Let Your Joy Be Complete

Joy is a much different word than happiness. Joy is not dependant on the "cares of this world" to express itself. Joy is the inner satisfaction of oneness with her Creator. When you are living out your calling - this is joy. Your calling might involve teaching, coaching or being coached. You calling might be to be an encourager or one who supports another. Whatever your calling is, you will be satisfied with it until you return to God Almighty. Than He will say to you "well done, my good and faithful servant."

Daily Prayer: Father, let us be satisfied with ourself. Let us live out our calling in such a natural way that it as easy as breathing. Let us not try to redefine our role, but instead take the lot you have given and be satisfied. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Many Have Been Brought To Glory

It should come as no surprise that your name is written in heaven not because what you have done for God, but for what the Son of God has done for you. Understanding this right relationship is called being "justified." It is based on this that the Father calls you son or daughter and the Son calls you friend. So many strive to be heros in the church. They desire to "do something for God and man." The Bible says that there is none that are righteous, not even one. When we strive for recognition by God we are fooling ourself because all that is right in what we do is "in Christ." So it is time now to rest in God and be content with what He has given. God will indeed use you, but by His mercy He will not allow you to know it.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let us live the life the prophet Micah speaks of, which is to walk humbly before the Lord. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Walking By Faith & Not By Sight

We know that the spiritual life and the natural man are at odds with one another. This is because what we perceive through our circumstances is a false perception. There is more to life than our five senses. Jesus is easy to believe in when you are in His presence. When you go into the demon-filled valley of life, the natural man will call your faith in Jesus folly. This is what is known as the testing of our faith. We must walk through the circumstances and the criticism of others believing the Son of Man is truely the Son of God as well. So when does this testing come to an end? When you die. Death if the final and greatest test of your belief in the eternal life Jesus died to give you. You must walk through the shadow of death and not be afraid because He is with you.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let my faith be more than intellectually knowing that You are God. Search me and make me one with You so that when trials come I can say that man does not live by bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from God. Amen.

God's Word Is Foolishness To Those Who Are Perishing

Yes, what we call truth, the world calls foolishness. The natural man is in enmity with the spiritual man. Our only way to God is through prayer. Understand this: we ask God for very little. We are trained to think that meager petitions before God is healthy, but it is not. If you are a Christian, then Christ is formed in you. Nourishment to the inner-man is by way of spiritual exercise which is prayer. Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Jesus says, "behold I stand at the door (or our heart) and knock." Do not wait until you are your wits end to pray. Instead, be treated like a son or a daughter of the Most High!

Daily Prayer: Lord, apart from You, I can do nothing. Even though I prove myself to be a sinner every day, You bring new mercies every day. Raise up my thinking to the heavenlies so that I may understand You and know You. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Jesus Says "Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled"

We are aware that in the world there will be tribulation. So how can the Lord say let not your heart be troubled? It is because He promises to leave us and give us peace. He says "not as the world gives, do I give to you." Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Any peace aside from the peace He gives is a counterfeit. The greatest cause of tribulation in our life is when we look to ourself for our own sufficiency instead of looking to our Savior. We were never equipped to work apart from God. It wasn't true in the Garden of Eden and it isn't true today. Peace apart from Christ is havoc and sufficiency apart from the Lord is mayhim.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let us begin each day and end every day in Your presence. Let us not think so highly of ourself that we become our own god. Instead of independence, teach us dependance which is the only way to life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Joy Of Self Sacrifice

Jesus said that He laid His life down for His friends. He wasn't talking about the cross alone. He was talking about giving Himself over entirely for us because of His agape love for us. He asks also that we lay our life down for Him. This means total surrender in all areas of our life so that He, by way of the Holy Spirit, can do His work through us. This is also called dying to ones self.
When you do this, He raises up new life in us so that the sacrifice we made and the dying to ourself was not in vain, but results in joy.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, place Your love in our heart so that we can see. We both want and need you, but often times are selfish and immature. Forgive us, but also raise us, so that we too may demonstrate the love of Christ. Amen.

