Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously.

John 7:24 (AMPC)

For years I was the kind of person who made snap judgments. God seriously dealt with me about it several times, and I finally realized the danger of judging hastily and superficially.

Before we judge people, we must take time to get to know who they really are. Otherwise, we can make a mistake in one of two ways:

1. We can approve of someone because they appear to be something, when in fact they are not.
2. We can disapprove of someone because of some outward appearance or action, when that individual is actually a wonderful person inside.

We all have our little quirks, our odd little actions, behaviors, and ways that are not easily understood by others. God Himself does not judge by appearances, and we need to follow His example. David would never have been chosen to be king if people had judged superficially. Even his own family disregarded him. They did not even include him as a possible candidate (1 Samuel 16:1–13). But God saw David’s heart, the heart of a shepherd. God saw a worshipper, someone who had a heart for Him, someone who was pliable and moldable in His hand. These are qualities God values, but they aren’t always obvious at a glance. I encourage you to seek God and let the Holy Spirit speak to you about people. He knows their hearts, and He will tell you whether to beware or whether to pursue a relationship with them. Trust Him, not your own judgment, to lead you as you get to know people and develop relationships.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me look past appearances and judge fairly, the way You do. Give me patience to truly know people’s hearts before I form opinions. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Joshua 1:8 (AMPC)

To meditate means to roll something over and over in your mind and perhaps to mutter it softly. If you know how to worry, then you know how to meditate. To worry is to meditate on your problems, but proper meditation is to think about God’s Word. The more you think about His Word, the more you will get from it, and it will become part of you. The scriptures you have meditated on will come back to you at times when you need them.

Psalm 37 talks about not fretting over evil people, and verse 3 tells us to trust God and do good. I have taught on and thought about this scripture many times, and when I am dealing with a problem or a person who is frustrating, it often comes to mind and reminds me to stay focused on trusting God and helping other people.

If you hide God’s Word in your heart, it will keep you from sinning (Psalm 119:11). Today’s scripture promises that if we meditate on the Scriptures day and night, all we do will prosper. This sounds good to me—don’t you agree? God’s Word is full of power, and the more of it we know, the more powerful we will be.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me meditate on Your Word day and night, hiding it in my heart. Let it renew my mind and make my way prosperous, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

Matthew 28:20 (AMPC)

When good things happen to us, praise comes naturally. It’s easy to lift our hands and our voices when God answers our prayers and delivers us from problems. But what about when things go wrong? What do we do when we’re sick, lose a job, or face criticism from others?

The negative response is to take the attitude of Job’s wife, who was so overwhelmed by the loss of their children and possessions that she told her husband: Renounce God and die! (Job 2:9 AMP). But Job answered with great wisdom: You speak as one of the impious and foolish women would speak. What? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a bad nature? (Job 2:10 AMP). Job understood that living righteously doesn’t guarantee a life free from challenges.

The positive response is to praise God despite what’s going on in our lives. It may take effort, but if we can turn our eyes away from our immediate problems, we can find something that is good. We also can rejoice because God has faithfully taken us through the turmoil of the past, and we can trust that He’ll do the same again.

Prayer of the Day: God, thank You for Your Word, which promises that You are with me always and on every occasion. Help me praise You in both good and challenging times. May my attitude reflect trust in You, amen.

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The LORD turned to him [Gideon] and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Judges 6:14-15 (ESV)

People who have been hurt or abused in some way often have very low self-esteem. Other people have not treated them as though they are valuable or special, so they do not have a strong sense of self-worth. An important part of the healing of the soul is developing a healthy self-image and coming to understand that God loves us, so we should love ourselves. We were worth His sending His Son to die for us, so we have worth far beyond what we realize.

In the Bible, Gideon did not have a good self-image. When God called him to save the Israelites and even asked, “Do not I send you?” (which was God’s way of letting Gideon know that yes, He was definitely sending him), Gideon tried to get out of it. He basically told God that he did not come from a strong family and that he was the weakest one of them all!

