Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: daily devotion
John Hagee (November-01-2022) Daily Devotion: Praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6 - Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
This first day of November marks the beginning of the annual season of thanksgiving. For Christian believers, though, our gratitude is not limited to a season, stage or second.
Constantly and continuously, our praises flow from hearts that have been transformed by our loving Father. No matter where we find ourselves, today is a good time to be grateful.
Our thanksgiving is not rooted in the dilemmas where we may be mired; it is wholly focused on God Who is an ever-present help in the day of trouble. When we pour out worship – even sacrificially from our lowest place – God inhabits our praise; He takes up residence right in the middle of whatever we are facing.
Our thanksgiving ushers us into His presence; our songs of praise carry us into His courtyards. There, in intimate communion with Him, He heals us and makes us whole.
If we are young, we can thank God for the dreams that lie before us, for His plans to prosper us and give us a beautiful future. If we are advanced in years, we can be grateful for the proof of His unwavering faithfulness. If we are experiencing a season of abundance, we can praise the Father of lights Who blesses us with every good thing.
As long as He affords us the opportunity to inhale and exhale, let us praise the Lord!
Today's Blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. As you lift your voice in praise, may His abiding presence fill you with joy and permeate you with peace.
Today's Bible Reading:
- Old Testament - Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
- New Testament - Hebrews 3:1-19
- Psalms & Proverbs - Psalm 104:1-24, Proverbs 26:24-26
Joel Osteen (November-01-2022) Daily Devotion: Garment of Praise.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: "And provide for those who grieve…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." (Isaiah 61:3, NIV)
TODAY'S WORD: What are you wearing today? Not on your physical body, but what’s covering your mind and emotions? Are you clothed with despair and disappointment? Are you wearing “heaviness?"
If you’ve recently gone through a hurtful or disappointing situation, the Bible says there is a time to grieve. It’s important to go through that process and release the hurt to God. But the Bible also says that God wants to give you a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness or despair. He wants to exchange your hurt for His healing. He wants to fill you with His peace and joy.
Are the garments of yesterday holding you back and weighing you down? Maybe it’s time to exchange that heaviness for His garment of praise. Maybe it’s time to release those heavy burdens. It’s time to forgive those who have hurt you and begin to praise your way to victory! Just start right now by thanking Him for the life you have today. Thank Him for the opportunities today has to offer. Thank Him for the beautiful sunrise. When you wear that garment of praise, you’ll stand strong and display His splendor all the days of your life!
PRAYER FOR TODAY: "Father, I humbly come to You giving You my old garments of despair and heaviness. Make me new today. Give me a garment of praise so that I can joyfully embrace the new season You have for me in Jesus' name. Amen."
Joyce Meyer (November-01) Daily Devotion: Open the Door to Christ.
Jesus is always knocking at the door of our hearts, but we need to remember that the doorknob is on our side. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman, so He’ll never force His way into our lives—if we want His loving, guiding presence, we must welcome Him.
I want to encourage you to open the door of your heart to Him by stretching your faith a little. Be like Peter—the one who got out of the boat and walked on the water. Peter probably had butterflies in his stomach when he got out of that boat, but as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he kept making progress (see Matthew 14:23–30).
Back when we first started to travel, we quickly found that our attempts at sightseeing on our own were nearly wasted. We often spent a large part of the day getting lost and then trying to find our way back again. Over time, I’ve found that the best use of our time is to follow a guide rather than wandering aimlessly to find places ourselves, and I believe the same principle is true in our daily life. So many times we want to go our own way so we can do what we want to do, when we want to do it, but we end up getting lost and wasting our lives. We need the Holy Spirit guiding us through every day of our time on this earth, so it’s incredibly important to learn how to hear His voice.
The Holy Spirit knows both the mind of God and His individual plan for you. His road map for you is not necessarily like anybody else’s, so it doesn’t work to try to pattern your life after someone else or what he or she has heard from God. God has a unique plan for you, and the Holy Spirit knows what it is and will reveal it to you as you pursue Him (see Isaiah 30:21).
Maybe you’re like I was and have wasted many years walking your own way without seeking God’s guidance. Even if that’s the case, the good news is that it’s never too late to turn and go in a new direction—it’s not too late to learn how to hear from God. If you’re sincerely willing to obey Him, He will guide you on an exciting journey of learning to hear from Him every day of your life.
Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for guiding and showing me Your specific plan for my life. Today I invite You to begin to lead and teach me more than ever before. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Joel Osteen (October-31-2022) Today's Word: In the Night Season.
Today’s Scripture - 2 Chronicles 15:7, NIV: "But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."
Today’s Word: As a young man, David spent years running from King Saul, hiding in caves, sleeping in the desert. I'm sure he prayed, "God, deliver me from Saul. This is not right." But it was as though the heavens were silent. God didn't change it. It was a night season--a time of testing, a time of proving.
There are times in all our lives when we're praying and believing, but we don't see anything changing. We can feel alone, forgotten. It's a night season. We can't see what God is doing, but God is working behind the scenes. He does His greatest work in the dark. Your story doesn't end in the night. Keep moving forward in faith, keep believing. The bad breaks, the disappointments, the losses, and the sicknesses are simply additional steps on the way to your destiny. It's just a matter of time before the morning breaks forth.
