But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2 (AMP)

All of the successful people we read about in the Bible had a habit of meditating on God’s Word. They knew that it was the way to keep their minds renewed to God’s ways. To meditate is simply to roll something over and over in your mind, to mutter it softly or speak it out loud.

Meditating on God’s Word is very powerful. I like to look at meditating on God’s Word like chewing my food. If I swallow my food whole, I don’t get all of the nutrition that is in it. If we skim over God’s Word or just hear a weekly sermon in church, it is like swallowing it whole and never getting the fullness of the good things out of it that God wants us to have.

The Word of God has inherent power, and I believe that power is best released as we think on it over and over.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me meditate on Your Word daily, not just skim it. Teach me to think deeply on Scripture so I can receive all the life and strength it brings.

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[For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.

John 1:16 (AMPC)

Again and again, the Bible speaks of receiving from God. He is always pouring out His favor and His blessing. In order to experience that favor and blessing—and in order to live in close fellowship with God—it is important that we choose to freely receive all that He offers us. One of our biggest challenges is that we do not trust the word free. We quickly find out in the world’s system that things really are not free. Even when we are told they are free, there is usually a hidden cost somewhere.

But God’s kingdom of grace and love is not like the worlds. God’s wondrous love is a gift He freely gives us. All we need to do is open our hearts, believe His Word, and receive it with thankfulness.

No matter what the situation around you looks like today, stand on the Word of God and trust that His goodness and grace are being poured out over your life. Believe it and receive it today.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for freely pouring out Your love and blessings. Help me open my heart, trust Your Word, and receive all that You desire to give me today.

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A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

Matthew 12:35 (NLT)

You don’t always have to verbalize your thoughts for people to see them. Think about how you act on a first date with someone you like. You show signs of acceptance and approval. You smile a lot, and you encourage him or her with your eyes and head nods to show your interest. You haven’t said a word, but your body language says: “I like you!” Now think about how you act when you are in the grocery line, and the cashier is taking forever. You shift your weight from side to side, cross your arms, huff, or even roll your eyes. Again, your posture speaks for you. You may think your thoughts are hidden, but your thoughts show up in your attitudes, body language, words, and actions. Make sure you display a good attitude.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me be mindful of my thoughts and attitudes. Let my actions, words, and body language reflect Your love and kindness to everyone I encounter today.

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It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor)…and this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him.

Romans 1:5-6 (AMPC)

One of the first things we ask when we are invited to a party is, “How should I dress?” Most of us like it best when we feel that we can come as we are. We like it when we can relax and be ourselves. I love this scripture because of the message of acceptance it brings.

God accepts us as we are and He works with us throughout our lives to help us become all that He wants us to be. Grace meets us where we are but, thankfully, it never leaves us where it found us.

God will work in you by His Holy Spirit, and you will be changed! But you don’t have to wait to come to Him. Thankfully, you can come right now just as you are. You don’t have to stand off in the distance and only hear the music of the party; you are invited to attend.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that You love me just as I am. I know that You are working in my life to bring positive change, but I thank You that You still love me and accept me in the process. Thank You for Your grace that allows me to come to You just as I am.

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Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

When we try to build our lives and our reputations in our own strength, we are leaning on the arm of flesh (ourselves and other people). We work hard to do everything we think will cause us to be successful from a worldly perspective. But today’s scripture indicates such effort is in vain. The Lord is the One Who builds our lives and our reputations, according to His good plans for our lives.

Philippians 1:6 assures us that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return] (AMP). God will complete the good work He has begun in you and me. We can be certain of this.

God is the One Who started the good work in you, and He is the One Who will finish it. We should always do the part He gives us to do, but we should never try to do anything without leaning entirely on Him. We need to be patient and rest in Him as He accomplishes what needs to be done instead of intervening according to our own ideas when things are not happening as quickly as we would like or in the way we would like. There are certain responsibilities we need to fulfill in our lives, and there are certain things only God can do. Take the pressure off yourself by leaning on the arm of the Lord instead of the arm of the flesh.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me to be patient as You complete the good work You have begun in me.

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By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Hebrews 11:24-25 (NIV)

We learn from today’s scripture that Moses chose suffering rather than failing to do what he knew God was calling him to do—to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. He chose the narrow path, and on that path, there is no room for us to compromise. It is the path of prompt and complete obedience. Jesus walked that path, and it is the one He wants each of us to walk.

