Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

— Revelation 22:12 (NIV)

Sometimes, we try our best in certain situations because of our love for the Lord, but things don’t seem to work out in our favor. When this happens, we can easily become discouraged. We may need to do the right thing for a long period of time before we see the right results, but as I always say, “Payday is coming.”

God never forgets our labor for Him. The Bible says, He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV), and there is great reward for those who keep and obey His teachings (Psalm 19:11 NKJV).

Some of our rewards are realized here on earth, and some are set aside for us in heaven. We don’t know exactly what these rewards are, but we know that God is good and that everything He prepares for us is also good. I encourage you to look forward to your reward from God. Be steadfast, be strong in the Lord, and continue to do what is right. You will never regret it.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for Your goodness in my life. I look forward to my reward, not because I deserve anything, but because You are faithful. Help me remain strong and never give up. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)

If we seek to know things, we may never know God as we should, but if we seek to know Him, we can be assured that He will show us everything we need to know at exactly the right time.

Instead of trying to figure everything out, we can trust God to reveal His wisdom and understanding to us at the right times. We are encouraged in God’s Word to lean not on our own understanding but in all of our ways to trust God with our mind and heart. Go ahead and try it; you will start to enjoy life more than ever before.

Use the time you previously spent worrying, frustrated, and trying to figure everything out seeking to know God better. That is the best way you can spend your time; it comes with great rewards.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I trust you to help me stop having to understand everything that is taking place in my life, and simply wait on You to do what only You can do. Thank You, Lord Jesus, amen.

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In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
— Psalm 5:3 (AMPC)
In order to hear the voice of God, it is necessary to find times just to be still. This is an important part of living in close fellowship with God. It is how you recognize God’s leading in your life. A busy, hurried, frantic, stressful lifestyle makes it very challenging to hear the Lord.
If you are hungry to perceive God’s voice, find a place to get quiet before Him. Get alone with Him and tell Him that you need Him and want Him to teach you how to receive His guidance and direction. Ask Him to tell you what He has for your life and what He wants you to do that day.
And then I encourage you to do this: Take time to listen.
Even if you don’t feel an immediate prompting in your spirit, God promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). You will get a word from God. He will lead you by an inner knowing, by common sense, by wisdom, or by peace. And each time, however He leads you, His leading will always line up with His Word.
I have found that God doesn’t always speak to us right away or necessarily during our prayer time. He may end up speaking to you two days later while you are in the middle of doing something completely unrelated. Though it may not be in our timing, God will speak to us and let us know the way we should go.
Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, I need You! Teach me how to hear Your voice, receive Your guidance and direction. Show me what You want me to do today and help me as I listen for your voice. I love You, amen.

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My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

— Proverbs 4:20-22 (ESV)

God’s Words are life to us, and they bring healing to every area of our life, including our inner life (soul). His Word is actually medicine for a wounded soul. Just as there are different types of medicines available for various disease and wounds of the physical body, God’s Word is medicine that heals our minds, emotions, wills, attitudes, consciences, and behaviors. It has a positive effect on our joy, peace, and confidence. It can cure fear, insecurity, and negativity.

Just as we get a prescription from the doctor and patiently take our medicine as often as we are supposed to, and get it refilled when we need to, we should look at God’s Word in the same way. For example, if we are fearful, there are countless Scriptures that will help us deal with fear, or if we are worried or anxious, we may turn to Scripture and find help. I am convinced that we do not have a problem for which God’s Word doesn’t have an answer.

Bible study may sound daunting to you, and if so, I recommend that you either join a Bible study group in which the Scripture is being explained or find a pastor or Bible teacher who is very practical in their teaching and makes God’s Word applicable to your everyday life. Don’t simply say, “I try to read the Bible and I don’t understand it.” Be determined to find a way to understand it and begin by asking the Holy Spirit to help you learn something each time you open the Scripture to read it. After more than 40 years I still do that each morning when I study. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher.

One of the things that helped me a lot was reading good Bible-based books in any area in which I needed help. I read books on rejection, shame, guilt, fear, worry, and emotional healing. Learn to study in the areas where you need help rather than just randomly opening the Bible and reading something in order to check your Bible reading off your list for the day.

Wounded, dysfunctional people have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to go into treatment centers, or for professional counseling. Let me quickly add that both may be very good. But sometimes those same people won’t pay 25 dollars for a Bible-based book from a Christian author or a small fee to attend a Christian conference that could be life-changing for them.

