Thursday, February 2, 2023

Thursday, February 2, 2023
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan is often depicted as a cartoonish devil with a pitchfork, but we know that our enemy is very real, and is doing everything he can to distract us from what matters. As you walk through life with God, be sober-minded and watchful. Write the scriptures on your heart, and don’t let any lie or insecurity undermine what Jesus has done for you. He loves you more than you can possibly know, and nothing can separate you from that affection, as the devil would like to have you believe. Be vigilant and guard your mind against temptation and deceit, remembering that Satan is a defeated enemy; because of Jesus, sin and death are defeated, and the head of the serpent has been crushed.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Wednesday, February 1, 2023
1 Peter 2:21
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

What does it mean to “follow in Christ’s steps?” It means obeying God and following Him wherever He leads you, even when it gets hard. Jesus set the greatest example of selflessness, humility, and obedience to God, even unto death. The Bible promises that you will face persecution and hardship in this world, but in doing so, you will bring glory to His name and strengthen your faith. When you face trouble on your walk with the Lord, you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ; sufferings that earned you and I eternal life in paradise.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The Lord, using human hands over thousands of years, wrote a book for you. It is a history of the world, a guide for how to live life, and within its pages is the character of Jesus Christ and the message of salvation. The Bible is a source of wisdom, comfort and direction, there to help you navigate the challenges and difficulties of life. It covers everything, like what’s right and wrong, how we should treat people, what a healthy marriage looks like, and, most importantly, how to be saved from our sin. Make it a regular habit to read and study the word of God, and notice the difference it makes as you apply what you read to your everyday life.

Monday, January 30, 2023

Monday, January 30, 2023
Romans 10:9
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The key to salvation is faith: faith that Jesus was and is the Son of God, and faith that God raised Him from the dead, conquering sin and death. Getting to Heaven isn’t dependent on your own works or deeds, but on your relationship to Jesus Christ. Through this belief, and confession, you are made clean in the eyes of God, who made His Son the embodiment of your sin, and nailed Him to a cross. Let us confess Jesus as Lord with our mouths and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. And may our hearts be filled with gratitude and love for the Lord, as we recognize the great gift of salvation that He has given us through His grace.

Friday, January 27, 2023

Friday, January 27, 2023
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Trust in the Lord and commit your work to Him, and everything you do will succeed exactly as planned. At least, that’s the way we’d like to read this verse. But thankfully, we serve a God whose thoughts are above our thoughts, and whose plans are better than anything we could have come up with. His plans often look confusing to us, but in the end the Lord creates something better than we could have imagined. For that reason, this verse emphasizes the importance of putting our trust in God, rather than relying solely on our own abilities and understanding. When you submit to God and trust Him with your work, He is able to bring about His perfect plan… often in ways that you would never expect.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Thursday, January 26, 2023
Ecclesiastes 7:14
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Consider and reflect upon the difficult times in your life. God saw all of them coming, and He knows what you will face tomorrow. Your circumstances, whether past, present, or future, are in the hands of God, and through every hardship He will outdo the bad with His goodness and grace. By accepting that you cannot know everything about your future, it becomes easier to be content and grateful for the present moment. As believers, we can be thankful in all circumstances, recognizing that God is sovereign and that everything happens for a reason. Through the good times and the bad, thank the Lord for all that He has done, and for the way He works all things together for good.