Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)

When we say “meditate,” we generally mean to choose what we want to think about and roll it over and over in our minds until it becomes a part of us.

Take a look at this quote: “If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life, all you have to do is change your mind” (Anonymous).

You will never do what you need to do until you think what you need to think. God’s Word will renew your mind, so love the Word, live the Word, speak the Word, meditate on the Word—and things will begin to change.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me to meditate on Your Word throughout my days, so that ultimately, my thoughts will change, and my life will change, amen.

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…Because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

Ephesians 3:12 (AMPC)

Life is often challenging, and I’ve discovered that the world around us will not always change, so we must be willing to change our approach to life and the situations we face.

I hear people say things like, “If it rains tomorrow, I am not going to be happy,” or, “When I get home from work today, I am going to be upset if my children did not clean the house the way I told them to.” When we are thinking like this, we are planning to let adverse circumstances steal our joy and control our behavior.

Instead, our approach can be different. We can say, “I hope the weather is nice tomorrow, but my joy is within me, so I can be happy no matter what kind of weather we have” or, “I hope the children did what I asked them to do so I don’t have to correct them, but I can handle any situation and remain peaceful in my soul.” It’s all a matter of having a more positive, hope-filled approach.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me embrace the new life You offer through Jesus. Teach me to follow the Holy Spirit and live with purpose, joy, and enthusiasm, amen.

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So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

Psalm 143:4-5 (NIV)

The psalmist David writes frequently about meditating on or thinking about all the wonderful works and mighty acts of the Lord. He thought about the name of the Lord, the mercy of God, the love of God, and many other such things.

I have mentioned before that David was bold in his honesty about how he felt. When he was joyful, he wrote about that, and when he was depressed, he wrote about that, as he did in today’s scriptures. We see in these verses that his response was not to meditate on his problem. Instead, he actively came against the problem by choosing to remember the good times of past days. He deliberately pondered the doings of God and the works of His hands. In other words, David intentionally focused his thoughts on something good, and it helped him overcome depression.

Never forget this: Your mind plays an important role in your victory. Think thoughts that will add power to your life, not thoughts that drain your strength and energy.

Prayer of the Day: Help me, Lord, to choose to think thoughts that are positive, uplifting, and encouraging—thoughts about You, not thoughts about my problems.

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Put on the full armor of God…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Ephesians 6:13,15 (NIV)

The devil is our enemy, and he looks to gain entrance into our lives in any possible way. But God has given us armor that we can put on and wear to protect ourselves from evil attacks. The pieces of armor are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10–17).

Have you put on your shoes of peace today? In other words, have you decided to walk in peace today, no matter what happens—even the situations that catch you by surprise? You can be ready for anything as long as you remain at peace, trusting God to help you.

Jesus left us a legacy of His peace, a peace that passes all understanding (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7). God is honored when we remain peaceful in the midst of a raging storm of threatening circumstances. It shows that we trust Him to take care of us. Peace is one of the most beautiful qualities we can possess, so be sure to wear your shoes of peace each day, trusting God with all your heart.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for the shoes of peace. Remind me to put them on daily and trust You to handle the things I can’t. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (AMPC)

This morning I was praying about walking in love and asking God to always help me do so, when suddenly He put two people on my heart who have personalities that make me impatient.

Love is displayed and can be seen through a variety of character traits, but the first one listed is patience. I am a bottom-line person, and these two individuals are extremely detailed. In order to tell me anything, they feel compelled to tell me many details that I don’t need and don’t want to hear.

The Lord reminded me that the first character trait listed that describes love is “patience,” and if I want to walk in love, I need to be willing to listen to them a little more than I do. Ouch! That hurt, but I needed it! I am very certain that my personality can be frustrating to others at times, and since I want them to be patient with me, it is important for me to be patient with them. Let’s always remember that we reap what we sow!

Prayer of the Day: Help me, Lord, to be the kind of person You want me to be at all times—one that imitates Your behavior, walks in love, and is patient with those around me, amen.

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It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (AMPC)

I like the way God has divided up the days and nights. No matter how difficult or challenging a specific day may be, the breaking of dawn brings new hope. God wants us to regularly put the past behind and find a place of “new beginnings.”

Perhaps you have felt trapped in some sin or addiction, and although you have repented, you still feel guilty. If that is the case, be assured that sincere repentance brings a fresh, new start because of God’s promise of forgiveness.

Only when you understand the great mercy of God and begin receiving it are you more inclined to give mercy to others. You may be hurting from an emotional wound. The way to put the past behind is to forgive the person who hurt you. You do yourself a favor when you forgive.