God's Attitude Toward Good Children

Some of you may say that I ask from God but do not receive. You may say that He turns a deaf ear to me. First of all, unless you are a child of God there is no use in praying. Secondly, for the true child of God if you earnestly pray and do not receive then you must examine the evidence in your life that is withholding His blessing. Are you withholding blessing from your brother or sister? Are you in rebellion to your own parents? Are you holding someone bondage for something that they may owe you? Jesus taught us to have both vertical love which is love for the Father. He also taught us to have horizontal love which is love for your neighbor. These need to be healthy relationships before the Lord of heaven and earth can give you your heart's desire.

Daily Prayer: Lord, I thank you for loving me before I loved You. I thank you for Your grace allowing me eternal salvation without going to the cross. I thank you for the Spirit You place in me to guide me into all truth and to be my Comforter. Now, help me to be others minded in a sincere way to free You up to bless me and my family. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Behold I Stand At The Door And Knock

Our Lord Jesus wants to enter the inner-sanctuaries of our heart. Jesus instructs us to pray. He says go into the secret place and shut the door. It is there where your Father will gain access into your inner-being. If your mind is distracted, think of a sacred thought that is your own sacred idea. This process is called centering. It nullifies distractions and allows not only for you to speak to your Father, but it allows your Father to speak to you. Share your entire life with Him. All of you ups and downs, successes and failures, your praises and confessions tell Him.
Then, when this becomes a normal way for you to live your life, your life will be marked with the stamp of God.

Daily Prayer: Father open now my lips and I will give You praise. Lord, open now my heart and I will adore You. Open now my mind and I will learn Your secrets. Lord, open now my hand and I will to my Father's labor. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Repent And Make Way For The Baptism Of The Spirit

John said "I indeed baptize you with water...but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11). John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. The best that the baptized could do is confess that he is not worthy. But One was coming and has now come who seeks not confession, but transformation. Baptism of the Spirit is the regeneration of the human soul so that it can be saved by the merit of Christ on the cross. It must be called born again, because the process is regeneration of the human soul. Where John the Baptist left off is where He who is Greater than John began - taking the hearts of men and women and drawing them to Himself.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Alpha and the Omega - the beginning and the end. Let is receive Your Spirit so that He can impart new life - life that is eternal. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

At The Foundation Of Christ's Kingdom Is The Poor In Spirit

Blessed are you, says Jesus of Nazarath. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, because they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. For those who have the character of Christ formed in them, they are influencial to those around them. The mystery is this, they don't have the least idea of the influence they show. Take the woman who takes care of the alter in the church. She is faithful in her duty, but is never recognized, save from Jesus, of her labor. Take the bus driver who is responsibile for our safety. Nobody rewards him for his lovingkindness. The single parent who is both a father and a mother to her children and her children's children. This is the love of Christ formed in Christ's elect. If ever you feel neglected for your faithfulness, take heart, because blessed are you says Christ.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, blessed are You. Blessed are You who never had a place to lay His head. Blessed are You who were rejected by His own people. Blessed are You for going to the cross so that those who revile You might live. Blessed are You for being the Good Shepherd. Amen.

How Jesus Becomes Your All In All

Jesus says to those who have found Him "Come unto Me." Reworded this means you have rest in Me. This has several implications. First, you know you are in God's will because you are God's will. Second, you never doubt your prayers are both heard and answered. Third, Christ awareness is found in you because Christ is formed in you. This replaces self awareness or worse yet self pity. The result is that Christ is your all in all.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, never let me stray from you as sheep stray from a shepherd. Instead, let me remain in the flock of the Good Shepherd where I am never left alone or forsaken. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

To Have A Complete Life - Come To Jesus

Once a person is saved the sanctification process is to bring us into union with Jesus. The reason we are not condenmed nor feel any guilt is because our sufficiency is "in Christ." It was by the righteousness of Christ that we have been made acceptable to God. If God is for me, then who can be against me? Yet there are times, brought about by circumstances that our life becomes divided and we find ourselves examining ourselves and defending ourselves. This examination is not sin, but it's not healthy. The person who is abiding in Jesus need not examine themself or defend their self. Instead, we choose to rest in Christ who redeemed us and saved us from the enemy.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for removing guilt from our life. We know that because of the cross our sins are forgiven. We only ask that we do not intentionally sin because this would be taking grace for granted instead of the grace that saves us because of Your death and resurrection. Let this be the gift to all who hear these words today. Amen.