God had chosen Gideon for a special purpose, but Gideon did not have enough confidence in God or in himself to embrace the assignment. He had several problems. The first was that he thought negatively about himself. The second was that he spoke negatively about himself. The third was that his faith in God did not outweigh his own thoughts and words. Even when we think or speak negatively about ourselves, when we have an encounter with God, it gives us a chance to change our minds, change our words, and come into agreement with Him. Gideon didn’t do that.

As God heals your soul, your self-esteem will improve. You will begin to feel stronger, more confident, and better about who you are. This is a good sign, and it means that God is working in your life! When God calls you to do something or gives you an opportunity and your first thought is, Oh, I couldn’t do that. I am not smart enough or strong enough, or whatever you think you are not enough of, stop yourself. Interrupt that thought and think, God created me, and He loves me unconditionally. He is healing my soul and making me stronger. I belong to Him, so I can do anything He asks me to do!

This kind of confidence and positive self-image is not arrogant, because it is based on your relationship with God, not on your human abilities. To be confident in God and to feel good about how He has created you is a healthy expression of your faith in Him. Philippians 4:13 says you can do all things through Christ, who gives you strength. To believe that is to agree with God’s Word and doing that will help you improve your self-image.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for loving me and giving Your Son for me. Heal my self-image, silence my negative thoughts, and help me believe I am valuable in You, amen.

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Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil. And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry.

Matthew 4:1–2 (AMPC)

After Jesus had gone through a 40-day fast, Satan approached Him with three tempting offers. The devil came to Jesus when he was weak and hungry. It’s natural to assume that the Lord was physically weakened after being without nourishment for such an extended period of time, so, of course, the devil’s first offer involved food. If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread (Matthew 4:3 AMPC).

Later Jesus performed several miracles that included food, such as changing a boy’s lunch into enough fish and bread to feed five thousand people and, at another time, to feed four thousand. All of Jesus’ miracles were for the good of others. He never performed miracles for Himself or to satisfy any need of His own. That’s one major lesson we learn from His temptation.

The devil then took Jesus to a mountaintop and showed Him the nations of the earth. He said, in effect, “You can have it all in exchange for one slight, easily excusable act. Worship me—just once—and You can have it all.” I can even imagine the devil saying, “It’s all right; God will understand. You’re so weak right now.”

It was as if Satan said, “You’re going to rule it all anyway. This is just a shortcut.” He implied that through one simple act of worship, Jesus could avoid the rejection, the suffering, and even the horrifying death on the cross. And either way, He would achieve the same goal.

As attractive as the offer may have sounded, Jesus turned it down. He recognized the deliberately crafted lie, and Jesus never hesitated. The world would be won for God, but it would be won by the way of sacrifice and obedience. The way of the cross would be Jesus’ pathway to victory.

Again, Jesus teaches us that His is not the easy way. Instead, we must take the right way. Whenever the devil tries to convince us there is an easier way—one that will make life better for us—we know we don’t want to listen.

As we read the story, the choice seems obvious. But suppose you had been in that wilderness for 40 days and nights without food and water. Suppose you had faced such great temptations. Suppose the devil had whispered in your ear, “Just this one time and no one will know.”

This is one of the enemy’s most subtle lies. Not only does he tempt you to give in and to receive the things you’d like to have, but he also makes it sound simple and easy: “Just do this one thing, and it’s all yours.”

God never works that way. He wants you to have the best and only the best, but it has to come in the right way.

At the end of the temptation accounts, Matthew inserts a powerful statement. With each temptation, Jesus won because he relied on the Word of God for His strength. And the devil couldn’t fight the Word. Finally, Matthew records, Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11 AMPC).