Moses turned down a life of luxury in the palace of Pharaoh and chose to suffer rather than fail to please God. Are you willing to walk away from things you might enjoy in order to be fully obedient to God? God will give you the grace and strength to do it if you are willing.

Jesus said that if we intend to follow Him, we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross (Mark 8:34). He didn’t mean to die on a cross as He did, but He did mean that we have to say no to ourselves, if necessary, in order to be obedient to Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father, if anything stands in the way of my being fully committed to You, please show me what it is and give me the strength to let it go. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC)

God’s Word teaches us not to worry, but at times we are all tempted to do it anyway. As a mother, I want all of my children to be happy at all times, and when they are not, I tend to get concerned about them and I want to fix whatever the problem is. I find myself in that situation today, and I am busy reminding myself that worrying and fretting does absolutely no good. It is actually a total waste of time.

Even though we may know the Word of God, we often have to remind ourselves of it by meditating on it or looking up scriptures we know, reading them again and again. God’s Word contains power that will help us do what we know we should do, and it will comfort us in our concerns.

God’s Word is medicine for our souls. It calms our emotions and gives us peace of mind. Anytime you are worried about anything, I encourage you to turn to God’s Word for the strength you need to let it go!

Prayer of the Day: Father, I know that You don’t want me to worry, but instead trust You at all times. Help me learn to never waste my time on worry.

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When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.

Psalm 32:3 (AMPC)

Sometimes we feel more emotional than other times. This happens for various reasons. Maybe we didn’t sleep well the night before, or we ate something that caused us to feel lethargic or grumpy. An occasional emotional day is not something to be too concerned about.

Sometimes though we feel emotional because something upset us the day before, and we didn’t resolve it. We often suppress our feelings and pretend we don’t have them instead of dealing with them. People who avoid confrontation often live with their souls full of unresolved issues, and these situations need closure before emotional wholeness will come.

I remember being unable to sleep one night, which is unusual for me. Finally, around five the next morning, I asked God what was wrong with me. Immediately I recalled being rude to someone the day before. Instead of apologizing to them and asking God to forgive me, I rushed on to the next thing I needed to do. Obviously, the Holy Spirit was dealing with me about my behavior. My conscious mind had buried it, but the mind of the Spirit wanted to bring it to the surface so I could deal with it. As soon as I asked God to forgive me and committed to apologizing to the person, I was able to go to sleep.

If you feel unusually sad or like you’re carrying a heavy burden you don’t understand, ask God what’s wrong. It’s amazing what we can learn by simply asking Him for an answer and being willing to face any truth He might reveal about us or our behavior.

Prayer of the Day: Show me, Lord, anything I have done that is affecting my emotions in a negative way, and help me know how to resolve it.

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Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV)

Can you imagine how you would feel right now if you knew that the pain in your soul could not only be healed completely, but could also help other people? It can! In fact, that’s part of God’s plan for your healing. When He heals our soul, He does a lot more than simply relieve us of the ache in our hearts and the torment in our minds; He transforms us in such a way that we become strong in the place we were once weak and gives us the ability to help others because of the way He has helped us.

My father abused me when I was young, and for a long time that abuse had a negative impact on me. Since God healed me, though, I have been able to help others because I went through that experience. The same thing happens when a mother who has had a wayward child then sees that child return to the Lord and to the family. It happens when people lose a good job only to end up with a better one. It takes place in all kinds of situations, and every time God heals or restores, the person who has received that blessing from Him has a chance to encourage others by telling them about it. God takes bad things that have happened to us and works them out for our good (Romans 8:28).

When you have personally suffered in some area in the past, you have a lot of credibility with people who may be struggling with it right now. They will listen to you and many times they will take your advice if they know you have already walked the journey they are currently on. When God heals your soul, it’s not just for you. It’s also so you can help and support others. You become an ambassador of God’s grace, a person who can share what He has done for you. Nothing helps us understand someone in pain more than having had the same pain ourselves.

I hope you will begin today to think beyond your pain and believe God can use you—not in spite of it, but because of it. God turns everything that happens to us into something that eventually works for good (Romans 8:28). What may seem bad to you today can become part of the good plan He has for your life. The pain you have been through, and the healing God is doing in your life will make you a powerful ambassador for Him.