God has new plans on the horizon of your life, and you can begin to realize them by choosing to live in the present rather than the past. Thinking and talking about the past keeps you trapped in it. Let go of what happened yesterday, make the choice to receive God’s love and forgiveness today, so that you can get excited about His plan for tomorrow.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me embrace new beginnings each day. Teach me to forgive, release the past, and receive Your mercy so I can look forward to Your great plans for my future, amen.

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Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17 (AMPC)

It’s God’s will for us to grow up and mature spiritually. It’s God’s will for us to have good relationships. It’s God’s will for us to have good lives.

If you’ve had a negative past, it’s because the enemy interfered and got in. No matter what you went through or what you might be going through right now, you can be positive about your future. Think about it positively; talk about it positively.

It’s a bad attitude to say, “I guess I’ll just have more of what I’ve always had.” I encourage you to have a positive vision for your future. God says people without vision perish (see Proverbs 29:18). No matter what has happened in the past, no matter what is going on right now, you can believe something great will happen in your future.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I come to You in the name of Jesus and ask You to help me truly believe that something good is going to happen to me today. Help me to grow spiritually and embrace a more positive vision for my future. I love You, amen.

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But God will redeem me…for He will receive me. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Psalm 49:15 (AMPC)

What your life amounts to is directly connected to what you think of yourself. We need to learn to think like God thinks. We must learn to identify with Christ and the new person He has made us to be.

Some identify with the problems they have had in life and call themselves by that name. They say, “I am bankrupt. I am an abuse victim. I am an addict.” But they should say, “I was bankrupt, but now I am a new creature in Christ. I was a victim of abuse, but now I have a new life and a new identity. I was an addict, but now I am free, and I have discipline and self-control.”

God has a good plan for each of us, but we need to have our minds renewed in order to experience what Jesus has made available for us to enjoy.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me see myself as You see me. Renew my mind to reflect my true identity in Christ and embrace the life You have planned for me, amen.

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He Himself withdrew [in retirement] to the wilderness (desert) and prayed.

Luke 5:16 (AMPC)

We live in a noisy society. Some people have to have some noise in their atmospheres all the time. They always have music or the television on or the radio playing. They want someone with them all the time so they can talk. Each of these things done in balance is good, but we also need complete quiet and what I call “alone time.”

In order to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere, we must create one. Outer peace develops inner peace. Find a place where you can go that is quiet, a place where you will not be interrupted, and learn to enjoy simply being quiet for periods of time.

I have a certain chair in my living room where I sit and recover. The chair is a white recliner that faces a window to our yard, which is filled with trees. In the spring and summer, I can watch the birds, rabbits, and squirrels. There was a time when I would have considered that boring, but not now—now I love it. When I return from a conference, I go home, take a hot bath, and then sit in that chair.

Sometimes I sit there for several hours. I may read a little, pray, or just look out the patio door window, but the point is I am sitting still and enjoying the quiet. I have discovered that quiet helps me recover.

Being still has a soothing effect on us. If we find peaceful places and remain in them for a while, we will begin to feel calmness engulf our souls. Waiting on God quietly does more to restore our bodies, minds, and emotions than anything else.

We regularly need quiet time to wait on God. Insist on having it; don’t let anyone take it from you. Jesus made sure He had seasons of peace and alone time. He ministered to the people, but He slipped away regularly from the crowds to be alone and pray (see Luke 5:15–16). Surely if Jesus needed this type of lifestyle, we do also.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me prioritize and savor silent, quiet moments in my life. Help me to rest in Your presence by trusting in You and being quiet so that I might take Your peace with me when I go back to normal activity, amen.

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Jesus said to him, You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later on.

John 13:7 (AMPC)

The thing that is the most difficult for me (and that I despise the most) may be the thing God uses to change me. Transformation rarely comes when we are continually joyful, and all is perfect in our circumstances. God wants to make us strong spiritually, and that requires trusting Him when nothing makes sense to us.

I have found that those things I once thought were my worst enemy eventually became my friends because they pushed me deeper into my walk with God. When God is all we have, we usually tend to hold on to Him tightly and we get to know Him very well.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I know nothing can separate me from Your love, so when life hurts, help me to use it in order to drive me closer to You. Help me embrace these challenges and teach me to trust You deeply in all things, amen.

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1–3 (NKJV)

Today’s scripture reminds us that the Lord is our shepherd. This means He watches over us and leads us to where we should go. Because He cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep, He provides everything we need. This doesn’t mean we get to have every single thing we want or that we don’t lack anything we desire. It means that all our needs are met. We lack nothing we truly need.

The Lord, as our shepherd, makes us “lie down in green pastures” and leads us “beside the still waters.” This is the place where we can finally stop running from the pain of the past and decide to face it—to receive the emotional healing and spiritual and emotional rest God offers us.

