Weekly Devotionals

Sometimes it seems that the American church’s highest value is what Francis Schaeffer called “personal peace and affluence.” We want to be accepted by everyone. We don’t want to be controversial. Above all, we don’t want to suffer.

So whenever you find yourself looking out the window in judgment of others, turn back to the mirror and see who you are. You’ll find the mirror has a memory.

Though we know our true treasures are in heaven, we often times become more preoccupied with the riches of earth. 

We are pilgrims in this life, not because our home will never be on Earth, but because our ultimate home isn’t on the present Earth (which is under the Curse). 

More theological battles have been lost to enemies inside the church than to those outside.

Anger’s roar may be filling the ears of our heart. Worry may mute our soul’s capacity to listen to the Spirit. When we trust Jesus, we’re in a position to hear Jesus

When we have been wounded, we naturally seek out people who can help apply the salve of support and sympathy. 

I’m grateful for the times a friend has offered to help me before I even had a chance to ask. When people are perceptive enough to discern what we need and when we need it, they become vessels for God’s provision.

You’re like me. You meet people like Anushka in your community every day. Trouble is, we never look—I mean, look deeply—at a run-of-the-mill shopkeeper and picture that person rising out of a grave, either to live or to be condemned.

I’ve found that anytime, at any place, and on any day, my list of priorities are susceptible to falling out of order.

It’s time to discard past mistakes and let yesterday do the job it was made for. 

I’m a quadriplegic, yet I can drive a van.

Friend, God honors hospitality in unique ways.

The more you think upon the Lord and the less you think of yourself, the better off you become.

The statutes of God stand firm forever. No secular storm can blow His truth from its moorings.

You have a divine purpose rooted in God’s plan.

What a magnificent promise from God to His people who reverence Him and live His way.

Rescue me when my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed (Psalm 143:4).

God will keep us. He’ll help. He’ll intervene—perhaps just in the nick of time. Is that too close for comfort? Maybe. But our trust in Him was never meant

to be comfortable—only close. And the nick of time is close enough.

Enduring the refining process is not easy, but it is essential if we are to cultivate an eternal perspective.

Regardless of what we say or do, God knows what we think and feel.

But God is not like us human beings, who sometimes take sinister delight in withholding forgiveness from others.

Disobedience is like swimming upstream in a raging river.

We must pray daily for God’s hand of protection to cover our grandchildren.

Elijah saw some unique answers to prayer, but his ability to pray was not unique.

There’s no such thing as a trouble-free life. To think otherwise is naive, presumptuous, and proud. Pride does this. It instills false confidence and unrealistic expectations

Money is a lover who romances us regularly.

Condemning sin is not the same as judging the sinner

I will be victorious.

Jesus will stand with you and strengthen you to accomplish the tasks he’s given you to do.

When you find yourself taking credit for an accomplishment, don’t forget who really made it possible.

Lord, please bring me into Your peace so I can know You as my Prince of Peace.

You may never know in this life all the things that God has shielded you from.

Sometimes prayer is an excuse for inaction.

Place in my mind loving thoughts and feelings for the people in my life

You cannot find the wholeness God has for you if you don’t separate yourself from your past.

Did your teachers ever hand out pop quizzes? You’d arrive at school expecting a normal day with little or no stress, and out of nowhere a teacher would announce a pop quiz. You had to be caught up on your studies or you’d fail the quiz.

When you find your hope in the Lord, you cannot just keep it to yourself. You have to share it with others.

A young man named Jordan wrote me his story. The first sentence said, “Hello, my name is Jordan, and I am a drug addict.”

At times we have no clue about the “why” behind God’s actions—or, more often it seems, His lack of visible action—in our circumstances.

People will let us down from time to time—even the best mentors, even our favorite preachers, even the people we need the most will disappoint us.

You want to be number one? Then here is the secret: look for every opportunity you can to be number two.

Healing and body care are two different things.

The battle to overcome your emotional strongholds is a battle for your mind. Whoever and whatever controls your mind controls your emotions (and your actions). So if you are worrying, stressed out, and depressed, you’re probably thinking things that aren’t true. That’s why the apostle Paul tells us we don’t war against the flesh, but against Satan’s attacks on our mind.

As we pull the covers to our chins at night and settle into our pillows, one question should bring our day into the presence of God for his scrutiny. Did the life I lived today please you, God?

Have you ever needed a breakthrough in your life? Or some kind of deliverance?

Jesus took on the cross what you will have to take for all eternity if you don’t take Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but when I’ve just been hurt by someone, the last thing I want to do is pray for that person.

Wouldn’t it be great to actually see Jesus in person?

How much peace does it take to balance out the anxiety in our lives?

If you were to compare each of God’s prophets to a musical instrument, Isaiah had a voice like a trumpet.

May we always remember we are, like Adam, only dust. But also, like Christ, we are sons of God and co-heirs of a grand kingdom.