Jesus Did What He Expects From Disciples - Emptied Himself

The Bible states that when Jesus began His ministry He emptied Himself. This is the denial of any "possessions." Possessions are sometimes things, but often times they are desires of the will. Jesus set all of this aside so that He was a mere man before God so that God's will and not His will become accomplished.

Jesus asks the very same thing of us. He wants us to empy ourself of what we have, our own ideas, contrary relationships or anything that would hamper true submission to Him as a disciple. This demand can be so profound that it leaves us speachless even sorrowful. This is when we need the work of the Spirit to express what we can only utter.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your demands are very hard. Strengthen us and preserve us by Your Spirit so that we set aside all that is valuable to us so that we may live for You. In Your name I pray Amen.

Jesus' Stong & Unyielding Words

Jesus is not a salesman. His words are not words of enticement. When Jesus speaks directly and personally to you, His words will appear strong and unyielding. He will take those things that you most treasure and ask that you abondon them and to come and follow Him. He will not plead with you or try to reason with you. He will simply go to the heart of your treasure and tell you full devotion belongs to Him. This is why many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. To those who remained, He gave the power to be sons of God and He gave them responsibility to rule with Him because of their faithfulness.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You deserve full devotion. Let us by our will and by Your will, separate ourselves from the treasures of this world so that nobody or nothing interferes with being a disciple. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Evidences Of And The Ability To Discern Whether Your Are Born Again

How can a man be born again when he is old? When you are willing to die to everything in this life including rights, virtues and religion can one receive the new life never before experienced.

"But as many as received Him ( John 1:12 ) Is the knowledge of Jesus the result of your own internal spiritual perception and not something that you have learned or heard. To be born again means that you can see Jesus.

"Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." ( John 3:3 ). Do not seek evidence of God's kingdom, instead recognize His absolute sovereign control. His sovereignty has always been there, but now you can perceive it when you couldn't previously.

"Whoever has been born again does not sin." (1 John 3:9 ). It means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin."


Daily Prayer: Create in me a new life Father. Let me be one of your chosen saints to be with you now and in Your kingdom. Transform me by the power of the Spirit to recognize the impartation of new life and to lead a life worthy of Your calling. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Lord Chastens Those Who Are His Own

The sure way of knowing you are a child of God is that He chastens those who are His. It is easy to look at Bible figures like Jonah and point out how silly they look when the disobey God and then pout when they are chastened. We should not be like this. God is trying to shape us not into what we want to be but into what He wants us to be. Can you imagine how Peter must have felt when Jesus told him "Get thee behind thee Satan." What stunning words those were. To be a useful instrument of God, we need for Him to be the potter and for us the clay.

Daily Prayer: Lord, fill us with a thankful heart, even if our heart's desire is not Your will for our life. Instead, let us be willing servants to do what is Your good pleasure. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Spirit's Voice Of Restraint

The Holy Spirit is what Jesus Christ gave His disciples (us included) to help them in His absence. The Spirit does two things that involve restraint. When we stray, the Spirit leads us into all truth. When we continue to error, the Spirit interceeds for us to bring us back into fellowship with Christ. When we sin after a warning, it is called grieving the Spirit which is the sense of guilt a true Child of God will have when they sin. If our intentional sin becomes a recuring problem, it quenches the Spirit. This is the bigger problem because we no longer agree with the Spirit concerning what is good and right, but choose our own path again, thus hardening ourselves to the Spirit's restraint. Justification means to have good standing before God. It means we are in agreement with Him regardless of our ability to walk in the light. Fellowship is the confession and repentance from our sins which brings the wayword Christian back into God's blessing to live for Him instead of for yourself.