God is not only a shepherd and a healer; He’s also a restorer. He promises to restore our souls. The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. He will heal and restore all that is wounded, sick, or broken in our souls if we ask for His help and cooperate with His healing process in our lives. When we spend time with God in His Word and in His presence, we learn that He offers us a new life, one filled with wholeness. When the soul is healthy and restored, we experience joy and peace, and everything in life goes better for us. Please be encouraged that you will be restored if you invite God into the wounded places in your soul.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, God, for being my shepherd, my healer, and my restorer. In You, I have everything I need. Restore my soul today, I pray.

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Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.

1 Corinthians 12:4 (AMPC)

The gifts of the Spirit can be difficult to explain because they operate in the spiritual realm. Over the past few days of devotions, I hope and pray I have done an adequate job of describing them and their basic operation. There is much more to be said on the subject of spiritual gifts and I encourage you to read good books that are dedicated to the topic of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we function in the supernatural realm, we do need to be careful, but not afraid. Satan offers many perversions of God’s true gifts, but we can stay on the right track through prayer and seeking truth from God’s Word. I also urge you to begin praying about the gifts of the Spirit. Ask God to use you in them and to allow them to flow through you as He sees fit. Don’t seek the gifts that seem most attractive or interesting to you but seek the gifts God has for you.

Allowing the gifts of the Spirit to work through us helps us in our everyday lives and demonstrates to unbelievers the power and goodness of Christ, Who dwells within us. When the gifts of the Holy Spirit are operating in our lives, we reflect the glory of God’s grace that is bestowed on us to others who desperately need to put their trust in Jesus. Seek to operate in the gifts of the Spirit for your own edification and for the good of others. As you seek the gifts, don’t forget to seek especially to walk in love because love is the greatest gift of all.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me understand and operate in the gifts of the Spirit. Use me to reflect Your glory and share Your love with others, amen.

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But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has sur- passed it and increased the more and superabounded.

Romans 5:20 (AMPC)

It is interesting to note that the only reason God gave the Law was to show us that we couldn’t keep it and needed a Savior. All the Law does is increase sin. But the good news is that where sin abounds, grace superabounds because grace is greater than sin.

If we love God, we will always do our best not to sin, but it is good to know that when we do sin, His grace is greater than our sin. Grace is undeserved favor, and I like to describe it also as God’s power to enable us to do what we need to do. It is not an excuse to sin and get away with that sin. It is the power to overcome sin and say no to it.

God’s grace is wonderful beyond comprehension. It is what changes us into the image of Christ as we learn to rely on it instead of relying on ourselves. Max Lucado said it well: “Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” And Saint Augustine said, “For grace is given, not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.”

Prayer of the Day: Father God, Lord, thank You for Your grace that empowers me to overcome sin. Help me rely on Your strength and grow into the image of Christ every day, amen.

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Unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3 (AMPC)

As a believer you can have the abundant quality of life that comes from God. He is not impatient or in a hurry. He takes time to enjoy His creation, the works of His hands. And He wants you to do the same.

Joy is available to you if you know how to tap into it. I have learned that simplicity brings joy and complication blocks it. Instead of getting entangled with the complications of religion, you must return to the simplicity of believing and maintaining a Father/child relationship.

God wants you to approach life with childlike faith. He wants you to grow up in your behavior but remain childlike in your attitude of trust and dependence on Him.

Living your life with the simplicity of a child will change your whole outlook in a most amazing way.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me embrace the simplicity of childlike faith. Teach me to find joy in Your creation and to trust in Your goodness every single day, amen.

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For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

1 Corinthians 3:11 (AMPC)

We can know a lot of spiritual methods (or formulas) for getting things, but many such methods simply have no power flowing through them. Powerless methods are like empty containers—useless.

I had learned many spiritual methods, and I was busy trying them, until I realized that methods don’t work. It was like building on a cracked foundation; nothing stood the test of time. If our foundations leak, we get into trouble every time it storms.

Build your life on who you are in Christ. Take time to meditate on the foundational things about being a Christian. Build your life on the solid foundation that you are an heir of God’s grace and His unmerited favor.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me build my life on Your solid foundation in Christ. Teach me to rely on Your grace rather than empty methods for true strength and purpose, amen.

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings. They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7 (AMPC)

I have discovered that when I am unhappy, I am tempted to start blaming my unhappiness on some circumstance or person in my life who is not giving me what I feel I need. Satan wants us to think that nothing will ever change, that things will only get worse. He wants us to inventory every disappointing thing that has ever happened in our lives and think about how mistreated we have been. We can either be angry or we can look to God to meet our need.

