04/01 | You Will Not Go Empty-Handed
Exodus 3:21 “And I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.
I sense in this passage a truth for the last days’ Church: we will not go out empty-handed. The Jews didn’t when they left Egypt, they left with so much of the wealth of Egypt that the Bible says they plundered them. (NAS)
Jesus didn’t leave empty when He left earth. The Bible says He led captivity captive (Eph 4:8). That means He took prisoners with Him. It could mean He took demons prisoner, or that He took those who had been held captive with Him. I think it means both. But for this lesson we will focus on the second meaning, that He took those who had been held captive.
In Psalm 2:8 God says to Jesus, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the heathen for Your inheritance.” When Jesus left the earth, He left while spiritually bringing all with Him who would be saved. That was His inheritance, His reward. Paul says a similar thing in 1 Thessalonians 2:19: “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?”
I believe that, like the Jews from Egypt, and Jesus from earth, we should not go out empty-handed. I believe that there is favor from God available (Ex 3:21) that can see to it we don’t go out empty-handed.
Prayer Point: May our prayer ever be, God, give me the heathen for my inheritance! Give me the favor I need to plunder spiritual Egypt of its jewels (lost souls). Let me not go out empty-handed; may my leaving harvest be the greatest I have ever had.
04/02 | When All Hope Is Gone
Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
The background is this: The Apostle Paul and Luke (writer of Luke & Acts) are on a ship that is in a hurricane-type situation. Things got so bad Luke says they got to the place where all hope was taken away.
That type of place emotionally is where all the Apostles were on the first Good Friday long ago. All hope was gone, as they saw Jesus crucified and dead. Are you there? Are you at a place of desperation where all hope has been taken away? It is not a sign that God has abandoned you, but a place many godly people have found themselves.
In Paul and Luke’s case, they were in the mess we read of because the captain of the ship failed to follow Paul’s God-inspired advice, and went out to sea in hurricane season, against the will of God. Even hopeless situations that are caused by sin can be turned around. Jesus was crucified because of sin, and we know how wonderfully it turned out for Him and us.
In Paul and Luke’s case, they shipwrecked on a small island, inhabited by natives. The chief of whom was sick with fever. Paul prayed for him, and he was healed, and many others were also healed of sickness. So, a situation that was caused by willful disobedience, that led to a seemingly hopeless situation, was turned around for good, by the providence of God. Your test with the grace of God can become your testimony.
Prayer Point: “Lord, I thank You that nothing is hopeless where You are concerned. I ask you to move in __________’s life and turn their mess around. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
04/03 | He Went a Little Further
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
The text says Jesus went a little further, and though it means He went a little further into the garden of Gethsemane, can we not interpret it in other ways that are also true?
He went a little further down the road of suffering for our salvation. He went a little further in earnest prayer for a dire situation.
Let us learn from our Master. To deal with life in bite-size chunks. He went a LITTLE further. He taught us not to worry about tomorrow, today’s troubles are enough to bear. We can follow His example and go a little further, even if it is very painful. We go forward seeking God, His comfort, His presence, and His help.
Prayer Point: Lord, as we enter this Passover season, help us to honor Jesus for His efforts on our behalf, and may we follow His example and go a little further.
04/04 | What Would Rocks Sing About?
Luke 19:38 saying, “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
Luke 19:40 And He answered and said, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
Have you ever thought, “What would rocks sing about?” Here are a couple of ideas, but on this resurrection Sunday, if rocks could sing His praise—surely, we could also:
Jacob’s pillow, which was of stones, could sing of God meeting the patriarch and giving him promises and blessing him immensely.
In the OT the Jews would often set up a pile of rocks as a reminder of God’s help in times of trouble. One in particular was even named “Ebenezer.” Well, might the Ebenezer stones cry out and declare God’s faithfulness to the children of God in times of crises?
Then there were the stones on which the Ten Commandments were carved. They could sing of the righteous laws God gave to guide and direct His people.
David’s five smooth stones could sing how God can take the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary.
