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

FOLLOW  •  CONNECT  •  DISCOVER  •  SERVE

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

FOLLOW  •  CONNECT  •  DISCOVER  •  SERVE

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

FOLLOW  •  CONNECT  •  DISCOVER  •  SERVE

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

FOLLOW  •  CONNECT  •  DISCOVER  •  SERVE

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.