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Would you like to read the Word daily, but don’t know how to begin? Reading our Daily Devotionals is a good way to develop the habit of studying the scriptures. Visit this page to find a scripture for every day of the year, complete with practical advice for applying the principles to your everyday life. It is possible to enjoy reading the Bible. Simply set time aside each day, and soon daily Bible reading will become a lifestyle!
“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2).
God is willing and able to rescue us from whatever pit we’ve fallen into. Acknowledging that He is the author of everything good that happens in our lives allows Him to bless us and make us an example to others.
“When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person” (Job 22:29).
Before we were born again and learned our identities in Christ, we were cast down into lives of not knowing God and not knowing who we were. Being born again and becoming His children allows Him to elevate us, teach us humility, and give us His best.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).
There’s more to life than simply collecting material possessions for their own sake. We find contentment when we stop comparing ourselves to others, and are thankful for what God has blessed us with.
“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5).
Our speech is powerful; sometimes we must hold our tongue to avoid saying something we shouldn’t. Using God’s Word to control our words helps us resist the temptation to speak foolishly.
“Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body” (James 3:3).
We use a bit to control a horse and prevent it from galloping out of control. In the same way, we can use God’s Word to control our emotions and prevent them from running away with us.
“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT).
When we run into trouble, God always provides a way out of the situation. He never gives us more than we can handle.
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Living a godly life sets us apart from the world. We will experience persecution for stepping out in faith, but Jesus endured the same type of opposition and was victorious.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The world always has turmoil and stressful drama that can drag us down emotionally; however, we don’t have to get involved in it. Basing our emotional state on the Word of God replaces stress with peace.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6, NLT).
Worry is a negative form of meditation. What we think about and meditate on is important, which is why we must focus on the finished works of Jesus Christ, not on what’s happening around us.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
God made us free moral agents, and our freedom of choice carries with it great power. We can either choose godly emotions that result in peace and joy, or ungodly emotions that unleash misery and unhappiness.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
We would have a difficult time making any forward progress on our spiritual journey if we let our physical senses determine which way to go. Success comes by faith in Jesus Christ.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).
The right emotions bring us peace of mind and make life more enjoyable, which is God’s will for us. Faith in Him guards our hearts from worry and anxiety.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
If we live by our emotions, we’re in constant danger of letting them sweep us away and destroy our peace of mind. Focusing on Christ, instead of how we may feel at the moment, protects our peace.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Infirmities are weaknesses of the flesh that we all experience at one time or another. When we’re severely tempted by these weaknesses, we can draw on the strength of Jesus, who felt the same things as we do, yet didn’t succumb to them.
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
The person who can’t control their emotions is a weak person indeed. The sign of emotional maturity is our ability to control our feelings, instead of letting them control us and cause us to do something we regret later.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2).
Our souls are where our intellect and emotions reside; to prosper is to succeed. Standing in our authority empowers us to successfully maintain our in emotional control in every situation.
“(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17).
Our words have the power to create something out of nothing. When God created the universe out of nothing, He spoke it into existence; we have the same authority when we see something we want to change.
“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).
We must stop thinking of the word “rich” purely in financial terms. God wants to bless us not just financially, but in every other area as well.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
There is a link between firmly believing something in our hearts and openly declaring that belief. To confess Jesus with our mouths means to agree with His Word of grace, and then speak it into others’ lives.
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36).
When we’re praying and believing God for something, consistency is the key to breakthrough. Patience is the main component to waiting on Him.
“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).
Patience is faith constantly, consistently applied throughout all circumstances. When we stand on God’s promises no matter how often the world contradicts them, we will see results.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).
Under the new covenant of grace, meditating on the finished works of Jesus Christ and God’s favor toward us positions us to be successful. No self-effort is needed, just faith in what Jesus did.
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).
Our faith is more powerful that we realize. Jesus used His faith to work miracles; if we’ve been born again, we can use our authority to do the same things that He did.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13, NKJV).
Under the law, man had to stay far away from God or be punished by death. Jesus shed His blood so that we could approach God and enjoy His presence.
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8).
Before Jesus went to the cross, God held people’s sins against them. Jesus bled and died so that we could receive forgiveness for all our sins.
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13, 14).
Under the new covenant, we’re blessed not because we obey, but because we’re God’s redeemed. The blessings aren’t dependent on our works, but on our faith in Jesus.
“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
Under the law, the threat of a curse for less-than-perfect performance was always hanging over the people. Jesus took all the curses onto Himself when He went to the cross; now only blessings remain for God’s people.
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, AMPC).
If we can correctly analyze the Bible, we can also incorrectly analyze it. If we don’t know the dividing line between the old and new covenants, we can find ourselves living under an old, expired covenant and getting no results in life.
“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Hebrews 9:16, 17).
“But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).
The Law of Moses served its purpose, in its proper season. However, Jesus Christ has established a more merciful covenant of grace; we no longer need to earn God’s blessings, but simply receive them through faith in Jesus.