The wisdom to be gleaned from this experience is powerful. Even after you’ve been battered and tempted, God doesn’t leave you. He remains with you to comfort you, to minister to your needs, and to encourage you. Never forget that He is as close to you as the mention of His name. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Prayer of the Day: Blessed Lord Jesus, thank You for winning the victory over the devil. Thank You for not listening to Satan and for standing on the Word of God in the midst of every temptation. Lord, in Your name, I pray for the wisdom and the strength to defeat the same enemy when he tempts me, amen.

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Turn not to those [mediums] who have familiar spirits or to wizards; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:31 (AMPC)

This is a serious command! Spiritualism, divination, and witchcraft are all forbidden in the Word of God. Many people, including some who consider themselves to be Christians, participate in practices that God considers vile and evil. God says He will set His face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them (Leviticus 20:6). Yet Christians still read horoscopes and consult psychics and wonder why they don’t have peace.

God wants you to seek Him, and it offends Him if you seek these other sources. No one who does so will ever have a peaceful, joy-filled, and prosperous life. If you have been involved in any activity of this sort, I strongly encourage you to thoroughly repent, ask God to forgive you, and turn away completely from such practices.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, forgive me any time I seek answers from anywhere but You. Help me turn away from anything false, trust You alone, and find true peace in seeking only You, amen.

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Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak.

2 Corinthians 4:13 (AMPC)

God created with words everything that we see. God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:3 NIV). Hebrews 11:3 says that everything that is visible was made from the invisible. God has blessings stored up for you in the spiritual realm that you may not be experiencing, but they do exist.

Speak positive words today and call those things that are not (that are invisible) into your life (Romans 4:17). If you face a problem today, say, “My problem is temporary. God’s Word says that I am an overcomer because of Christ’s love for me. Even though I don’t see the answers now, God will provide for all of my needs.”

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me speak words of faith today, not doubt. Let my words agree with Your Word, so I can see Your promises come alive in my life.

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And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

Ezekiel 22:30 (AMPC)

To intercede means to stand in the gap for someone else. If there is a breach in people’s relationship with God, we have the privilege of placing ourselves in that breach and praying for them. If they have a need, we can intercede for them and expect to see them comforted and encouraged while they wait. We can also expect a timely breakthrough for them concerning their need being met.

Praying for others is equivalent to sowing seed. We all know that we must sow seed if we are to reap a harvest (Galatians 6:7). Sowing seed into the lives of other people is one sure way to reap a harvest in our own life. Each time we pray for someone else, we are assuring our own success.

Help someone else succeed by praying for them. If you want your ministry to succeed, pray for someone else’s ministry. If you want your business to succeed, pray for someone else’s business. If you need a breakthrough over some bad habit that is hindering you and holding you back, pray for someone else who has a need in a similar area.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, lead me into a life of intercession for others. I ask You by Your Spirit to put people upon my heart to pray for, and I ask You to help me to be faithful to do so, amen.

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But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)

Many people make the mistake of becoming passive, assuming that good things will mysteriously happen without their cooperation. But that is just not true. We are partners with God, and as such, we must cooperate with Him.

There are many things we need to think about, say out loud, and do on purpose. This is what it means to put your faith into action.

Our lives can come into agreement with God, but that won’t happen by accident. It is something that must be done purposefully and relentlessly. Be diligent in your commitment to following God’s ways, and you will see good fruit in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me be an active partner with You, not passive. Give me diligence to put my faith into action and follow Your ways purposefully every day.

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But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.

Romans 6:17 (AMPC)

Paul wrote that the believers in Rome were obedient with all their heart. This was important because it is possible to have halfhearted obedience—to be reluctantly obedient in behavior but not be joyfully obedient with all your heart.

Obeying what God says is not just a matter of putting on a show, but a matter of having the right attitude. When you really want to please the Lord, you can’t wait to follow His direction and instructions for your life.

I want to encourage you to come up higher in your obedience. Be quick to obey, radical and joyful in your obedience. Don’t be the kind of person God has to deal with for weeks just to get you to do the simplest little thing. Gladly do what God asks of you.