Next time you encounter people who are struggling with a situation God has brought you through or is currently bringing you through, ask Him how you can encourage that person and share with them the hope He has given you. You might tell them about specific scriptures that have ministered to you or recommend Christian books or teachings to them. You could also speak a blessing or word of encouragement or do an act of kindness for them as the Holy Spirit leads you.

When God heals a heart, it’s an awesome work, one that definitely blesses the person who has been healed, and one that can help others, too.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for healing my heart. Use my past pain to encourage others and remind me that every trial becomes part of Your good plan for my life, amen.

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My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:20–22 (NKJV)

When we refer to “meditating,” we mean we ponder something and give it our full attention. A French couple helped me see that meditation is like eating. They will take a bite of food after they have enjoyed the way it looks on the plate. They comment on the pleasant aroma and often mention one or two special ingredients. They chew slowly and deliberately, and they sometimes even comment on how it makes the inside of their mouth feel.

That seems a bit too much for most Americans, but that’s a good picture of meditating on God’s Word. We don’t just wolf down a few words or a verse and hurry on to the next. We pause to reflect on a word, a phrase, or a concept. We compare that scripture with others that come to mind. We feel in no hurry to dash to the end of the chapter. The words are there for us to savor and enjoy. We should learn to be more concerned about quality than quantity. It is more important to get a deep understanding of one verse of Scripture than it is to read five chapters and understand nothing.

Meditating on God’s Word demands discipline. We live in such a fast-paced world that few of us make time to meditate. We should form a habit of setting aside time just to sit and think about God’s Word and the wonderful promises He has made to those who believe in Him. The blessed person mentioned in Psalm 1:2 (AMPC) is the person who meditates on God’s Word by day and by night. The expression “by day and by night” means that it is a major part of a person’s life. It’s a way of saying that thinking about the Word of God should be a regular part of daily activity. This will require casting down wrong thoughts when they come and choosing to think on things that will benefit us. If we keep ourselves focused, it pays off spiritually.

I spend time with God in prayer and in study of His Word each morning, but I also apply the Word to situations that I deal with all throughout the day. During the writing of this devotion, I got some bad news by phone, and my response was to quote and think about various promises in God’s Word. His Word strengthens us and helps us keep our peace and joy.

I titled this “Meditation Produces Success” because it’s important for us to understand that contemplating the meaning of Scripture isn’t simply a good thing to do or an activity reserved for scholars. It’s God’s command to all of us. It is a requirement for true success.

I thought of the instructions to Joshua as he prepared to lead the people into the Promised Land. The first few verses of the Book of Joshua provide God’s direction for him. There were at least two million people going into the land, and the responsibility of leading them was immense.

God promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses, and He urged the new leader to be very courageous. Then He said, 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).

The instructions seem clear. Joshua had the commands of God, and his primary responsibility was to contemplate those words. By immersing himself in the law, he was learning to understand the mind of God more fully. God went on to say that if Joshua kept his mind and heart on the law, he would be prosperous and successful.

Too often people focus on their problems instead of meditating on God’s promises. As they do, their problems seem to get bigger, and God’s power diminishes.

God doesn’t want Satan to fill your mind. He doesn’t want you to give him the opportunity to inject wrong and negative thoughts into your head. For the devil to control your life, all he needs to do is control your thoughts. Make a decision right now that you will not allow him to do that. Don’t let him defeat you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, You have told me to meditate on Your Word, and I ask You to help me do that. I want Your Word to be the focus of my life. When problems come, help me turn to Your Word immediately. When Satan attacks my mind, remind me to counterattack with Your Word. As I meditate on Your Word regularly, I believe I will see good progress in my life. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

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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 1:7 (AMPC)

In this passage of Scripture, Paul was encouraging Timothy and saying, “You may feel like giving up, but you have everything you need to succeed. The Holy Spirit gives you peace and the power to face anything. Press on without fear!”

