For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMPC)

A stronghold is an area in which we are held in bondage—any part of our lives in which Satan imprisons us. He does this by causing us to think a certain way—a way that is based on lies we have been told. As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds. To enjoy freedom, we must learn to use God’s mighty weapons.

In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I referred to Mary, who had been mistreated and brainwashed by her father, and by the time she was a teen, she didn’t trust men. It’s no wonder that she and her husband faced many conflicts in their marriage. For years, Satan had lied to her, and she believed the lies.

Mary isn’t one isolated case. I know a man named Daniel, who is quite intelligent. In fact, his family used to tell him he was the smartest man in town. God had given him a good mind, but Satan used that fact to imprison him. Until he met Jesus Christ, Daniel believed he was smarter than and superior to everyone else. Because of his pride, it was easy for him to be deceived and think more highly of himself than he should. He became critical and judgmental of others who he felt were not as brilliant as he believed he was.

Patricia was somewhat like Mary, except that her father constantly told her she was no good, that she was worthless and should marry the first man who would have her. That’s exactly what she did, and she lived a miserable life. She felt she was never good enough for anyone.

Mary, Daniel, and Patricia had been trapped in different prisons, but Satan was the jail keeper. All three lived miserable lives until they learned what Paul meant by “the weapons of our warfare.” The Word of God is the weapon that set them free. That weapon became effective through preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, and their own private studies. They also learned to turn to other spiritual weapons such as praise and prayer. They learned that when we genuinely praise God from our hearts, we defeat the devil quicker than by using any other battle plan.

They didn’t overcome every problem the first day—it was a slow process, but it was worth the wait. Patricia later said, “It took a lot of years for me to become imprisoned through the lies of Satan, so why not give God plenty of time to work His good plan into my life?” Our victory is not a one-time, big event—it is a process.

“The more I realized how badly Satan played with my mind,” Daniel said, “the more I could stand against him. The truth of God’s Word made me free.”

Praise and prayer are great weapons that God’s people should use in overcoming the power of the evil one. Praise helps us keep our minds on God, His power, and the good things that are taking place in our lives. It is proof that we believe He can and will help us.

True prayer reflects a relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him. We are His children, and He is our Father. When we pray, we open the door for God’s help. We ask Him to free our minds and give us victory over Satan’s strongholds.

God answers those prayers. In fact, God is more eager to answer our prayers for help than we are to ask. Think of prayer this way: when we pray in faith, tremendous power is made available to us.

As we truly understand that we are God’s children, we will gain confidence to use the weapons of our warfare. The weapons are there. We just need instruction on how to use them and encouragement not to give up. Jesus has promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). We can win with our weapons because they are spiritual weapons. The devil fights a carnal, fleshly warfare, but we can win because we have the power of God on our side.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, teach me to understand that the weapons of our warfare are spiritual and that we can win against every attack of the devil. In Christ’s name, I pray, amen.

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The righteous man walks in his integrity….

Proverbs 20:7 (AMPC)

Integrity is defined as “a firm adherence to a code or standard of values; soundness.” As a Christian, your standards should be much higher than those of the world. What would an integrity check reveal about you? It’s something to think about.

People of integrity are committed to a life of excellence—seeking to be better or to go beyond what is normally expected of them. Having integrity means you do the right thing even when nobody is looking… and you keep your word even if it costs you something.

I encourage you to make excellence a habit, by following the example of Jesus, our standard of integrity. As God’s representative, you are called to show the world what He is like—and you may be the only Bible some people read.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me walk in integrity and live with excellence. Let my actions honor You and reflect Jesus, even when no one else is watching.

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[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (AMPC)

There may be times when it seems that you cannot go forward, but at least you do not have to go backward. You may not know how to forge ahead, but you can stand firmly on what you know of God.

Instead of passively yielding to the enemy, you can say, “This is the ground I have gained, and I am not giving it up, devil. You are not driving me back into the hole that God pulled me out of. I am going to stand strong in the power of God until He delivers me.”