Obedience is more than a spiritual obligation—it is a spiritual opportunity! Your obedience to God will ultimately be rewarded. Obedience sows the seed necessary to bring another blessing into your life. You can never outgive God; He will always reward your seeds of obedience.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me obey You quickly and joyfully, with all my heart, not reluctantly. I trust that my obedience to You will always be rewarded.

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But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him…

Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC)

In John 6:28-29 (AMPC), some people asked Jesus what He required of them: What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?] Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith in His Son. God’s love for us is unconditional, and it’s important for us to understand that He wants us to do good works because of our love for Him and our faith in Jesus—not because we feel we have to earn His love. It blesses God when we live by faith, working through His love in our hearts (Galatians 5:6).

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that Your love is unconditional. Help me live by faith in Jesus, not to earn Your love, but because I love You and trust You completely.

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Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10 (AMPC)

I share in my teaching that we often study the steps of Jesus but fail to study the stops of Jesus. We all need to learn when to stop.

Jesus stopped what He was doing to listen to people and to help them. He stopped to rest, to have dinner with friends, to go to a wedding, and to do lots of other simple but important things.

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha, Mary knew when to stop, but Martha didn’t. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet so she would not miss the moment, but Martha just kept working (Luke 10:38-41).

I wonder how many times in life we miss the moment because we don’t know when to stop.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, teach me when to stop. Help me be still like Mary, listen for Your voice, and not miss the moments You have for me today.

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If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

Galatians 5:25 (AMPC)

We ask people all the time if they have received Jesus, without ever really thinking about what that means. If we receive Him, then what do we do with Him? We certainly don’t put Him in a little box marked “Sunday morning,” go get Him out on that day, sing a few songs to Him, talk to Him a little, then put Him back in the box until the next Sunday. If we receive Him, then we have Him with us always.

It is not pleasing to God for people to leave Him out of their daily lives, while going through religious formulas to try to get what they need. Don’t just go through the motions. Either have a real relationship with God that is alive and meaningful or face the fact that you don’t have one at all and do whatever is needed to get one.

Ask yourself these questions, and you will discover where you are spiritually:

• Are you growing daily in your knowledge of God and His ways?
• Do you look forward to going to church, or is it something you do out of obligation? Are you waiting for it to end so you can finally go to lunch?
• Do you feel close to God?
• In your life are you manifesting the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)?
• Do you have areas of your life that you have not let God into?

If you are not satisfied with your answers to these questions, throw your life entirely open to God and ask the Holy Spirit to get involved in every aspect of it. If you will do that in honesty and sincerity, He will begin to work in you in a powerful and exciting way.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, I open every part of my life to You today. Help me build a real relationship with You, not just on Sundays, and work in me powerfully.

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…Their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more.

Hebrews 10:17 (AMPC)

God is always faithful to forgive our sins just as He promised He would. Sometimes people won’t forgive us, but God always forgives sin and then forgets it. And we can be thankful to know that there is no limit to God’s forgiveness.

People often have limits to what they are willing to forgive or how often they are willing to do it, but God’s forgiveness never runs out. People may say they forgive us and then remind us of what we did that hurt them, but God never reminds us of our past sins, because He has forgotten them (Hebrews 10:17).

When we are reminded of past sins, it is not God bringing them to our remembrance; it is Satan, the accuser of God’s people. Reject the lies of the enemy and choose to receive the faithfulness of God to forgive.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You today, Father, that You are always faithful to forgive. Regardless of how many times I mess up, I know that You love me and You are faithful to forgive my sins. I am grateful for Your forgiveness, and I desire to live my best for You in response to Your goodness to me.

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The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV)

A friend of mine was once sitting in a lawn chair in a boat reading about how God gives His angels charge over us to guard us (Psalm 91:11). The boat hit a big wave, her lawn chair tipped over, and she bumped her head. She had a headache but was not seriously injured. She asked the Lord why He didn’t protect her from that and felt that He said, “You are not dead, are you?”