The stone that was rolled away from Jesus’ sepulcher could sing of the resurrection power of God.
The 12 foundations of New Jerusalem could sing of the beauty of the heaven God has made.
An older song goes this way, “Before the rocks I cry out, I just have to praise Him. Just have to praise Him. Before all nature rises up to shout, I just have to praise Him for being so good.”
Prayer Point: “Lord, this resurrection Sunday, I want to say thank You. I honor You, I praise You, I bless Your name.”
04/05 | But His Father Called Him…
Genesis 35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
Genesis 35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: (son of my sorrow) but his father called him Benjamin (son of my right hand).
Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
Rachel, the wife of Jacob, in the process of giving birth to a son realized she was also dying. As a final act of her life, she names him “son of my sorrow.” Meaning she gave birth to him in pain, and suffering, or that her death was the springboard for his life.
I find it very interesting that this happened on the outskirts of Bethlehem, perhaps very near the place Jesus was born. Jesus was like this boy; He was the son of sorrow and the son of the Father’s right hand. His death was the springboard for our life.
Another thought arising from this text is that it is not what circumstances call us that matters, but what the Father calls us. This day, circumstances may be calling you one thing, but the Father is calling you the child of His right hand. His most beloved, the one nearest to Him.
Prayer Point: Father, I thank you that through Jesus’ sorrow I have life, and, wonder of wonders, You call me the child of Your right hand!
04/06 | Say Not
Jeremiah 1:6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.”
Jeremiah 1:7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.
Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth…
We all have excuses, but the truth is that when it comes to working for God, none of them have any weight. God told Jeremiah to quit bringing up the age excuse. Others being able to hear God through you has nothing to do with your age or oratorical skills. What matters is that we share the Word.
God’s Word:
Isaiah 55:11 So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.
John 6:63 The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and full of power, and is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through and making a division even of the soul and the spirit, the bones and the muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and purposes of the heart.
God’s Word carries within it the power for it to accomplish what God wants. You will notice in the Jeremiah text above, God didn’t say, “I have touched you, now you will speak with power.” No, He said, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth…” God told Jeremiah the power would be in God’s Word, not man’s ability to speak forth.
Prayer Point: Lord, help me to speak Your Word, and trust that You will give it the life and energy to impact people I speak with.
04/07 | He Has Made Everything Beautiful in Its Season (Eccl 3:12)
Numbers 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
1 Corinthians 10:10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Ecclesiastes 3:12 I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life.
A season of “light bread” and fragments can be a season of growing in new ways if you will cooperate with it. Or you can grumble and complain about the light bread you are getting from God. Light bread from God is just as full of a miracle as a spiritual steak dinner; to loathe it is to tell the chef He is not a very good cook, nor does He know what He is doing.
If God has ordained a season, you cannot change it, but you can decide to get everything you can out of it as it says in Ecclesiastes 3:12.
Prayer Point: Thank You, Lord, for my daily bread, whether it be much or little. Help me to get the most out of every season of life.
04/08 | The Time Appointed of the Father (1)
Exodus 9:5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.
Our text speaks of an appointed time. A date etched into God’s calendar that no one can alter.
I am not going to comment much on this verse today other than to say I felt led to use it for today’s devotional. Perhaps it is a special word for you. Perhaps it is a promise to claim for someone else. May the fulfillment of that which you hope for be at hand.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Prayer Point: Thank You, Lord, that You have an appointed time for my miracle. That which You have promised, You will perform, for You are faithful.
04/09 | The Man Jesus Went Looking For
John 9:34 They answered and said to him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they put him out.
John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
John 9:36 He answered and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
John 9:37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”
John 9:38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
This is the only person in the Bible Jesus personally sought out. He had boldly told the Jewish authorities how Jesus had healed him, and for this they called him a sinner and cast him out. Jesus heard what they did to him and sought him out. When he found him, He didn’t ask how he was doing, or how he felt about getting kicked out by the religious leaders. He got straight to the most important thing: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Son of Man” was Jesus’ most often used description of Himself, and it has nothing to do with His humanity, and everything to do with the fact that He was the Messiah.
