any negative feeling for your unselfish love.

The Right Kingdom Sept.18

    Scripture has revealed specifically there are qualities of human nature that can belong to the kingdom of heavenly Father. You must become poor in spirit. Poor in spirit means to renounce your self-will and turn to Jesus, God’s only Son. You must enter a realm as a child. You are to remain childlike with trust and faith in One bigger than you are. You will learn to place your discomfort with Christ. You can be willing to endure certain suffering because those times offer unseen opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work. You become a part of heavenly kingdom. As you possess the kingdom, the kingdom possesses you!

 

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me remember the Kingdom is operating now and not just in the future.

 

 

               

Jehovah’s Partnership Sept.17

    Do you realize how important you are? Jesus left all the benefits of heaven as the second person of the Trinity to come to earth, live as a human, endure the whole Cross experience, and then combining human and heaven qualities, went back to heaven with a new joy because NOW, He takes you with him. From His mystery love, He sent the Holy Spirit to partner with you in all things. You may now use your faith to claim all he has given what already exists. Turn over all unanswerable, non-faith matters to the ability of the Holy Spirit to keep your awe of living. How do you do this?? Take time! Enter the AWE of Jehovah…Psalm 34:9.

        Prayer: Lord, help me know the difference between your faith issues and the non-faith issues in all life struggles.

Joy Sept.16

   

            Jesus of Nazareth and Lord of All the universe, wants you to experience joy each day. No matter what circumstances prevail. How? You may ask. Let your expectations be defined by His and your possibilities. He presents situations and opportunities every day. With change comes opportunity for His growth-presentations! Look for and accept His little surprises each day you live. . .and in a sense, know that you live eternity even now.

 

            Prayer: Lord, Help me today stay open to your kingdom possibilities and not allow negative circumstances to block your rule.     

 

Finances Sept.15

 

   

        When finances get you down, start saying a prayer over every bill you send that it becomes used to help others as a living event in God’s omnipresent doings, the kingdom for God’s glory. Even if you’ve spent the funds unwisely, pray the pay back helps to further the work of the life of redemption both for you and others.

 

        Prayer: Lord, help me remember, all finances are yours and they are a part of extensions for our character growth.

 

 

Spiritual eyes Sept.13

 

 

        You are truly blessed because you see what you learn from heaven. You see the kingdom of heavenly Father. In older days, kings and prophets wanted to see what you see but could not. They wanted to hear what you hear but could not. They wanted to feel what you feel but could not. Since Jesus made history, you have the recorded presence of heaven. You have the Holy Spirit’s presence within to guide you always. Just depend on Him by giving Him notice.

 

        Prayer: Lord, help us remember, the Holy Spirit remains a teacher within our hearts forever.           

 

 

 

A Positive Action Sept.12

 

         In the Bible, Luke 8, Jesus heals a Gadarene man who was ravished by demons. Then, the healed man wanted to journey with the disciples, along with Christ. He was told to go back home and tell people what Jesus had done. After healing, this man probably wore borrowed clothes to shield his earlier nakedness. Also, he had been the cause of several pigs receiving demons and dying. Do you wonder what he did, after he was healed?

         He was now rational enough to go home and find work to pay for the clothes and the pigs. This thought might become your testimony to the world. Many symbolic demons may attack you. The kingdom principles, Jesus gives us of renewal, of kindness, of putting back and giving when we don’t have to go the extra mile, still are your goals.

        Prayer: Lord I pray for your balance in all things. Help me place my footing on your solid ground.

 

Compassion Issues Sept.11

 

        Compassion must move to operate as other centeredness. Resentment, envy, anger, coveting, or fear can throw up roadblocks to compassionate growth. Practice taking one day every week and do something nice for someone else. Give some money; say a kind word; smile; compliment; do some positive action and do not expect any thanks in return. Extend the action to two days. Stretch the days so your goal happens every day of the week. Blessed is the merciful.

               Prayer: Lord, help any passion feelings I have get sprinkled with        

         your compassion.