You may not understand what is going on in the world around you, but you must trust God through it all. You can pray and ask God for answers, but when heaven is silent you need to keep doing what God has told us to do and just trust Him. God will make all the pieces work together for His purpose, even when you don’t see tomorrow clearly. Tomorrow’s answers usually don’t come until tomorrow.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, when I feel like giving up, remind me Your Spirit gives me peace, strength, and courage. Help me trust You fully and press on without fear.

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For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matthew 6:14 (AMPC)

Unforgiveness will ruin your day. If someone hurts you, pray quickly, “God, I forgive them in Jesus’ name.” If your emotions feel strained when you see that person, stand firm in your decision to forgive them.

Pray for them, asking God to show you how to bless them. Do whatever God leads you to do for them and let God’s love work through you to heal the rift between you. If you do your part, God will bring your feelings in line with your decision, and you will enjoy your day and your life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I choose to forgive quickly. Help me release hurt, bless those who wrong me, and let Your love heal relationships and bring peace to my heart, amen.

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Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you….

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves, and I wholeheartedly agree that we need to do so. We should examine ourselves to see if we have sin, and if so, we should sincerely repent, then move on to living without that sin in our lives.

There is a great difference between examination and condemnation. Examination helps us prove to ourselves that we are in Christ and He is in us, and that in Him we have been set free from sin. Condemnation keeps us mired in the very sin we feel condemned about. It does not deliver us—it traps us! It weakens us and saps all our spiritual strength. We give our energy to feeling condemned rather than living righteously.

There is such a thing as excessive self-examination, and I personally believe it opens the door for much of the unbalance we see today in this area among God’s children. To be overly introspective and continually examining our every move opens a door to Satan. In the past I experienced multiple problems in this area, and I know for a fact that you and I will never be confident in prayer until the problem is dealt with thoroughly and completely.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I ask You to search my heart and expose any sin in my life. I refuse to get trapped in endless introspection and condemnation. Set me free from all sin, amen.

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For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

Romans 10:10 (AMPC)

We see a pattern in the Book of Romans, which teaches us that in order to be saved, we must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths. Another version of the scripture above says simply:

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. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” (Romans 10:9–10 NLT).

So, I say we should believe and speak, speak and believe—the two work together for our salvation, as well as in every other area of our lives. If we need to believe and speak to receive the salvation that Jesus has provided, then we should live according to the same principle to receive all of God’s promises.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me believe with all my heart and boldly speak Your truth with my mouth. Strengthen my faith so I can live fully in Your promises.

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…[Thoughtfully and attentively] consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confessed [as ours when we embraced the Christian faith].

Hebrews 3:1 (AMPC)

Since our thoughts do affect the way we relate to people and the world around us, it is helpful to learn to be thoughtful.

Take time to think through your day before you begin it. Of course, we don’t know everything a day will hold, but we all, hopefully, have some plan. Being thoughtful about your day on purpose is very different from worrying about it. Being thoughtful about the parts of your day that you know about helps you behave the way that pleases God instead of just reacting to things out of a thoughtless habit.

Things will happen today that you are not planning, but you can even plan to respond calmly to things that are unexpected. Whatever you do, plan to enjoy it! Today is a gift from God, and I urge you not to waste it.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me think ahead with wisdom and live each day with calmness and purpose. Teach me to respond thoughtfully and gratefully, remembering that every day is Your gift, amen.

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But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Matthew 6:33 (AMPC)

Matthew 6:33 tells us that when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will give us everything we need. It is a matter of putting God first in our lives. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not necessarily!

Even though we want God to help us, it is sometimes difficult to consistently put Him first. It may seem easy to trust Him with your life when you’re in church on Sunday morning, but on Monday you may be tempted to take control again. Seeking God and putting Him first requires building an intimate relationship with Him that will sustain you every day of the week. God knows what we need better than we do, and He longs to provide it, but He requires that we make Him top priority in our lives.

Many years ago, when I began my relationship with God, I wasn’t really serious about it. Like many other Christians, I put in my church time on Sunday. I was even on the church board, and my husband, Dave, was an elder. The problem was, when I was at home or at work, it was hard to tell the difference between an unbeliever and me. I had accepted Christ, I was on my way to heaven, and I loved God. But I didn’t love Him with my whole heart—there were many areas of my life that I had not yet surrendered to Him. As a result, I was frustrated, and my life lacked victory and joy.