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me stand strong in Your power. I will not surrender ground to the enemy but trust You to keep me moving forward in victory, amen.

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Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!

Matthew 5:7 (AMPC)

Being merciful can be defined as giving goodness that is undeserved. Anyone can give people what they deserve. It takes someone who desires to be close to God to give goodness to people when they do not deserve it.

Revenge says, “You mistreated me, so I’m going to mistreat you.” Mercy says, “You mistreated me, but I’m going to forgive you, restore you, and treat you as if you never hurt me.” What a blessing to be able to give and receive mercy.

Mercy is an attribute of God’s character that is seen in how He deals with His people. Mercy is good to us when we deserve punishment. Mercy accepts and blesses us when we deserve to be totally rejected. Mercy understands our weaknesses and infirmities and does not judge and criticize us.

Do you ever need God or man to show you mercy? Of course, we all do on a regular basis. The best way to get mercy is to be busy giving it away. If you give judgment, you will receive judgment. If you give mercy, you will receive mercy. Remember, the Word of God teaches us that we reap what we sow. Be merciful! Be blessed!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for showing me mercy when I don’t deserve it. Help me forgive others, give mercy freely, and reflect Your character in all I do.

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But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC)

Seeking God is central to our walk with Him; it is vital for spiritual progress. But what exactly does it mean to seek God?

One way we seek God is to think about Him—thinking about His Word, His ways, what He has done for us, how good He is, and how much we love Him. Thinking about His goodness will cause us to desire a better relationship with Him simply because of Who He is, not because of what He can do for us. As you seek Him regularly, you will come to know Him more intimately and realize that He is your loving Father, Who cares about every aspect of your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me seek You daily—not just for what You can do, but because of Who You are. Deepen my love for You and my trust in Your care.

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Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice….

1 Samuel 15:22 (AMPC)

Whenever Christians are faced with God’s Word, and it calls them to action, but they refuse to obey, their own human reasoning is often the cause. They have deceived themselves into believing something other than the truth.

It is amazing how quickly we can talk ourselves out of doing something when deep down inside we really don’t want to do it. James 1:22 (AMPC) is very clear when it says: But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

When the Bible speaks about obeying the Lord, it is not a suggestion. God commands us to take action by being a doer of His Word, and when we are obedient, He promises we will be blessed.

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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You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (AMPC)

We have a command (or perhaps it is a promise) in Matthew 5:48: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (NIV). Because God is perfect and is working in us, we can also look forward to sharing in His perfection.

The apostle Paul said although he had not already been made perfect, he pressed on toward the goal. He then said those of us who are imperfect should be thus minded, to let go of what was behind us (mistakes) and press on. In essence, he was saying that in God’s eyes, by faith in Jesus Christ, he was perfect, yet he was not totally perfected (Phil. 3:12–15).

We must learn to see ourselves in Christ, not in ourselves. Corrie ten Boom taught that if you look at the world, you will be oppressed; if you look at yourself, you will be depressed; but if you look at Jesus, you will be at rest. How true it is that if we look at ourselves—at what we are in our own abilities—we cannot be anything except depressed and totally discouraged. But when we look to Christ, the Author and Finisher (perfecter) of our faith, we can enter His rest and believe He is continually working in us (Heb. 12:2 NIV).

We always say, “Nobody is perfect.” What we mean is that nobody manifests perfect behavior, and that is a correct statement. Our behavior, however, is quite different from our identities.

The Bible says that faith in Jesus makes us righteous, but in our actions, we don’t always do the right thing. I have said for years, Our who is different than our do. We don’t do everything right, but God always loves us. He always sees us “in Christ,” through our faith in Him, and He views us as perfect in Christ while we are still being changed by His power.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that in Christ I am made righteous. Help me press forward in faith, trusting You to transform me day by day.

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his is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.