Daniel 7:13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
Daniel 7:14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
The man replied to Jesus that he did believe in the Son of Man (Messiah), and Jesus then plainly tells him that He was in fact the Son of Man. The Bible says that when we are persecuted for our faith we are to rejoice, for great is our reward in heaven. This man, who didn’t even really know who Jesus was, yet was persecuted for the little he did know, was rewarded with a personal visit from the Savior, and with salvation.
Those who suffer for Him, will experience His special presence and great reward. Today if you are dealing with persecution, know that Jesus will personally honor you for that.
Prayer Point: Lord, help those who are suffering for the faith to experience your special comfort and presence this day. We pray for North Korea in particular.
04/10 | The Time Appointed of the Father (2)
Even as we set appointments to meet with doctors or businesspeople, God has set appointments for us.
There is an appointed time for a promise to be fulfilled:
Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
There is an appointed time for the plague/pestilence to end:
2 Samuel 24:15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
There is an appointed time for things to end:
Daniel 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
There is an appointed time for death:
Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
The point of all this is that God has everything firmly under control, having appointed all things a beginning and ending. If this devotion finds you or a loved one suffering today, please know that God has an endpoint planned for that suffering. That said, I believe that there is still room to alleviate suffering and speed it’s ending. Look at this verse and be amazed by it:
2 Peter 3:12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
We can speed the day of God?!! But if it is an appointed time, how can it be sped up? The appointed time has already factored in whether or not we sped it up. From our perspective it is changeable; from God’s view, what we did or didn’t do is already part of the decision to when He will come. Even so, sickness can be shortened, for the appointed time factors in our actions, prayers, faith and fasting.
So today, if you or someone you love is suffering, speed the end of that suffering through every means the Word of God makes available.
Prayer Point: Father, shorten the time of suffering for ___________, I pray in the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
04/11 | Life in the Sheep Pen
John 10:1-5 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
As a member of Jesus’ flock, the sheep pen is a wonderful place of security. His Word contains many promises assuring us of that:
Psalm 91:11 For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
And many more such promises of protection throughout scripture. But there are two things worth examining from the passage in John 10.
1. Thieves & robbers can and do climb into the sheep pen. Further down in v.10 we read: “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy…”
So, the thing to ask is: what is the thief trying to steal from me? Peace? Joy? Faith? Time? Kingdom effectiveness? Fill in the blank. It is different things for different people.
Some of his tactics include lies, deceit, and distractions of every kind (they can even come while we are in the middle of prayer and meditation).
2. The solution for thieves and robbers is found in vv.3&4:
“…and the sheep listen to His voice… and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.”
Listen, and follow.
In Proverbs 1:33 we’re told: “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Notice v.5 states that we KNOW His voice (present tense)—not that we will know His voice.
Isaiah 30:21 states “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”
Definitively, we need to know God’s Word (the Truth) and to get rid of distractions. But for some of us it’s a matter of stepping into what we’re already hearing—being obedient, being brave. He tells us in v.5 that His sheep will “never follow a stranger.”
Prayer Point: Father, thank You for Your love, Your care, and Your precious promises. Help me identify those things that hinder me from hearing Your voice. Then help me to follow through so that hearing and obeying become a habit and not a one-time event.
Devotional provided by Jo Wolf.
04/12 | The Time Appointed of the Father (3)
Galatians 4:1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
Galatians 4:2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
Because the Bible says we are co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), we own the whole estate, but until the time appointed of the Father our lives resemble those who are not heirs in many ways. We die, we suffer, and we are subject to the ravages of age, weather, and the world around us.
Because of those facts, it is sometimes hard to see and believe all that God has given us. If we are not careful, we can let our circumstances lie to us about who we are and the vastness that God has ordained for us. What you see is not the way it is always going to be.
But there is coming a day when all of that will end. We will be changed, in a moment, in less time than it takes to blink your eyes. The corruption will put on in-corruption. Daniel 12:3 says we will shine like the stars of heaven.