If you are serious about having a wounded soul healed, then you will need to develop a love for God’s Word. See it for what it is! It is not merely words in black ink on white pages. It is life, healing, strength, courage, and anything else you need.

Prayer of the Day: Father, Your Word is my life and my strength, and I love it. Thank You for Your love and Your Word, amen.

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Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law.

— Romans 13:10 (AMPC)

Did you know that walking in love can mean simply doing what is right?

There are things that we shouldn’t do, simply because we love God, and because we don’t want to hurt somebody else’s conscience. We may have the freedom to do these things, but our freedom could offend others, or cause them to do something against their conscience, and thus sin against God.

If you walk in love today, there may be things that you have the right to do, but the Holy Spirit will prompt you not to exercise your right out of love for someone who is watching you. Love never demands its own way (see 1 Corinthians 13:5). Love is always the higher law.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, thank You for living in me. Help me grow in You and walk in Your divine guidance, amen.

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That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you…. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

— 2 Timothy 1:6–7 (AMPC)

It doesn’t matter what kind of problem we have in our lives; we need self-control and discipline to gain and maintain the victory. I believe this is especially true regarding our thought life and the battle for our mind. What begins in the mind eventually comes out of the mouth, and before we know it, we’re telling anyone who will listen how we feel. We must discipline our mind, our mouth, our feelings, and our actions so that they are all in agreement with what the Word of God says.

Every quality of God that is in you and me, God Himself planted in us in the form of a seed the day we accepted Christ (see Colossians 2:10). Over time and through life’s experiences, the seeds of Christ’s character begin to grow and produce the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22–23).

I have found that it is virtually impossible to operate in any of the other eight fruit of the Spirit unless we are exercising self-control. How can you and I remain patient, for example, during an upsetting situation unless we exercise restraint? Or how can we walk in love and believe the best of someone after they have repeatedly hurt us unless we use the fruit of self-control?

As Christians, we have the fruit of the Spirit in us, but we must purposely choose to exercise them. Not choosing to exercise the fruit of the Spirit is what produces carnal Christians—those who are under the control of ordinary impulses and walk after the desires of the flesh (see 1 Corinthians 3:3). Whatever we exercise the most becomes the strongest.

Our thoughts and words are two areas in which the Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to exercise self-control. The Bible says that …as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he, and out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks (Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45b AMPC). The devil is constantly trying to get us to accept wrong thoughts about everything from God’s love for us (or the lack of it) to what terrible thing is going to happen to us next. Why? Because he knows that once we start accepting and believing his lies, it is just a matter of time until we begin to speak them out of our mouths. And when we speak wrong things, we open the door for wrong things to come into our lives (see Proverbs 18:20–21).

What if, instead of allowing our minds to go over all the things that have hurt us, we would remind ourselves to think about all the good things God has brought into our lives? When we allow Satan to fill our minds with worry, anxiety, and doubt, we wear out our ability to make good decisions. Worry is also thankless by nature. I’ve noticed that people who worry rarely see much good in life. They talk about tragedy, failures, sickness, and loss. They seem unable to focus on the good things that they still have in life.

Try this: Each day, focus on the things God has done for you in the past. This will make it easier for you to expect good things in the future. As I wrote those words, I thought of the memorials mentioned in the Old Testament. Often the people stacked up heaps of stones as reminders that God had delivered them or appeared to them. As they looked backward and remembered, they were able to look forward and believe.

The psalmist wrote, O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon (Psalm 42:6 AMPC). He was reminding himself of past victories. When he was having problems, he recalled God’s great work in the lives of the people.

When doubts try to sneak in, you can do what the psalmist did: You can look back and remember that God has always been with His people. All of us have had times when we wondered if we’d make it. But we did. So will you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, forgive me for allowing the little things of life to distract me and to take my thoughts away from You. Through Jesus Christ, help me always to remember that You are with me in the good times and in the bad times, amen.

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And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

The Bible teaches us that walking in love is the most excellent way to live (see 1 Corinthians 12:31). God is love, and when we walk in love, we are walking and living in Him (see 1 John 4:16). Love is more than a word we use when speaking to other people. It is seen in our actions, especially in how we treat other people.

Jesus gave us one new command, which is for us to love one another just as He loves us. As we show that love, others will know that we are His disciples (see John 13:34–35). God’s love for us required Him to sacrifice His only Son, and if we truly want to love people, there will be times when we will also need to sacrifice for them.