We will absolutely never fulfill our destinies and succeed at being all God has planned for us if we don’t think according to the Word of God. Even if I have negative circumstances, I can stay happy by having right thoughts toward them. That’s why we need to constantly keep our minds and hearts focused on Him and not on our circumstances. When our strength is in God, even the difficult places in life can be turned into blessings.

If we really understood the power of words, I think we would change the way we talk. Our talk should be confident and bold, not fearful. Fearful talk not only affects us in an adverse way, but it affects those around us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I draw my strength from You today. Help me to keep my eyes on You and see the difficult places turned into pools of blessings, amen.

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Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8 (AMP)

God doesn’t require us to be perfect—He made us, and He knows we’re human and will make mistakes. Our job is to get up every day and do our best to serve God with the gifts He has given us. We’ll make mistakes, and when we do, we can receive God’s forgiveness and move on.

God (the Potter) uses cracked pots (that’s us) to do His work. We are containers God fills with His love and goodness to share with the world around us.

Don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them and allow God to use you anyway. Stop worrying about what you’re not and give God what you are. Keep your eyes on God, Who is perfect, and what He can do in you and through you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for using me despite my flaws. Help me serve You with my gifts and embrace Your forgiveness so I can share Your love with others, amen.

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Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

Romans 8:1 (AMPC)

It is so comforting to know that God’s compassion and kindness are new every morning. Because of His great love, God has provided a way for your past to have zero power over you. You don’t have to live in guilt and condemnation over your past failings; you can live with great hope for a bright future ahead.

God’s part is to forgive us—our part is to receive His gracious gift of forgiveness, mercy, and a new beginning. Many people think, How could God forgive me when I’ve done so many bad things? But the truth is that God is able to overcome and do far more than we could ever imagine that He could do for us (Ephesians 3:20).

When we ask God to forgive us, He is faithful and just to do it. He continuously cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We are said to be new creatures when we enter into a relationship with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Old things pass away and we have an opportunity for a new beginning. We become new spiritual clay for God to work with. He arranges for each of us to have a fresh start—we simply must be willing to let go of the past and move forward with God.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for Your new mercies each morning. Help me receive Your forgiveness and to let go of my past so I can embrace the future You’ve prepared for me, amen.

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For God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once, but more than once….

Job 33:14 (AMPC)

God speaks to us in many ways, including through an audible voice. Hearing the audible voice of God is rare for most people and nonexistent for many. I have heard the audible voice of God three or four times in my life.

Two of those times were at night when I was awakened by His voice simply calling my name. All I heard was, “Joyce,” but I knew it was God calling me. He did not say what He wanted, but I knew instinctively it had something to do with a ministry call on my life, although clarity did not come in that area for several more years.

I heard the audible voice of God the day I was filled with the Holy Spirit in February 1976. That morning, I cried out to God about how awful my life was, telling Him something was missing in my relationship with Him. I felt I was at the end of my rope, so to speak. His voice seemed to fill my entire car, and He simply said, “Joyce, I have been teaching you patience.” Since that was my first time to hear anything of that magnitude, it both thrilled and shocked me.

I instinctively knew what He meant. Several months prior to that time I had asked God to teach me patience, not realizing the lesson would include a lengthy period of feeling my life was on hold. The frustration of that feeling peaked that morning in February when I cried out to God in desperation, asking Him to do something and give me whatever it was I was missing.

When I heard God’s voice, I was suddenly filled with faith that He was going to do something wonderful in my life. That event was the beginning of a new level in my relationship with God. I think it is safe to say that every new level in God is preceded by Him speaking to us in some way. He may not speak audibly; it may be through revelation in His Word or a divine circumstance that only God could arrange. His voice may be simply a whisper in your soul, but I urge you to believe that God does speak to His people still today.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me to recognize and respond to Your voice in my life. Teach me to trust in Your guidance and grow in my relationship with You, amen.

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Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17 (NIV)

Learning to hear from God is very exciting. God wants to speak to us about the plan He has for our lives. His plan is a good plan, but we are in danger of missing it if we don’t learn how to listen to and obey God’s voice.

God speaks to us in many ways. He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, through that “knowing” deep inside us, and through peace. He may also speak through other people, circumstances, wisdom, nature, and even through dreams or visions.

However, the two most prevalent ways God speaks to us are through His Word and the inward witness in our hearts. The Word of God is a valuable gift that we should be thankful for because it is God’s direct message to us—it is unchanging and infallible. As you are learning to hear from God, always make sure the inward witness of your heart lines up with Scripture.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that You still speak to Your children. I pray that You will help me hear You and follow Your direction for my life. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus, amen.

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