Daily Prayer: Lord, I know that we grieve You because we continue to stray from Your good will. Father, we confess our sins and ask for restoration to You by way of the Spirit based not on our own goodness, but on the goodness of Jesus Christ. Change our inner man so that we not only agree with You, but are transformed by You to seek and obey You. In Jesus name and for His sake I pray Amen.

Know That The Lord Is In Control & Heard Your Prayers

The thing that should make the Christian confident in their relationship with God is knowing that nothing can happen without Him having the final say about matters. Satan cannot touch the saint without God permitting it. Jesus said in the garden that He knows the Father always hears His prayers and answers them. This is no different for the believer. We have been given access to the Triune God and also have the knowledge that He cares for us. Think of His faithfulness from the time you were born until this very day. Has anyone ever surpassed such faithfulness and goodness? Then let it all count for joy because the Creator of the universe is with you.

Daily Prayer: Father we know that You hear and answer all of our prayers and for this we thank you. Let us rest in You who will by all means sustain those who have become followers of You through the Son. In Jesus name and for His sake we pray Amen.

Are You Feeling Alone?

Can you imagine how Elisha must have felt when God took up Elijah in a whirlwind? Your mentor is gone and you are on your own. I have that same experience. I learned the Word of God from Dr. Tony Evans. Tony was temporary in my life. He is a footstool for me to receive the Word of God from God. You probably have similar experiences. When you first learned how to drive, you always had someone with you. There came a time when you had to do it for yourself. There were times when your parents supplied all of your needs. The hour came when you had to make the living not only for yourself, but also for your family. The biggest error most people make is presuming this new level of ability comes from self-confidence. If that is the understanding, then you will continue to falter until you truely learn that all of life's circumstances are accomplished by God for His recognition and greater glory. Recognize Him not only for who He is, but what He does. Amen.

The Saint Needs Not Sympathy

Whatever is sown, this is also what shall be reaped. If you sow to the flesh, worldliness is the harvest. When you sow to the spirit, he that is spiritual will blossom. When Jesus suffered, He set His face like flint for Jerusalem. When the saint suffers, he should imitate his Master. Jesus said of Himself "I did not come to be served and to do My Father's will." So it is with the New Testament saint, let us do our Savior's will.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we ask neither to lead us into suffering or to deliver us from it. We ask only that we remain faithful as You and the Father are faithful. Amen.

Never Put Common Sense On The Throne

We pray to God because we are made in His image. You need not be a believer to be made in God's image. To have your prayer answered, one must be a child of His. In our extraordinary lives and difficult circumstances one cannot look to the common sense of the world to be a measure of a very extraordinary God. With God, nothing is impossible. Yet, sometimes we feel like our prayers are not heard. If you a child of God your prayers are always heard. Sometimes, though, we try to reason the answer out and that's where common sense fails. Never put common sense on the throne because apart from God and His Son and the indwelling Spirt, we can do nothing.

Daily Prayer: Father, it is a matter of trust. Strengthen our faith so that we do not backslide into human reasoning to be a predictor of answered prayer. Instead, let is come to you in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, You are satisfied and we belong to Him. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Opportunity & The Simplicity Of The Child Of God

Most of our trouble is self inflicted. We try to make plans and accomplish them in the flesh. This should not be the life style of the Child of God. Children are simple people. They go through life not with plans of their own, but the plans of their father. When they have concerns, they ask questions to Dad. If they are running a little short, they ask Dad for provisions. If they are worried, they ask their father for protection and comfort. But you say "How do I ask my father for this or that?" Through prayer. The Bible tells us that Christ is formed in the soul of the believer. We can cast all of our cares on Him, because He cares for us. We need not be troubled or afraid. Ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Our Father has cattle on a thousand hills. He can handle the trouble that comes our way.

Daily Prayer: Father show me the way that I should go. Let me not go off and make plans of my own. Instead, show me and I will follow. This is my prayer. This is enough for me. Amen.

