DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

God never promised that He would give us peace like a puddle or a pond. He promised that His peace would be like a powerful, flowing river!!  And He promised that if we lack wisdom, just ask of HIM and pursue His heart, and He’ll give us deeper understanding and reveal His heart to us as we follow HIM.

Thank you for joining me on this 28-Day Challenge in the Word. This challenge was designed to just spark your appetite for getting much deeper in the Word as you fall more and more in love with Jesus and pursue His design for your heart and life. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy your time with family as you remember the incredible blessings and grace of God extended to us.

                                                        ~  Dave

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DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

Exodus 3:14-15

“God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ 

“This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to 

generation.”

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”

HE is the same yesterday, today and forever! He promises to be your All in All now and forever. He promised that if we’ll do our part for one generation, He’ll do His part for a thousand. That sounds like a God deal to me!

Thank You, Lord for your faithfulness from generation to generation! Fill us with Your grace and as we grow in that grace, may we learn more and more to serve You and others.  

    ~  Amen

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DAY TWENTY-SIX

Psalm 94:18-19

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” 

Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. 

When anxiety was great within me, 

Your consolation brought me joy.”

In the Bible, the phrase, “unfailing love” is used 32 times. Not once is it used to describe human love. Only God’s love is completely INCAPABLE of failure. 

Thank You, Lord, that Your unfailing love lifted me and sets me on the Solid Rock. Lord, help me to walk, love and grow in Your amazing grace!    ~ Amen

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DAY TWENTY-FIVE

John 16:33

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. ⁱIn the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:37

“We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”

NEVER WILL HE HOLD  YOUR HAND MORE TIGHTLY  THAN WHEN HE IS LEADING  YOU TO BE AN OVERCOMER — NO MATTER HOW DARK IT MAY BE AROUND YOU.

Thank You, Lord that You have overcome the world! And we claim Your powerful promise to overcome the world in us.   ~ Amen

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DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Psalm 95:6-7

“ Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”

The path to His peace in our lives is paved with knee prints coming from those who will bend their knees to His trustworthy authority. Though all of us can say we have not always found man to be completely trustworthy, God has never failed to live up to His Word in relationship with His people.

Lord, I know you will fulfill Your purpose for me and in me, if I will diligently seek to be Your child and do Your will. Thank You that Your love endures forever!  As I walk this path, give me the strength to…

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DAY TWENTY-THREE

James 4:10

“ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Proverbs 19:20

“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.”

Luke 1:52

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.”

True humility! Yep, it’s that important! In order to remove the obstacle of pride, we have to view pride as an absolutely dangerous enemy. Conversely, we must view humility as a very dear friend. For it is only in embracing true humility that we can have a heart of worship that pleases and honors God.

Father in heaven, deliver us from Me-ville.

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DAY TWENTY-TWO

Romans 6:16

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

Jesus died on the cross so we don’t have to be slaves to sin. Slavery is anything that keeps us from our God-ordained destiny and the fulfillment of His promises to each one of us. Jesus came to free us from our slavery to sin and break the chains that keep us hopelessly connected to spiritual defeat.

Father, thank you for liberating me from the chains of sins. Give me the courage to embrace and live that liberty!    ~ Amen

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DAY TWENTY-ONE

Psalm 139:23-24 

"Search me, God, and know my heart; 

  test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

  See if there is any offensive way in me, 

  and lead me in the way everlasting."

The one thing that always keeps us from experiencing the true peace and satisfaction of Jesus in our lives is when we refuse to give HIM access to those empty, shameful or hurting places deep inside of us. 

Lord Jesus, I know you want me to experience peace and complete cleansing. Forgive me for those times I've refused You access to areas of my life because of my pain or pride. "Take my (whole) life and let it be always, only, all for Thee."     ~ AMEN

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DAY TWENTY

Revelation 3:19       (the words of Jesus…)

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”

His discipline in our lives is a vital part of the faith-building process. As humans we prefer to call our own shots and clear an easy path for ourselves. However, we all have seen the lack of character in the lives of those who’ve had an easy path cleared for them. If we say we love Jesus and want Him to be the Lord of our lives, we must embrace His Lordship and leadership in our disciplining process.

Thank You, Lord for your perfect leading in my life. Thank You for the way You gently discipline and remind me how much peace there is in completely submitting to Your Lordship in my life.   ~ Amen

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DAY NINETEEN

John 11:25-26

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

Frederick Buechner captures this when he wrote, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.”

Psalm 118:14

“The LORD is my strength and my song.”