John 15:12 (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: Father, I am so thankful, not just for the countless blessings You have given me, but for the chance to share those blessings with others. I pray that You will show me new and creative ways to be friendly and encouraging to someone today.

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For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it…

Hebrews 12:11 (AMPC)

Last night I ate too much, and this morning I regretted it. The only way to live without regret is to discipline ourselves to do the right thing while we have the opportunity. I knew I was eating too much, and I did it anyway, simply because I wanted more.

Do you ever do too much of anything and then regret it later? Do you grimace or groan when the word “discipline” is mentioned? We all seem to dislike the thought of discipline, but actually, it is our friend.

Had I followed my heart last night, I would have had peace this morning instead of regret. I was glad for the reminder God gave me that living a disciplined life is the way to peace and satisfaction.

Even though we know things, we often need reminders. So if you perhaps need to be reminded to discipline yourself in all things, then receive this and embrace discipline as your godly friend who is always trying to help you succeed.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for giving me a spirit of discipline and self-control and help me to use it at all times.

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Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

Guilt is the sense of responsibility we feel when something painful or negative happens to us personally or when we’ve done something to hurt or cause difficulty for someone else. It is a feeling of regret over something we have done or perhaps some- thing we failed to do. Guilt is a terrible feeling to bear, and we are not built to carry it inside of us. It affects our personalities, damages our souls, steals our peace, and dampens our joy. It can become like a prison without a door. Guilt leaves us feeling we somehow need to compensate for the wrong we committed or think we committed. The burden of guilt, combined with the feeling that we have to make up for what we have done or not done, leads to a difficult and unhappy life.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has paid for every sin we will ever commit and for every wrong we have done. According to Romans 8:1, there is no condemnation for those who are in Him. We don’t ignore our sins. We confess them, as we read about in today’s scripture. And when we acknowledge our sin to God and repent, He forgives us instantly. When the sin is gone, we have no reason to feel guilty. The feeling of guilt may not go away immediately, but we can say, “I am forgiven, and the guilt has been removed.” When we make the decision to trust the forgiveness and the cleansing Jesus has purchased for us, our emotions will eventually catch up to our decision.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price necessary to forgive my sins and set me free from guilt. Today, I choose to walk in what You have provided for me.

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To another [wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit…

1 Corinthians 12:9 (AMPC)

I believe there are certain individuals to whom God gives the gift of faith for specific occasions such as a dangerous missionary trip or a challenging situation. When this gift is operating in people, they are able to comfortably believe in God for something others would see as impossible. They have total faith for something others would be daunted by or even terrified of.

A person operating with a gift of faith must be careful not to think others who do not have this gift are faithless, for when the gift of faith is operating in an individual, God is giving that person an unusual portion of faith to ensure that His purpose is accomplished. He can be used by God to bring courage and comfort to others, but he must remain humble and thankful for what God has given him. Romans 12:3 (AMPC) says, For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought…but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.

God will always give us the faith we need to face whatever we have to face. However, the gift of faith makes a person unusually bold. Anyone who operates in it must be sensitive to realize that this boldness is a gift from God and always give Him thanks for it.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for giving me faith for every situation. Keep me humble and dependent on You, knowing every gift I receive is for Your glory.

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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. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

John 14:27 (AMPC)

We don’t need to ask God to give us peace because He has already given it to us. Jesus left us His special peace, but we must learn how to stop letting ourselves get upset and fearful. I have learned that the devil “sets us up to get upset.” He knows what rattles us and can easily arrange for those things to happen. We are wiser than he is, but we need to use the wisdom God has given us and not keep going around and around the same mountain, making the same mistakes repeatedly.

Peace is wonderful. I hate strife, anger, arguing, and harsh disagreements—and I think until we do hate them, we won’t avoid them. Proverbs 6:16 says there are “six things the Lord hates,” and “seven are an abomination to Him.” The seventh is “he who sows discord among his brethren” (Proverbs 6:19). Ephesians 6:15 mentions shoes of peace (NLT), and we are to put them on. This means to walk in peace all the time, and it doesn’t happen automatically. We have to learn to sense when we are starting to get upset and stop it before it reaches a full roar.