According to 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, love is not self-seeking; it is patient, kind, humble, and not envious. It does not dishonor others, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, and doesn’t delight in evil. It rejoices with the truth. It always believes the best of everyone, and it never fails. If we focus on loving God and loving other people, we will live the life that He desires for us to live.

No matter what so-called good works we may do, if we don’t have love, we simply make a lot of noise and amount to nothing (see 1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to walk in the kind of love You show to me, but I need Your help. Teach me what love is and how to show it to other people. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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…In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

— John 16:33 (AMP)

Many people live lives far short of God’s best because they expect things to always be convenient or easy. But this false expectation will always cheat us out of the rewards God has for us simply because we want to avoid difficulty.

Jesus never promised things would be easy, but He did promise us victory, because He has overcome the world. If we don’t get weary of doing what is right, we will reap great benefits.

God is a loving Father, and He wants to bless you in so many ways. Sometimes you may go through difficulties first, but there are always blessings on the other side. Remember, you can always rely on His strength to see you through, because He has overcome the world.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please give me to keep going and not to give up. Help me overcome every challenge that comes my way, and give me Your strength to persevere, amen.

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By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

— John 13:35 (AMPC)

One of the best ways to share Jesus with the world is to simply show love to others. Jesus Himself taught on love and walked in love because that is what the world needs. The world needs to know that God is love and He loves each person unconditionally (see 1 John 4:8).

The Word of God teaches that God wants us to be committed to developing the character of Jesus Christ in our own lives and then go out as Christ’s ambassadors to the world (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).

To be His ambassadors, it is crucial that we have our minds renewed to what love really is. Love is not merely a feeling we have; it is a decision to treat people the way Jesus would treat them.

When we truly commit to walking in love, it usually causes a huge shift in our lifestyle. Many of our ways—our thoughts, our conversation, our habits—need to change. Love is tangible; it is evident to everyone who comes in contact with it.

Loving others does not come easily or without personal sacrifice. Each time we choose to love someone, it will cost us something—time, money, or effort. But the reward of loving others is far greater than the cost ever is.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I know that loving others is not always easy, but I want to walk in love and love everyone I meet, with Your help, amen.

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…You shall love your neighbor as yourself….

— Mark 12:31 (ESV)

Sometimes the wounds of the soul result from bad choices people around us have made. As God heals your soul, you may notice that certain relationships in your life are changing. You may sense a need for space in a relationship with someone you feel very close to. Or you may have done a lot of things with one person for a long time, but now you are beginning to want to broaden your circle of friends. You may have been someone’s “go to” person in every situation, but you are starting to feel he or she is asking too much from you. Different relationships change in different ways, and when God changes you (which is what happens when your soul is healed and strengthened), do not be surprised if some of your relationships need to change, too.

Many people in the world today need help. If we love them, we want to help them and we are often willing to spend time, effort, and money to do whatever we can do for them. The Bible clearly teaches us to love and serve one another (see John 13:34; Rom. 13:8; Gal. 5:13). But sometimes we can help people too much, to the point the relationship becomes codependent, which is very unhealthy.

When people are codependent, it means they allow someone else’s problems or bad choices to control them. They don’t know how their day will go because they wait to see how the other person is, and what he or she needs. If we allow ourselves to be in a codependent relationship, we are enabling another person’s bad or unhealthy behavior. We are not truly loving that person or allowing him or her to grow and mature. We are also failing to love ourselves.

When a scribe asked Jesus what was the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus said, The most important is…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:28–30 ESV). Then He went on to say that the second most important commandment is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31 ESV). Clearly, God wants us to love ourselves—not to be selfish or self-centered, but to love ourselves in healthy ways, just as we love others in healthy ways. He has called us to help people and even to do so when we have to sacrifice something for ourselves, but He has not called us to allow other people’s choices to control or manipulate us.

Whenever you see a Bible verse that talks about loving others, apply it also to loving yourself. That will help you be a good friend or family member, while also helping you take care of yourself in relationships.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I am committed to loving other people, while also loving myself in the way You love me. Please help me to walk in love in every aspect of my life, amen.

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Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).

— Galatians 1:10 (AMPC)

The apostle Paul said that in his ministry he had to choose between pleasing men and pleasing God. That is a choice you also must make.

If your goal is to build a name for yourself and win favor with people, it will cause you to live in fear of man rather than in fear of God.

For years I tried to build my own reputation among believers by striving to win the favor of men. But through bitter experience I learned I was submitting to a sort of slavery to people. God helped me realize I could only be truly free in Him.

