Who You Are in Christ BIBLE MEDITATION: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: The key to living a victorious Christian life is to discover who you are in Christ. Many Christians have never discovered this. They remind me of the man who had an identity problem and an energy crisis at the same time. He didn’t know who he was and he was too tired to find out. God doesn’t work from the outside in. He works from the inside out. God doesn’t modify our behavior in order to […]

Beautiful Garbage BIBLE MEDITATION:“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.” Matthew 6:19-20 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:Years ago I read about a man who had a rather ingenious way of getting rid of his garbage. He would gift-wrap it, put it out on the curb in front of his house, and invariably someone driving by would see that wrapped box, stop, and pick it up. And the man would be behind the curtains, watching those people drive away with their gift-wrapped garbage! So many times that’s what the devil does. He just takes the […]

After “Fighting the Good Fight” BIBLE MEDITATION:“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good professionbefore many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:Some of the greatest spiritual defeats you will ever have will followsome of your highest spiritual victories. Jonah, Moses, and Elijah– all these men learned this. Why does this happen? Because we are tired and feel we can just coast awhile. We think,“Didn’t God bless and give us a great victory?”But what we forget is that the devil is clever. He knows justwhen to pull the rug […]

Controlling Your Thought Life BIBLE MEDITATION:“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:There was a sign in a business that said, “We are not what we think we are; what we think–we are.” What are you allowing into your mind and thereby controlling your heart, your actions, and your words? God made you where you can’t think two thoughts at one time. If you’re thinking what’s right, you can’t be thinking what’s wrong. And as you think, you will become. Guard your mind. Center your mind upon the Lord Jesus. Don’t let the devil […]

Hunger for the Word of God BIBLE MEDITATION:“I rejoice at Thy Word.” Psalm 119:162 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). When God’s Word is as important to you as your physical food, then you’re going to start to grow in your Christian life. I wonder if one day the dust on our Bibles is not going to testify against us. The following verse sobers my heart, “These hath God married and no man shall part, dust on the Bible and drought on the heart.” Oh, that we would […]

When We Don’t Understand  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Read Isaiah 55:6-13 Although I depend on technology every day to get my job done, I don’t understand much about how it works. I turn my computer on, bring up a Word document, and get to work on my lesson. Yet my inability to comprehend how microchips, hard drives, Wi-Fi connections, and full-color displays actually function doesn’t get in the way of my benefiting from technology. How does the printer connected wirelessly, grab my word document out of the […]

Five-Finger Prayers Pray for each other James 5:16 Read James 5:13-18 Prayer is a conversation with God, not a formula. Yet sometimes we might need to use a “method” to freshen up our prayer time. We can pray the Psalms or other Scriptures (such as The Lord’s Prayer), or use the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). I recently came across this “Five-Finger Prayer” to use as a guide when praying for others: • When you fold your hands, the thumb is nearest you. So begin by praying for those closest to you—your loved ones (Phil. 1:3–5). • The […]

Go Fever Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Psalm 37:7 On January 28, 1986, after five weather-related delays, the space shuttle Challenger lumbered heavenward amid a thunderous overture of noise and flame. A mere 73 seconds later, system failure tore the shuttle apart, and all seven crewmembers perished. The disaster was attributed to an O-ring seal known to have vulnerabilities. Insiders referred to the fatal mistake as “go fever”—the tendency to ignore vital precautions in the rush […]

The Great Healer Read: Genesis 2:7-15  I am the Lord, who heals you. —Exodus 15:26 The doctors I know are smart, hard-working, and compassionate. They have relieved my suffering on many occasions, and I am grateful for their expertise in diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medication, setting broken bones, and stitching up wounds. But this does not mean that I place my faith in physicians rather than in God. For reasons known only to God, He appointed humans to be His partners in the work of caring for creation (Gen. 2:15), and doctors are among them. Doctors study medical science and learn how God […]

When You’re Down Read: Psalm 6  Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. —Psalm 6:8 Sometimes it doesn’t take much to get us down, does it? An unkind remark from a friend, bad news from the auto mechanic, a financial setback, or a misbehaving child can put a cloud of gloom over everything, even on the sunniest day. You know you should be joyful, but everything seems to be against you, making simple tasks a struggle. David must have been feeling that way when he wrote Psalm 6. He felt […]