Nothing frees you to walk the tightrope of life—to perform daring feats outside your comfort zone—like knowing you’re safe in your heavenly Father’s care.

We live in a hungry world. Thirsty too. And as people eat the dust of this world and drink its acrid waters, they become increasingly dissatisfied.

If we are honest, most of us have been guilty of a forceful, rude blast of pride.

In His providence, God will bring about His intended result, and He will do it at the perfect time.

Some time ago, I attended the funeral of an older gentleman. As I sat with his friends, co-workers, and family members in the chapel, I listened as one by one they took turns saying a few words in tribute.

Tim was born with cerebral palsy. He approached me as I walked off the stage after a concert in Georgia, and we struck up a conversation.

Whatever Jesus is doing in your life, he’s doing it not primarily to satisfy you but to glorify God.

We need not hunger, nor fear, nor feel unloved. We need only to partake of our daily Bread of life.

Many struggles in your life can become emotional strongholds, holding you hostage and keeping you from wholeheartedly serving and trusting God and experiencing the abundant life He has promised.

The Lord is strong and secure. Satan and his demons cannot scale His fortress.

Have you ever had difficulty with the Scripture passage, “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16)? Because most people think being holy is synonymous with being sinless, they think, Who could possibly be holy? It’s unattainable…unimaginable!

What is God’s brand? It isn’t people carrying Bibles underneath their arms. Neither is it “Christianese”—language designed to make some people sound holier or more spiritual than others.

We all know what it is like to feel small. As we look around us, it is easy to see people who are performing with peak proficiency, people who are being accomplished with quickness and creativity. In comparison, we often feel small and feel that we are inadequate, incapable, even inept.

True love forgives regardless of the infraction because it transcends mistreatment.

What is your standard for forgiveness?

The preacher thought, “She’s so disheveled, and she smells like she’s been cleaning toilets.

Wise people invite instruction. They understand that correction and rebuke are necessary if they are to grow in wisdom and righteous behavior.

I want to be like Christ. But honestly, I want to be like the Christ who turned the water into wine, not the Christ who thirsted on a cross.

The Pelicano was once the most unwelcome ship in the world. For more than two years it sailed the open seas—the Flying Dutchman of the twentieth century.

In the midst of confusion, you need the mind of Christ. In the midst of conflict, when criticism is caustic and when advice is adversarial, you need the mind of Christ. As long as you live, there will always be those who are mentally and emotionally on the attack.

What does it mean to pursue righteousness? We know how to pursue happiness or financial security. We may pursue a husband or wife, but what is the pursuit of righteousness?

Before a thrilled Olympic audience in 1976, Dorothy Hamill created a sensation as she skated to victory with her “Hamill camel.” Yet even more amazing was the fashion sensation she created with a haircut known as “the wedge,” later called the “Hamill haircut.”

Do you ever struggle with stamina? Do you sometimes need extra motivation to keep showing up at work, to continue being truly present in relationships, and to maintain your commitment to serve?

As we walk among the ruins of our lives, can we hope that they will ever be rebuilt?

The only reason to fear or worry is if the Lord had said…

As you were growing up, what kind of “signs” did your father wear? Was he labeled approachable…available…accessible?

Dear God, today grant me what You promised:

Have you ever wrestled with a difficult relationship, trying to make things work but to no avail?

Why are we quick to recommend doctors who heal us physically but sometimes reluctant to recommend the One who offers spiritual healing?

How will I ever get through this? That’s the question we often ask ourselves when faced with a trial that overwhelms us. 

Confidence is not based on you having all the resources needed to take care of yourself. True confidence is based on the truth that God is faithful.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

You stand before God right now in a place of complete innocence. It may sound too good to be true, but the Bible explains why this is so.

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it,” says Psalm 118:24 (NLT). These words resonate with us some days more than others. Do you agree?

The cross is the defining portrait of Christ; it is, in fact, how He defined Himself because He said that He came into the world to die. He was born to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.” Isaiah 14:24

Being confident in life is fundamentally an issue of faith. Faith relates to all of life. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Have you ever longed to be chosen because you were really wanted, because you were really desired?

“When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:10-11

Lord, thank You for hearing simple prayers.

Dear God, I need hope! I long for authentic hope that is more than shallow optimism, wishful thinking, or anxious yearning.

Almighty God, it’s an assurance of Your faithfulness I need in tough times. And all I need to do is turn to the Bible to hear the resounding affirmation of Your faithfulness.

Almighty God, when I humble myself and confess my aching need for You, You lift me up and grant me opportunities beyond my imagination.

Huddled in a cave and miles away from his home, Elijah tried to warm himself and remember how he got to this place. Queen Jezebel and her violent threats against him came rushing back to his mind, crowding out the memory of the miracle God had done on Mount Carmel and the spiritual victory that had been gained there. Now he hid in fear.