Prayer Point: Lord, the earth is groaning awaiting Your return. I groan awaiting the full manifestation of what it means to be Your child. I thank You that day is coming, and the change will be so amazing and awesome that the days of waiting will be swallowed up by the joy of its fulfillment. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
04/13 | The Captain of the Host of the Lord
Joshua 5:13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”
Joshua 5:14 And he said, “No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”
And He will do what no other power can do!
Joshua 5:15 And the captain of the LORD’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua is just about to begin the work of taking the promised land by conquest. He meets a Man with a drawn sword, and asks the Man “Whose side are you on?” The Man responds, “I am not here to tell you what side I am on, but to let you know that I am the one in charge. I am the captain of the host of the LORD.” Joshua realizes that he is not talking with a man but with someone who has come from God. He falls on his face and says, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”
The reply is reminiscent of what God said to Moses: “Take your shoes off, you are standing on holy ground.” So this was not a man, not an angel, but God Himself in the form of a man (Jesus).
When Moses is about to begin his service to God, God deals with his insecurity, telling him not to worry about the fact he wasn’t a good speaker. Here, however, I think God is dealing with the idea that Joshua, who was a battle-proven warrior, was perhaps overconfident in his abilities. God tells him “I’m in charge, I’m the head of the army, I will be the top warrior.” So, we learn that while some men stumble over their weaknesses, others stumble over their skills. God tells the weak to be strong and the strong to be weak. All men must rely on the Lord.
Prayer Point: Today, Lord, I surrender both my strengths and my weaknesses to You. Help me not to make excuses nor to trust in my own abilities. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
04/14 | The Secrets of Men
Romans 2:16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
Romans 2 speaks of their secret sins, and Psalm 19 speaks of our secret sins. We would be much better people if we were more concerned about our secret sins than their secret sins.
There are three kinds of secret sins. The first are sins we are not aware of—notice that in Psalm 19:12 David asked for forgiveness for sins he had committed but he was blind to. Oh, that God would help us to stop doing wrong, even those wrongs we don’t think are wrong.
The second are sins others have done, but we are unaware of. Those are best left in God’s hands.
The third are sins we have done, that we are aware of, and are hidden to the eyes of others. Sins we would be embarrassed of if they became known. Sins that are repeated because we think they are hidden. It is better to get rid of them in private before God makes them public, as His last means of getting us to stop.
Prayer Point: Lord, deliver me from my secret sins, those I know, and those I am blind to.
04/15 | Ministers of Christ
1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 is dealing with foolishness in the church. The people were dividing themselves, some saying they were followers of Paul, some followers of Apollos and so on. Paul says, “Forget about all that, we are mere men.” He then says that they should simply be recognized as servants of God, and those who taught the Word. That is the passage in context.
Recognizing that, I would like to point out a way that the verse has challenged me throughout my Christian journey. I am taking the verse out of context, but what I am about to share, I believe, is a valid biblical concept.
“Let a man so account of us, as the ministers of Christ.” This is the way this verse has always challenged me, and I pray it will do so to you also:
Let others encounter the presence of Christ through our lives. May we bring Jesus into the room. May we minister Christ to them.
I think this thought is intimated in this passage:
Acts 4:13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
They were seen as uneducated, and yet they boldly brought forth the truths of the gospel. This grace was observed as having come from being in relation with Jesus. So in effect, they brought Jesus into the room with them. They ministered the presence and power of the Lord Jesus. May God help us to be transformed by being near Jesus!
Prayer Point: Lord, may Jesus shine through my life this day. May I be a minister of Your presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
04/16 | Guard Through the Holy Spirit
2 Timothy 1:14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
The text leaves room for us to question what is meant by the treasure entrusted to him. Is Paul speaking about the sound words spoken of in v.11? The gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:14? Salvation? Or something else? Whatever Paul had in mind is not totally clear, but we can still gain some insights from this passage.
Treasures need protecting from thieves, from lack of use, and from decay through apathy. How was Timothy to protect the treasure given him? Prayer? Fasting? Reading the Bible? While these may be good ideas, to none of these did Paul appeal.