What It Means To Become Identified With Christ

When we say we are identified with Jesus, it means that we have come into union with Him and with the Father. Jesus prayed in His High Priest Prayer that we become one with the Father just as He is one with the Father. This communion between ourselves and the godhead allows us the privilege of prayer, knowing that whatever we ask in Jesus' name it is done. The thing to remember is that we cannot ask what Jesus would not ask if indeed we are in union with Him.
Jesus said that His pupose is to carry out the will of the Father and now so our ambition should be the same.

Daily Prayer: Father, it is time for us to remove ourself from our fleshly desires and to seek that Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. When we seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these other benefits will be added also. Amen.

In Order To Understand God, We Must Share In His Nature

It has been said that people must act according to their nature. There was once a young man who could not understand how a fire-plug could possibly put out large fires. His grandfather explained to him that underneath the plug is plumbing that runs deep into the ground and carries out to the large dam of water. This is how it could put out fires. The young man then reasoned that if he desired to understand God, his undergrould plumbing should be hooked up with God's. So it is, if God's Sprit connects with our Spirit, then we can understand what is happening all around us because we are hooked up internally with it's cause who is God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer: Father, let us learn from the young man not to depend on human reasoning for our understanding because we have access to the Cause. Let our spirit connect with Your Spirit, so that we may love You and know You. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

In Our Weakness, We Are Christ's Friends

The Bible teaches us that God's strength is perfected in our weakness. To the one who feels self sufficient, God cannot use that person, because they have their own purposes. To the one who feels useful to God, He cannot use because we don't know His compelling purposes. To the one who says "I am slow of speach" God instructs to lead His people out of Egypt. Our value to God is not measured on natural ability, but in the relationship to Him where we can be His friends.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, lead us the way in which we should go. Let us be the clay and You the potter. Use us in ways that are useful to you, not in ways that we petititon for. Let us be faithful friends. In Your Name I pray Amen.

The Compelling Purpose of God

Many of us in our spiritual journey miss the mark concerning God's purposes. We do what is right in our own eyes when God's purposes are in front of our eyes. The reason that we sway from God's truth is because we may not desire it. We desire to serve God in our own way which often times has hidden in it some credit for ourserves. When Jesus served His earthly ministry,
He set His face like flint for Joursalem which is the culmination of His fulfilling His Father's will.
He was not excited about going to the cross, but He felt that His Father's will and not His own be done. In the same way, if God has in mind some cross to bear, even if we don't desire it, we should do as the Father desires for His purposes and glory.

Daily Prayer: Father, we often times want to team up with you to accomplish Your purposes forgetting you need no team mates. Instead, let us be useful to you by obeying you and being trustworthy to do as You command instead of what we desire. Amen.

Our Misunderstanding of Spiritual Strength

To the saint their hope is that Father God will protect them from adversity and bring them joy and peace. Jesus said "In this world there will be tribulation." So what does this mean? God's promise is not to deliver us from adversity, but to deliver us out of advarsity. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer so that when trouble comes they may over come the enemy. It is important to be an overcomer because with every triumph over your circumstances comes spiritual strength. This is why the demon's named Legion say " I know Jesus and I know Paul, but who are you?" In effect they say that Jesus and Paul have spiritual strength, but until you over come the enemy by depending on the Holy Spirit, you will be a target of adversity. Never try to overcome the enemy in the flesh. Instead, depend on the Holy Spirit who is greater than he who is in the world.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to know the Holy Spirit and not hamper His work. Instead, help us yield to Him so that when trouble comes, we can be delivered out of it. In Your Name we pray Amen.

Waiting On The Lord

It is difficult for the average American to wait. We desire to be proactive. We say "I'll make something out of nothing." "Where there is a will, there is a way." "I'm a self-made man." You see what I mean? Whenever you start a personal command with "I" you can be sure God will not help you in your effort. The problem is we haven't learned how to wait. Our failure to wait creates a stumbling block for God. He cannot do His work while you're in the way. No matter how well intentioned you are, you are still in the way. The way we can best promote the will of God is to learn to wait for Him because all things come together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.

Daily Prayer: Father, the reason we have difficulty waiting is our failure to trust You. Forgive us Father. Let us learn to depend on You for all of life's concerns, because apart from You, we can do nothing. Amen.