We spend too much time looking at what God doesn’t do and not enough time focusing on what He does do. Think of how seriously my friend could have been injured; maybe God allowed her to fall to teach her that sitting in a lawn chair in a moving boat is not wise. I often think about how many people are driving cars at the same time. Relative to the amount of traffic in the world, there are not too many accidents. God is protecting us.

We don’t know how much God protects us from, but today’s scriptures say that He watches over us and will not let harm come to us. These promises are for His children, and we can thank Him that even if accidents happen, they are not as bad as they could have been.

We also have God’s promise that “all things work together for good” to those who love Him and want His will (Romans 8:28 NKJV), so if something happens that doesn’t seem good at first, we can trust God to work something beneficial out of it ultimately.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, thank You for Your protection. Help me realize how much You do to prevent and protect me from harm. When something happens that is not good, help me remember that You will work it out for good.

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He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

Psalm 23:2 (NIV)

Today’s scripture comes from Psalm 23. This is a familiar Bible passage to many people and one that offers much hope and strength.

Simply reading about green pastures and quiet waters can give us a great sense of peace. I don’t know anyone who is not longing for more peace right now. Everywhere we look, we see news stories about unrest. We hear about friends or coworkers who have disagreements. We may even find ourselves in a conflict with someone or in some other situation that threatens to steal our peace. Or, as is the case with many people, we may simply lead such a busy, stress-filled life that peace seems out of reach.

To have the peace God longs to give us and to experience His rest we must take time to be still. No one can lie down while they are constantly running—running to work, running to take children somewhere, running to the grocery store, running to care for elderly parents, running to meet a friend for coffee, running to get the house clean. We all have things we must and should take care of, so ask God to show you how to slow down and take time to be still and enjoy peace.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to stop running, to be still, and to enjoy the peace You long to give me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit for (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, exceedingly) by the devil.

Luke 4:1-2 (AMPC)

We learn from today’s verses that immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the devil for forty days and nights. That was probably a very difficult experience, but Jesus promptly obeyed the Spirit’s leading. He trusted the Holy Spirit, knowing even the difficulties he would face would work out for His good in the end.

At the end of the 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry, as we see in Luke 4:14: Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about (AMPC). Jesus not only had to be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit into power and fame; He also had to be willing to follow Him into difficult times, times of trial and testing.

Obeying God in difficult times helps develop godly character. Jesus set an example for us that we should follow. Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit during seasons of hardship develops faithfulness, determination, and strength in us—qualities God wants us to have.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill His plans for our lives. Sometimes, we must encounter difficulties in order to develop the character we need in order to do what God has planned. We must always remember we never face anything—difficulties or good times—alone. The Holy Spirit is always with us to help us and His ways are always the best.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, help me follow Your leading, even through hard times. Thank You that I am never alone, and that You are developing my character through it all.

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 (AMPC)

One of the most life-changing revelations we can have is to find out that we can do something about our thoughts. We can practice “on-purpose thinking.” We do not have to meditate on everything that pops into our minds; we can choose what we want to think about. We can choose power-enhancing thoughts—not power-draining thoughts. We can be deliberate about what goes on in our minds. We can break up with bad habits and form good habits. In fact, learning to think great thoughts on purpose is one of the keys to a great life.

We often allow ourselves to buy into the world’s idea of a “great life.” We may equate greatness with fame, fortune, athletic success, celebrity status, remarkable business or scientific achievements, or physical attractiveness. But none of these constitutes a truly great life. In fact, some of the most famous and wealthy people in the world seem to be some of the most miserable people. To really have a great life, I believe a person must have love, peace, joy, right standing with God, good relationships, and other qualities the world does not necessarily consider “great.” Without them, how could anyone’s life be great? Just think about it: What do we really have without peace and joy? Think great thoughts today and every day—thoughts of peace, joy, success, and love—and see how great your life will be.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me choose my thoughts on purpose today. Fill my mind with peace, joy, and love, and help me build a truly great life in You.

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