Instead, he says to “guard through the Holy Spirit,” meaning, petition the Holy Spirit to both keep it and to help you do your part to keep it. It appears from the text that for the most part, Paul was speaking of an active leaning on the Holy Spirit to keep from thieves the rich deposit that had been made in Timothy.
It was not to be a self-effort, but it was to be a conscious effort of asking the Holy Spirit for His help in preserving that which God had given. I say again, treasures need protecting from thieves. Satan is out to STEAL, kill and destroy; he usually doesn’t empty the vault all at once, but will if he can. Rather, he steals a dime here, a dollar there, and before you know it the account has gotten very low. Hence the need to guard diligently and to ask the Holy Spirit for help, because He can see where the treasure is being looted and how.
Prayer Point: Holy Spirit, guard my salvation, the truths God has given me, the gifts God has given me, and ministry God has given me. Let not one morsel be lost, in Jesus’ name, amen!
04/17 | Hindered?
1Thessalonians 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
I have always found this verse of scripture a difficult one to deal with. Simply stated, Paul says his plans to minister to the Thessalonian church were thwarted by the devil. The means of what exactly was the source of this hindering has been lost to antiquity. Some say fierce persecution, others sickness, and even imprisonments and storms at sea have been suggested.
No matter the exact form, Paul traces it to the malicious work of the devil. How could God allow the devil to hinder the gospel ministry? Why does God let the devil seemingly win sometimes? Isn’t he under our feet? Haven’t we been given power over the enemy?
The answer is a painful one. God allows these hindrances because He is working for a greater good. In 2 Corinthians 2:8 we are told that the princes of this age, if they had known what would happen as a result of Jesus’ death, that they would have never crucified Him. God let Jesus suffer so we could have eternal life. In the same way, sometimes it appears that evil is winning, when in reality, behind the scenes, God is working His purpose.
On one level, Paul was hindered, but on another, God had a different purpose, one that we may or may not understand in this lifetime. Sometimes it is easy to claim Romans 8:28—all things work together for good… Other times, our faith is stretched, usually in direct proportion to the painfulness of the situation we are facing.
Yes, Paul was hindered, and the devil will pay for that, but even though hindered, God would cause it to work out for good. Today, if you find yourself struggling because something good is being hindered, know that you are walking a well-worn path walked by many of God’s giants.
Prayer Point: Lord, today I leave my questions to You, and my earnest prayer is: “Turn it for good, turn it for good.” In Jesus’ name, I pray.
04/18 | Consider the Lilies
Luke 12:27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
In a home my family once lived (Geneva, NY), we had a lot of wild lilies growing on the land. Some in the most awkward of places, that made it very difficult to mow sections of the lawn. I would let them grow and mow around them while they were in bloom, but when that was done, I mowed them down and weed-whacked them up. Yet every year, no matter how vicious I was in cutting them down, they came back and glorified the yard for each spring. It is called the principle of life, and the fact of the matter is that the principle of life is greater than the principle of death.
God has placed within lilies the principle of life. He has done the same for every person who is a child of God. You can make a comeback, no matter how viciously life may have cut you down. The enemy may have performed a funeral over your life, but God has decreed a resurrection is coming! This principle of life has another wonderful application:
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Paul, in Romans 7, in defeat admits that the good things he wanted to do, he didn’t do, and the bad things he didn’t want to do, he did. Then he laments: Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? His answer was to look beyond himself and find hope in Jesus. He had the law of sin and death in him, but he also had the law of the Spirit of life that was greater in him.
In what way was it greater? First, it always helped him make a comeback. Secondly, even if/when he did sin, he no longer lived under the law of sin and death, but had been freed from that, and now lived under the law of grace in which there would never be any condemnation.
Prayer Point: Thank You, Lord, for the Spirit of life in Christ; thank You that no matter how many times life, or sin, may cut me down, in You I will always make a comeback.