God has given us self-control, and it will help us stay in peace if we learn how to recognize the symptoms of getting upset.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me recognize when I’m starting to lose my peace. Give me wisdom and self-control to stop anger and strife before they take over, amen.

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And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31 (ESV)

When God had completed His six days of creation, He took time to look over everything, and according to the Amplified Bible, He saw that “it was very good, and He validated it completely” (Gen. 1:31). By this time in the creation story, God had already created man and woman (Gen. 1:27). So, when He pronounced that everything was “very good,” it included Adam and Eve, who represent all of humanity. Everyone God made is good, including you and me.

Many people feel worthless, insecure, and unacceptable, which does not agree with God’s opinion of us. He validates us completely. God knows everything about each of us, and He loves us unconditionally. God approves of us; He may not approve of everything we do, but He does approve of who we are as His beloved children. He does not want us to go through life discouraged, disappointed, wounded, or feeling bad about ourselves. He wants us to think about ourselves like He thinks of us.

Throughout His Word, God lets us know what He thinks about us. It says we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). It says He rejoices over us with gladness and quiets us with His love (Zeph. 3:17). It promises that He has good plans for us (Jer. 29:11) and that He will complete the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6). It calls us the apple of His eye (Ps. 17:8). And it says that He loves us with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). Hopefully you can see that God approves of and enjoys you.

I encourage you to approve of and enjoy yourself as well. This may take some time for you, especially if you have been deeply wounded or if you have experienced things that have made you feel unlovable, unacceptable, or inferior to others. Never base what is true on your feelings, because they don’t always agree with God’s Word.

I had to reach a point in my life where I had to decide to agree with what God’s Word says about me, even though I could have viewed myself as “damaged goods” as a result of sexual abuse by my father. Choosing to enjoy and accept myself is one of the best decisions I have ever made. God does not create anything worthless. He is good, and everything He does is good. We cannot believe that God created us and also believe we are worthless. Begin to accept and enjoy yourself where you are, and God will help you get to where you need to be.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me see myself the way You see me—valued, loved, and wonderfully made. Teach me to reject lies and embrace the truth of Your Word, amen.

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[Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

Ephesians 4:2 (AMPC)

It is good for the unsaved members of your family to see you studying the Bible, going to church and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But your family may be more receptive to the Gospel if you minister to their needs. Ministering to them may require giving up a prayer meeting to do things with them, such as going fishing or shopping with your spouse, helping your son work on his car, or taking your daughter out for lunch.

The Bible says that the natural man does not understand the spiritual man (See 1 Corinthians 2:14). So spiritual talk doesn’t always make sense to unsaved people, but loving actions speak clearly to them. Walk in love’s anointing today: be kind, joyful, peaceful, and stable. Let God love others through you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me show Your love through my actions. Let my kindness and service speak louder than words so my family can see You living through me, amen.

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For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]

Romans 11:29 (AMPC)

If we don’t develop our potential, it won’t get developed, because no one else can do it for us. Find out what you want to do and begin to train yourself for it. If you know you can write great songs, develop your gift; arrange your life so you can write songs. If you know you can lead worship, then practice, learn music, sing with all your mind and heart, and believe. Begin leading worship, even if you start with only you and the cat or you and your children. If you know you have a talent for business, an ability to make money, then study, pray, go to school, and step out.

Whatever your gift and calling, entrust it to the Lord and be relentless in your pursuit of reaching your full potential. In some way we should improve ourselves every day. We should go forward, letting go of what lies behind, including past mistakes and past victories. Even hanging on to the glory of past victories can prevent us from being all God wants us to be in the future. Never be satisfied with being anything less than all you can be.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I recognize that I am responsible to develop and use the talents You have placed within me. Give me wisdom on the best way to go about it, amen.

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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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