Finally I cried out to God for help, and thankfully, He heard and answered my prayer. He began to show me that I needed to let Him out of my “Sunday Morning Box” and allow Him to be first in every area of my life. Since I did that, I am continually amazed at the ways that God provides for everything else I need.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me put You first every day, not just on Sundays. Teach me to surrender every part of my life to You, trusting Your perfect provision.

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Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

Revelation 3:19 (NIV)

God views conviction, correction, and discipline as something to be celebrated rather than something to make us sad or frustrated. Why should we celebrate when God shows us that something is wrong with us? Enthusiasm sounds like a strange response, but in reality, the fact that we can see something that we were once blind to is good news.

When we make enough progress in our relationship with God that we begin to sense when we are out of His will, then that is something to be thankful for. It is a sign of progress and should be celebrated joyfully. The longer we serve God and study His ways, the more sensitive we become to His will. We eventually grow to the place where we know immediately when we are saying or doing something that is not pleasing to God, and we have the option of repenting and making a fresh start.

Prayer of the Day: I am grateful, Father, that You love me enough to bring correction and instruction into my life. Thank You that You are transforming me and making me more like Your Son, Jesus.

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But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.

Jeremiah 11:20 (NIV)

Today’s scripture tells us that God tests our hearts (the seat of our emotions) and minds. When we want to test something, we put pressure on it to see if it will do what it says it will do—to see if it will hold up under the stress. God does the same with us. When we pray, asking Him to use us or to give us something or bless us in some way, His answer is often “Let Me try you out first. Let Me put you to the test.” He wants to make sure we are strong enough to handle it.

Each day, we encounter many situations that are nothing more than tests. Sometimes they test our integrity, such as when a cashier gives us too much change and we need to decide whether or not we will do the right thing and give it back. And sometimes they test our emotions. For example, if we have to wait for a table in a restaurant and then we get a bad meal, it’s a test. Will we feel frustrated, or will we stay calm? We may hope for an invitation to a certain gathering. If we don’t get it, will we feel jealous of those who are invited, or will we simply find something else to do? In God’s school, we don’t flunk; we get to keep taking our tests again and again until we pass them. Next time you feel emotional pressure, tell yourself, “This is a test, and I want to pass it.” Realize that God’s tests always have a purpose and that they will ultimately lead to blessing.

Prayer of the Day: Help me, Lord, to recognize the tests You give me and to respond to them as You would have me respond.

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Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining and holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 (AMPC)

The Virgin Mary became pregnant by the working of the Holy Spirit, Who came upon her and, according to today’s verse, planted in her womb a “holy Thing.” The Spirit of Holiness was planted in her as a Seed. In her womb the Seed grew into the Son of God and the Son of Man, Who was necessary to deliver people from their sins.

When we are born again, a similar dynamic takes place in us. The “holy Thing,” the Spirit of Holiness is planted in us as a Seed. As we water that Seed with God’s Word and keep the “weeds of worldliness” from choking it out, it will grow into a giant tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

God’s Word teaches us to pursue holiness (Hebrews 12:14). When we set our hearts on this pursuit, the Spirit of Holiness helps us. If we want to be holy, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and permit Him to speak to us, correct us, guide us, and help us in every area of our lives. Never forget that a “Holy Thing” lives inside of you. Water that seed with God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit speak to you and teach you how to help it grow.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for planting Your holy seed in me. Help me water it with Your Word, grow in holiness, and glorify You through every part 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)

Our outer life is our reputation with people, but our inner life is our reputation with God. We can do things that are phony to impress people, but God always knows our true motives. There is no pretending with Him. I think most of us go through a phase in life when we are very concerned about what people think of us. When we do, we are in danger of becoming people pleasers unless we realize that what God thinks of us is much more important than what people think.

Jesus made Himself of no earthly reputation and took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). In reading the Bible, we clearly see that Jesus did not have a good reputation with most people. Even members of His own family thought He might be “out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). None of this concerned Him because He knew His own heart, and more than anything, He cared about being pleasing to God (John 8:29). You can save yourself much heartache by realizing that no matter what you do, there will always be some people who won’t like or approve of you, but that doesn’t matter if God does approve.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me care more about pleasing You than people. Purify my motives and keep my heart focused on Your approval above all else. I want to be a person who pleases You, not other people, amen.

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