04/19 | Bring My Coat
2 Timothy 4:13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus…
2 Timothy 4:21 Make every effort to come before winter
Bring my coat and be sure to bring it before winter. These two texts teach us about preparing for and dealing with winter.
Winter can overcome you, or you can overcome it!
You can freeze, or you can suit up.
You can approach unprepared, or you can understand what is ahead and make the proper preparations.
Today’s “prayer-paration” sets the stage for tomorrow’s level of comfort. It can be a hard winter, or one made easier because you have a warm winter coat. Spiritual winter is coming, and the Bible describes it this way:
Matthew 24:21 for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.
Prayer Point: Lord, we understand from Your Word that difficult times are coming. We pray now for miracles of protection, miracles of provision, and most of all for strength and grace to stay true.
04/20 | A Time to Mourn
Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
April the 20th is becoming a national holiday of sorts. It is the day millions around the world “light up” and celebrate marijuana. Some have actually compared the freedom from restrictive marijuana laws “to the time when Jews fled from slavery in Egypt.”
Our world is so bonkers they have made a holiday to celebrate drug usage. The forces of darkness celebrate, and children of the Light mourn. We mourn for the effects on individuals, and on society. We mourn for the long-term effects this is bringing on our world.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Today, as the world celebrates its sad fascination with drugs, let us bow and pray for deliverance.
Prayer Point: Jesus, You said that You were anointed to set the captives free. We pray this day for freedom from the love of drugs and the deception that is spreading its wide usage.
04/21 | Look at His Eyes
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
If God will instruct us with His eye, then that should be our focus: “What are His eyes saying?”
But you say, “I have never seen God’s eye. How then can He guide me with it?” I don’t believe that the text is saying we should be literally looking for God’s eyes, but rather we should be trying to discern what it is He is focusing on.
Prayer is usually where we focus on what is important to us. What our needs are, what our desires are, what our hopes are. This text teaches us to elevate our prayers from our focus to His focus.
We should be trying to figure out what God is focusing on and stop speaking only about what we are focusing on. Where is His attention drawn? Often in prayer all we want to talk about is what is important to us, and because of that fact we continually try to shift the conversation that way.
More often than not, it is not that God isn’t speaking, it is that we have a pressing issue He is not speaking about, and in our obsession with that issue, we ignore all other communication.
I heard that a businessman was being dispatched by the queen of England to take care of something important to her. He expressed concern that his business might flounder while he was seeing to her situation. She replied, “You take care of my business, and I’ll take care of your business.”
I think that is a good spiritual principle, that if we take care of what is important to God, He will take care of what is important to us.
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Prayer Point: Lord, this day show me what is important to You, what it is You want me to accomplish or work on. I commit to You those cares that are important to me.
04/22 | The Lord’s Ambushments
2 Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
King Jehoshaphat set in reforms in the Judiciary and was calling the people back to the worship of God. At this time of renewal, the kingdom was attacked by several nations and people groups. Jehoshaphat bows in earnest prayer and is told by a prophet that God would do the fighting, all they had to do was stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
As an act of faith, the king put worshippers in front of the army, and we are told that as they began to sing and praise, God ambushed the enemy. “Ambush” means to set a trap ahead of time, to lie in wait to attack, to catch the enemy off guard.
We are not told the nature of these “ambushments,” but we know the effect of them. The enemy began attacking one another, till they were all killed. We often think of the enemy ambushing us, but have you ever considered that God lays a trap ahead of time? That the trap is sprung when God’s people begin to worship and praise in the middle of a battle?
Today, if you are in the middle of a battle, release God’s ambushments by praise and worship, and then stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!
Prayer Point: Lord, this day we worship You, and honor You, that Your eye is always on Your people, and that You are setting and releasing ambushments against Your enemies!
04/23 | Barnabas
Acts 4:36 And Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),
Saul, who would become the Apostle Paul, was a horrific persecutor of the church. After his conversion, he went to Jerusalem and tried to join himself with the disciples, but they wouldn’t let him, fearing he was trying to infiltrate them to persecute them. In steps Barnabas, and he shares how Paul had seen Jesus, and had preached boldly about Him in Damascus. After that, the church accepted Paul.