If you are trying to build your reputation with people, it’s time to give up all your own human efforts and simply trust God.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me get my priorities straight and to line up the things I’m doing in a way that is pleasing to You, rather than trying to keep people happy and fixed, amen.

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Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

— Psalm 37:4-6 AMPC)

If you have been under a lot of stress lately, I encourage you to take an honest inventory of not only what you are doing, but why you are doing it. If fear is the reason you’re involved, eliminate some stress by getting your priorities straight. Your priority is not to keep everyone else in your life happy by doing all the things they expect; it is to live a life that is pleasing to God and one that you can enjoy.

Too many people are not living their dreams because they are living their fears. In other words, instead of doing things out of their heart, they do them because they are afraid of what will happen if they don’t: “Someone will get angry! I will get left out! People will talk about me!” It is time that you started being the person you really want to be. It is time to reach for your dreams.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I will delight myself in You today. You know the desires of my heart, and I entrust my dreams to You. Help me to be the person You created me to be and the one I really want to be, amen.

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Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid….

— John 14:27 (AMPC)

Nothing harms us emotionally the way stress does. We might say that anxiety is emotions out of control. When someone experiences anxiety, most of the time it’s because their emotions have been stressed to the point that they are no longer functioning healthily. There are many situations that cause anxiety. The death of a spouse or child, divorce, and job loss are major events; however, not all the reasons are that serious. A lot of anxiety is caused simply by taking on more than we can handle.

I used to feel constantly overwhelmed due to stress, but it was because my schedule was unreasonable. And—even worse—I thought I was doing it for God. It is amazing to me now when I look back at how deceived I was. Always remember that if Satan cannot get you to not work for God, then he will try to get you to over work for God. He really doesn’t care which end of being out of balance we are on, because either one causes trouble.

The simple answer to living a life you can enjoy is to learn God’s ways and follow them. Jesus said, I am the Way (John 14:6 AMPC), and that means He will show us how to live properly. The answers we need are in God’s Word, and we should make a decision that we will not only read the Bible, but we will obey it. If we refuse to make that decision and follow through, we will keep feeling stressed until we break.

Start asking God what you can eliminate from your life that is not producing good fruit. It may even be some good things that are just not the best things for you. Something can be right for us in one season of our lives and not right at all in another season. Follow your heart, and you will accomplish a lot of fruitful things and still have energy left over to enjoy the fruit of your labor.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, show me what things are crowding my life and keeping me from Your best. Help me simplify my life so that I can live in peace, and not stress. Thank You, Father, amen.

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Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.

— 1 Timothy 6:12 (AMPC)

Take a step of faith and no matter how you feel, agree with God that He loves you. You are wonderfully made and have many talents and strengths. You are valuable, and as a believer in Jesus, you are the righteousness of God in Him. You have rightness before God instead of wrongness—be thankful for that amazing gift!

Begin to speak out against feelings of insecurity and say, “I belong to God, and He loves me!” (See Ephesians 2:10.) We believe more of what we hear ourselves say than what others say, so start saying something good and drown out the other voices that condemn you.

Fight for yourself! Fight the good fight of faith and refuse to live below the level at which Jesus wants you to live. His kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17). Don’t settle for anything less.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that I can boldly declare in faith who I am in Christ. Thank You that You created me as one of a kind and You love me dearly. Today, I choose to believe that I am Your workmanship.

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…Know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] you will find Him….

— 1 Chronicles 28:9 (AMPC)

God’s Word reveals a wonderful plan for your life. It shows how God sees you, and what He has for you through Jesus Christ. Keep your thoughts and words in agreement with God’s Word.

Say, “Everything I lay my hand to prospers and succeeds. I am the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. I am blessed going in and going out. The blessings of God chase me down and overtake me. God is on my side. I am blessed to be a blessing to everyone I meet today.”

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for Your good plan for my life. I receive Your blessings that chase me down and overtake me! I love you, amen.

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So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

— Matthew 6:34 (AMPC)

Every believer has the responsibility to live right—to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life. I believe we should have a careful attitude about how we live—not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.

I’m not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. Some would say we must not wear makeup or that we must wear colorless clothing from our necks to our ankles. That is nothing more than legalistic bondage to a bunch of rules and regulations. I had a very legalistic relationship with God for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism. What I am saying is that we shouldn’t compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to God by our behavior.

James 4:17 (AMPC) says, …any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it—even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.

We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a godly Christian. Yet still, many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don’t want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a sin against God.

As long as I’ve been in the church, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling God a liar. It is saying that God is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs.