Thank You, Lord that You have the last word on eternal life. We praise You for the hope we have in a true and personal relationship with You! And most of all, thank You that relationship promises eternity with You!   ~ Amen

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DAY EIGHTEEN

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Humility doesn’t mean that we walk around with our heads hanging low. We humble ourselves simply by submitting to His greatness and recognizing our deep dependence on Him every day. There is nothing that surpasses the worth of knowing Jesus is Lord of all my life. Everything else pales in comparison to that reality. Thank You, Lord Jesus!

DAY SEVENTEEN

1 Corinthians 4:4-5

My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

The enemy specializes in trying to get us to take advantage of any refusal to forgive those who’ve done wrong to us. 

Father, please show me if there is any way that I am perpetuating division through refusal to forgive or wrong motives toward others.

DAY SIXTEEN      

Isaiah 61:3-4

“And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

No matter what strongholds may have decimated our lives in the past, God can plant us deeply in HIS love and grow us in the power of His love and grace. Only He is perfect in power, love and grace! Only HE can rebuild us in His perfect power, love and grace!

Thank Jesus today for His power, love and grace!

DAY FIFTEEN:

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

We are children of God and that makes us joint heirs with Jesus Christ. He provides victory for all of His children who will choose to take the route of seeking His power against temptation. Refuse to give the enemy one single inch of ground. Take God at His Word and stand with His power when temptation rears its ugly head.

Father, give us wisdom to see temptation for what it is, spiritual eyes to avoid it and the power to move forward in Your promises.

DAY FOURTEEN:    

Palms18:1-3

“I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”

I do NOT become victorious by being a great conqueror of the enemy. I ONLY become victorious in great dependence on God, through total surrender to Jesus Christ. And then I experience the powerful and victorious leading of His Holy Spirit.

DAY THIRTEEN:    

Isaiah 51:16

“I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand — I, who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” 

Malachi 4:2

“But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.”

The healthiest Christians you will ever meet are those who take a daily dose of God’s Word and choose to believe God is faithful to His Word. 

DAY TWELVE:    

Jeremiah 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you don't know." 

Today lets call out to Jesus!  

* Let's call out for our families, that forgiveness and love will reign!

* Let's call out for our children, that they will have the courage to stand strong with Jesus! 

* Let's call out for our church, let's pray for Pastors and leaders and ask that God will anoint them and give them courage. And that our churches will stand as one under the CROSS!

* Let's call out against the violence and anger that is prevailing our society!

* Let's call out for a renewed love for HIM.

Dare to join me in calling out to Jesus today and often, as we trust HIM to do more than we could possibly imagine.

DAY ELEVEN:    

Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Thank you, Lord Jesus for Your gift of salvation. You suffered beyond imagination, by choice, so that I might discover Your power, purpose and plan for my life. Give me strength to embrace that plan and help me to be passionate about bringing glory to You in all things.  ~ Amen

DAY TEN:    

Romans 1:11-13

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.” 

Not much is accomplished when I tell of how great God is, but live life inconsistently with His true calling on my life.

We have been given the joyful task of discovering God’s gifts and using those gifts to be encouraged and to encourage others. Then we will see the incredible harvest that Paul is writing about here in Romans One.

DAY NINE:    

Romans 8:18 

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:31

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God does not allow His people to go through trials so that we will be defeated. Quite the contrary! His plan is for us to press in to Him in those times and ultimately be victorious! That’s right, press in to Him and He presses us forward in victory! And the “us” in that scripture reminds us that we press and learn and grow together as His TEAM. His church.

DAY EIGHT:    

2 Corinthians 8:9 

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich.

The most powerful key to authentic belief in God, is right in front of our eyes. The more we KNOW Him, the more we will BELIEVE Him. His Word is filled with reasons to love a God who would give up everything to reconcile your heart and mine to Himself. Such love!!

"Thank You, Lord for salvation and for the privilege of following You while experiencing the joy of connecting with others who also believe in You."   ~ Amen

DAY SEVEN:    

2 Corinthians 1:6-7 

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Paul is writing to the church and reminding us of how valuable brothers and sisters in Christ are, and should be, to one another. We bring each other comfort in time of distress and we cheer one another on in times of triumph!

‘Lord, thank You for such a great group of fellow travelers on this journey of life!  We need each other and we definitely need YOU, Lord!’   ~ Amen

DAY SIX:    

Philippians 1:3-6 

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Perhaps the most profound miracle, aside from salvation itself, is thriving through something we thought would surely ruin us. God completes what He begins and He blesses us with connections and friendship for joy, strength and courage in the journey.

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