Later, Barnabas took John Mark under his wing—a man that had previously walked away from the ministry, causing the Apostle Paul not to trust him because of his unreliability. Paul and Barnabas argued about it, causing them to go in different directions. John Mark would later write the Gospel of Mark, and Paul would later come around to Barnabas’ views about Mark. Eventually, Paul would ask Timothy to bring Mark to Paul, as he was profitable for the ministry (2 Tim 4:11).
If Barnabas hadn’t stepped into these two men’s lives, how different church history would have been. Barnabas had a gift, a penchant, for helping people who others rejected to become valuable for the kingdom of God.
From Barnabas, we can learn about giving people a second chance. We can learn to allow people to grow after they have made serious mistakes. To encourage people in their gifting. To look for the good and not the bad.
May we all have some of the DNA of an encourager like Barnabas.
Prayer Point: Lord, this day, may I be an encourager; may I see potential good in others, and may I be willing, with Your help, to give those who need it a second chance.
04/24 | My Shepherd is the Lord
Psalms 23:1 « A Psalm of David. » The LORD is my shepherd…
Today, let this be your affirmation of faith, because the Lord is your shepherd:
I am under His provision
He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
I am under His guidance
He leads me beside the still waters.
I am under His Protection
Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Prayer Point: Lord, this day I thank You that I am under Your provision, Your guidance, and Your protection. Let all hell know, the Lord is MY shepherd.
04/25 | Spiritual Diabetes
2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
2 Timothy 2:17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
Gangrene is a flesh-destroying illness that is caused by two main reasons: 1. Lack of blood flow to an injured part of the body. 2. A bacterial infection that comes in through a wound.
Most often, I have seen it with people who are diabetic, who injure a toe or the foot, and because of poor blood flow, the body’s natural healing properties are not able to combat the injury and gangrene sets in.
I find it very interesting that Paul equates the words of some people to be destructive and to spread like gangrene. You have spiritual diabetes when you hear ill of someone else and the natural Christian response to forgive and pray for them doesn’t kick in. In this case, the lack of blood flow is how you’re not offering the forgiveness that comes through the shed blood of Jesus.
Life is in the blood, the Bible says, and where the blood does not flow, death and gangrene come in. Let everything you hear this day have the blood flow of forgiveness wash over it.
Prayer Point: Lord, this day, may everything I hear be heard through the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus.
04/26 | Get a Bigger Gun
2 Kings 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2 Kings 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
There were a number of prophets living in Jericho, and for some unknown reason they never resolved the water problem. Seeing Elisha, the people of the city asked if he could do something about it. He did, and the water was made wonderful for man, beast, and crops alike.
Today’s lesson is a simple one: sometimes when facing an enemy, you need a bigger gun to deal with them. It may be as simple as asking someone to pray with you, and realizing you are not getting the job done by yourself. Or, it could be calling for the elders of the church to pray with and for you; or a season of fasting; or asking friends far and wide to join you in prayer. A pea shooter will not stop a rhino—you need something bigger.
Thank God, the Lord has made different-sized weapons in His arsenal. Today, be reminded you don’t need to fight alone: seek out help, get a bigger gun.
Prayer Point: Lord, this day, help me to stand with someone who needs help, and connect me with others when I need help. In Jesus’ name!
04/27 | The Wise and the Foolish
Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
A simple thought today, we are going to use the text to talk about our self-talk. A wise woman/man builds themselves up with their self-talk, a foolish person tears themselves down.
There is a place for being humble, for realizing we have made mistakes, failed, sinned, and in other ways brought harm to ourselves and others. 1 Samuel 30 tells the story of David and his soldiers, when their women and children were taken by an enemy army. Some even spoke of stoning David. In response to this trouble, in verse 6 it says that “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”
First, note that David encouraged himself. You can encourage yourself or discourage yourself; you can build your house, or you can tear it down.