       

False service Sept.10

 

   

        Think carefully about maybe becoming inefficient from over activity of what others may think goodwill. They can rob you of your time from the true Jesus-Way. In Christ’s name, pray and then say yes or NO based on scripture information and truth. Although you do not see one of God’s specific challenges, remember, your important quest remains your own growth. Causes spent for others need to be legitimate in the process of seen and unseen Christian following. Keep seeking  God’s spiritual insights as they seek you.

 

        Prayer: Keep me, Lord, seeking the right things for the spread of kingdom’s sake.

 

Good verses bad Sept.9

 

        Your capacity to love the One true God, Jehovah, will point to your evaluation of hating evil. If you try to hate the evil without the right love, you enter a self-righteousness that tends to break your  clear fellowship. When you enter some action, major on love. If you happen to err, do so, on the side of God’s loving power.

 

 

        Prayer: Oh, Heavenly Father, teach me today to maintain love more than I cherish any hate.

Clear Perspective Sept.8

 

                                              

        Ask specifically today for clear insight and courage of discovery to see yourself openly. You may be trying to cover resentments with curtains of piety. Any resentment or subtle anger will gain a foothold in your life and ruin any purpose. Do not harbor pretense but be completely honest with yourself and others. As a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, the great I AM vibrates within you.

        Prayer: Lord, help me today be truly honest about being honest.

Endurance Sept.7

 

        The Holy Spirit helps you foresee. You have a great capacity to solve problems that happen, and you are more than your present circumstances suggest. You can move into what you can become. For instance, an animal may run to a dead-end cliff, either stop or fall off. You may run to the same dead end and try to figure how to build a bridge across. Heavenly Father gave you the ability to rework your conditions. Keep enduring and use scripture as your guide.

 

Prayer: Lord, help me stay completely guided by your Spirit in my mind, emotions, spirit, and body.    

 

Self-Control Sept.6

                                                                                         

        Remember, faithfulness and self-control remain fruits of the Spirit for those who choose to follow Christ. The Spirit adds strength to character. He will amplify your trust quality. He can give you a perfect power of silence along with your self-control. So, by being a respectful listener, you are not to judge the hearts of others, but you can have a part to help manage better decisions with them.

 

                Prayer: Lord, especially remind me today to bridle my tongue!

Ability Sept. 5

 

        If you appear competent to yourself and others based on some human excellence, then you have access to only the potential of what human nature   can do. The Holy Spirit writes upon the tablet of your human heart. If you draw your capability from Christ and he has it from heavenly Father, you may claim extraordinary proficiency. The Holy Spirit makes complete, as a bearer of the New Covenant, advances a new potential. Jesus remains an assurance of the Spirit who gives life abundantly. You may proceed with self-assurance. Others may call you vain, haughty, or even confused but stay in the confidence of the Spirit; He will NEVER fail you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you and keep showing me that I am more than the sum of my parts.

What Love? Sept.4

 

        In order to honor heavenly Father’s every domain, you may:

             Love the Father for the Father’s sake.

             Love Jesus for love’s sake.

             Love  yourself for the Father’s sake.

             Love heavenly Father for the self’s sake.

             Love the Self for self’s sake.

              Love another for Savior’s sake.  

         Yahweh’s Holy Spirit refines all love.

 

    Prayer: Lord, help me continually search for the depth of your love in all its forms.

           

Is A Day Wasted? Sept. 3

 

        Remember, no day is totally wasted when you have been a small part in promoting the Jesus way of life on earth, such as a spiritual truth discovered, God’s word shared, or a simple deed done. Results are God’s domain. Logic of it all may remain his mystery. Connections may be silently God’s working. Just stay alert and LIVE aware as part of the linking. Trust God still leads what is happening.

        Prayer: Thank you, Lord for the Kingdom connections now and especially those in the future.

 

Where Secure? Sept. 2

 

        As a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, as an individual, you have a place that is still yours alone. The place lingers and has a special condition as a hiding place and continues as your location of rest and security, held by the Highest Spirit. Bathed and covered with love, no other person can go there but you. The Holy Spirit is there to receive you always.

        Prayer: Lord, remind me every day to enter that special resting place you have for Me and let it flow with everyday living. Jesus…you make the connections!