Faith says, “God can do it.” Worry says, “God isn’t able to help me.”

When you worry, you not only call God a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.

Think of the words of the great apostle: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency] (Philippians 4:13 AMPC). Or think of the words from the psalmist: Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5 AMPC).

Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20 AMPC). That wasn’t a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father’s provision for Him even when He didn’t know where He would sleep or what He would eat.

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn’t speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you 10 things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you’re hindering God from working in your life.

I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn’t covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, “It was really quite simple. I am God’s servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”

The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, “God is responsible, isn’t He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in God who always remains faithful and responsible and in all things. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.

Prayer of the Day: Lord God, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have, amen.

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The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

— Isaiah 1:11 (NIV)

In today’s scripture, God says that His people have obeyed Him with their actions, while indicating that what He really wants is obedience from the heart. True obedience to God is not about legalistically obeying His teachings, but about obeying with a good attitude and pure motives, out of love for Him.

The enemy tries to trap people in legalism, telling them that they must obey God in order for Him to accept them. This is a lie! God loves and accepts us unconditionally, all the time, no matter what. We don’t have to do anything to earn His love, but we do have a chance to obey Him as a way of responding to His great love.

We should obey God all the time, whether we want to do it or not, and we are better off when we obey with a good attitude. I want to encourage you today to come up higher in your obedience and to make sure your heart is right toward God in everything you do. Ask Him to give you pure motives, an open heart to hear His voice and know what He would have you do, prompt obedience rooted in love, and the desire to honor Him in your life. A lifestyle of pure-hearted obedience to God always brings blessings.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to obey You not only with my actions but in my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]….

— Ephesians 3:19 (AMPC)

I sense the Holy Spirit urging me this morning to meditate on how much God loves me, and I want to urge you to do the same thing. God doesn’t love us because we deserve it, but simply because He is love, and He delights in loving us.

Although we walk by faith and we don’t base what we believe on mere experience or what we see with our natural eyes, it is nonetheless encouraging and energizing when we do see and experience the manifestation of our faith. God’s Word teaches us to pray to experience His Love, and to be conscious and aware of His Love (see 1 John 4:16, Ephesians 3:19).

Watch daily for all the ways in which God reveals His love for you. It may be in giving you favor, or providing something you enjoy, or giving you great joy. He can reveal Himself in countless ways and learning how to recognize them is not only an exciting adventure, but it also feeds and builds our faith.

God loves you more than you can imagine. He loves you every moment of your life, and He is reaching out to you right now with His healing and energizing love. Receive it!

Prayer of the Day: Father, teach me to recognize all the ways in which You reveal Your love to me. Let me experience it, enjoy it, and share it with other people, amen.

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No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

— 1 John 4:12 (AMPC)

We cannot give away what we don’t have. Trying to love others is useless if we have never received God’s love for ourselves. We should love ourselves in a balanced way, not a selfish, self-centered way. I teach that we should love ourselves, not be in love with ourselves.

To love yourself, you simply need to believe in the love God has for you; know that it is everlasting, unchangeable, and unconditional. Let His love affirm you and make you feel secure, but don’t begin to think of yourself more highly than you should (see Romans 12:3). Loving ourselves does not mean we love all our behavior; it means that we love and accept the unique person God has created us to be.

I believe loving ourselves in a balanced way is what prepares us to let love flow through us to others. Without receiving God’s love for us in a healthy, appropriate way, we may have feelings of affection or respect for others, a humanistic type of love; but we certainly cannot love people unconditionally unless God Himself inspires and provokes that love.

The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts so we can allow the sincere love of God to flow through us (see 1 Peter 1:22) to others. This is part of being filled with the Spirit.

God wants us to express love to others. When we think of others and how we can bless them, we keep ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Love.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me to express love to others and share Your love that is in me, amen.

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O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.

— Psalm 139:1 (AMP)

In order to be in a close relationship with God, it is important to know that He is pleased with you, in spite of your perceived flaws and imperfections.

Many people suffer terribly with secret worries that they are not pleasing to God. They are afraid that God is angry with them because of the mistakes they have made. But the truth is that you are righteous through the work of Jesus, not through your own works. You are imperfect, you will make mistakes, and God is not surprised when you do. He knew every mistake you would ever make when He called you into relationship with Himself.

Psalm 139 tells us plainly that God knows what we are going to do before we ever do it, so try to keep in mind that God knows all about you, and He loves you anyway.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I need You and I thank You for making me right with You, amen.

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