Secondly, he encouraged himself in the Lord. That means the basis of his encouragement wasn’t his own goodness or ability to work things out, but that he was trusting in the Lord’s kindness towards him.
What’s good about that approach is that it gives us a basis to be encouraged by, even when we have caused our own messes. This verse has encouraged me in the Lord, in those times where I caused my own problems:
2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
It means that God will always be true to us even when we haven’t been true to Him. Today, choose to encourage yourself in the Lord—don’t assist the devil in knocking yourself.
Prayer Point: Lord, today I thank You, that You are always faithful, especially in those times I deserve it least.
04/28 | Cause Me to Hear Joy and Gladness
Psalm 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones [which] thou hast broken may rejoice.
In Psalm 51, David is dealing with the results of his falling into sin for a season. He rightly discerns the need for a Divine causing in his life. He was mired down with a guilty conscience, and he had lost a sense of the comforting presence of God. He knew that he needed God to help him have joy and gladness again.
We have no record of David actually suffering broken bones, so this is perhaps an allusion, one to the death of the child he and Bathsheba had as a consequence of their adultery. The pain was akin to broken bones.
David realized he was in dire straits, and he simply asked God to help him smile and laugh again. All the beautiful Psalms he wrote after this one are testimony that God brought him back to the place of joy.
Today, if you or someone you love is struggling with sadness, follow David’s lead and pray specifically for joy and gladness.
Prayer Point: Lord, You said You were to come that we might have life and not just life, but a more abundant life. Bring back joy and gladness, bring back laughter, that my broken bones may rejoice.
04/29 | Stand Still
Joshua 3:8 “You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the Jews are finally going to enter into the western part of the promised land (west of the Jordan River). God instructs the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant to go first across the Jordan. There is only one little problem: v. 15 of the same chapter tells us that this was during the time of the year where the Jordan overflowed its banks because of the seasonal rains.
It is a very dangerous thing to go anywhere near a stream or river that is in flood stage, and yet God told them to go there, and that when they got there, they were to stand still in a flooded river! As they obeyed, something miraculous happened: the Jordan dried up while in flood stage. Some believe an earthquake caused a disruption of the water long enough for all the Jews to cross the Jordan, and then the flood resumed.
Sometimes in life, we find ourselves with our feet dipped in a river of circumstance that is at flood stage, and the command of God is always the same: “Stand still.” Stand still and see the salvation of God. Stand still and don’t give vent to your fears. Stand still and give God praise in spite of the situation. Stand still and stand on the Word.
Ephesians 6 talks about putting on ALL the armor of God; perhaps you have never noticed the final part of that verse:
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Having done everything—stand firm. Trust your armor, trust your God, trust His Word. Stand through the wind, stand through the rain, stand through the flood. The Bible tells us that those who endure to the end will be saved. There is no quitting in the middle of the race. Today, if you find yourself standing in a flood-ravaged plain, may God give you the grace to stand true for as long as you need to.
Prayer Point: Lord, keep our feet from slipping in those times the waters rage about us. In Jesus’ name!
04/30 | The Man/Woman the King Delights to Honor
Esther 6:6 So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”
Esther 6:7 Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor,
Esther 6:8 let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed;
Esther 6:9 and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’”
In the book of Revelation, we read that those who overcome are given white robes, a crown on their head, they will return with Christ on white horses, and God will cause their enemies to bow down and to know that He has loved us (Rev 2:10; 7:9; 19:14; 3:9). It is interesting that many of the things the King in the book of Esther said he would do, God will do on a much grander level for His people.
The man in the story above, Haman, had plotted to kill and steal from all the Jews. In a moment of time, God turned it all around, and instead Haman was hung on the gallows he had prepared to kill God’s chosen on. Today, be reminded that in a moment of time, God can turn it all around.
And there is coming a day when He will turn it all around, for believers are the people the “King” delights to honor.
Prayer Point: Today we pray with the old hymn: “That God should love such a sinner as I, should yearn to turn my sorrow into bliss, nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh, how wonderful is love like this. Such love, such wondrous love…”