Prayer for Today: "Father, thank You that You are the God of the night seasons. I believe that no matter what comes my way, it's not a surprise to You, and You still have me in the palms of Your hands. I believe that though it may be night now, morning is coming. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
John Hagee (October-31-2022) Daily Devotion: Psalm 121:7-8 - The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore
Over and over in Psalm 121, God reassures us that He is our Keeper, that He will watch over us in every circumstance. He will keep our feet from slipping. He will be our shade, protecting us from the sun. He will keep us warm under the moon. He will not sleep, so we can rest while He stands sentinel.
Now, He sums it up in today’s verses: He will preserve our souls from all evil forever. The word preserve (shamar) indicates the most tender care and protection. And in addition to all of the verses before, He covers every eventuality when He tells us that He will preserve us from all evil.
Why does this short psalm repeatedly tell us that God is keeping us? He understands that our trust is slow to gain and easy to lose. We live in a world that readily breaks the most solemn of vows. He emphasizes His promise to let us know that He will honor our faith.
In all of our public affairs (going out) and our private ones (coming in), from now until forever, we can count on God’s promise to keep us, to watch over and protect us from all evil.
Today's Blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. May you give your heart and trust completely to the Keeper of your soul, to your Provider and Protector, your Comforter and Confidence. He is worthy.
Today's Bible Reading:
- Old Testament - Lamentations 4:1-5:22
- New Testament - Hebrews 2:1-18
- Psalms & Proverbs - Psalm 103:1-22, Proverbs 26:23
Joel Osteen (October-31-2020) Daily Devotional: Anxious for Nothing.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6, NASB)
TODAY'S WORD: So many people today are living uptight, worried and anxious about the future, filled with frustration and concern. In the natural there may be good reason, but understand, that is not God’s best. God doesn’t want us to live in anxiety and frustration; He wants us to live in peace. You can find rest in Him knowing that no matter what is happening around you, God Almighty has His hand on you.
The next time you’re tempted to worry or be anxious about something, remember this verse. God invites us to come to Him. In fact, the Bible says He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. But notice, we can’t just come to Him any old way. He wants us to come to Him with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving. Begin by simply saying, “Father in heaven, thank You for the privilege to come before You. Thank You for hearing my prayers.” As you come to Him with an open and humble heart, He will hear you and fill you with His peace and joy all the days of your life.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Heavenly Father, today I choose to be anxious for nothing. I choose to set aside my worries and concerns. I thank You for Your faithfulness to meet every need in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joyce Meyer (October-31) Daily Devotion: First Things First.
Often we don't think about what our priorities are, but we still have them. Our priorities are whatever is first in our thoughts and in how we plan our time. Having real peace in our lives requires making God first—above all other things that demand our attention.
Our lives will not be blessed if we keep God in a little Sunday-morning box, only giving Him our priority attention for an hour a week during a church service. If Christians were putting Jesus first in everything, this world would be in much better condition. That’s why it’s critically important for us to keep Him first in every aspect of our daily life.
If you put God first in your finances, first in your time, first in your conversation, first in your thoughts, first in your decisions, your life will be a success—I am living evidence of this truth! Before I learned to put God first, I was living in the worst messes that anybody could have. I had such a bad attitude that I couldn't think two positive thoughts in a row, I didn't like anyone, and nobody liked me. The abuse in my childhood had left me full of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness. But thank God He got ahold of my heart! As I began to put Him first in every part of my life, I began to receive more and more of His healing and experience His restoring grace.
Over the years, I've trained myself to start each day by giving God the firstfruits of my time. I've realized that I'm not going to get through the day peacefully if I don't spend time with God. When I do, though, the door is open for Him to strengthen me in everything I need to do.
Prayer Starter: Father, please help me develop the habit of putting You first in every moment and part of my life. Thank You for being faithful! In Jesus’ name, amen.
John Hagee (October-30-2022) Daily Devotion: Psalm 121:3-4 - He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep
God never sleeps nor slumbers. We can rest, because He will not. How comforting is that promise!
In this harried and hurried world, we often believe that everything is up to us. We must keep going no matter how tired we feel. To succeed, we cannot quit. If we slow down, we will fall behind.
At times, our fortitude and endurance are a measure of our faithfulness in the battles we face. However, when we push ourselves to physical exhaustion, our faithfulness turns to foolishness.
God deems rest so important that He commanded us to work for six days, but on the seventh day, to rest (Exodus 23:12 - Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.). Our rest signifies our confidence in Him. If we obey His mandate to take one day off, we are trusting Him to help us accomplish all our work in the next six days.
Jesus often stole away to rest and pray alone. When the disciples were stretched so thin, ministering to all the people coming and going, that they did not have an opportunity to eat, Jesus urged them to come away to a deserted place and rest (Mark 6:31 - And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.).
You may rest today. The One Who keeps you never slumbers. He watches over you and the things that concern you with constant care. You can lie down in peace and sleep. He will keep you safe.
Today's Blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. May you find deep, restorative rest in the arms of our loving Father Who never sleeps nor slumbers.
Today's Bible Reading:
- Old Testament - Lamentations 2:20-3:66
- New Testament - Hebrews 1:1-14
- Psalms & Proverbs - Psalm 102:1-28, Proverbs 26:21-22
Joyce Meyer (October-30) Daily Devotion: Be Patient—God Is Still Working!
When you’re feeling frustrated because it seems like nothing is happening in your life, or that your prayers aren’t being answered, remember that as long as you’re putting your trust in God, He is still working! Your “suddenly” is coming soon. You may wait a long, long time, but then suddenly God will show you the result of all He’s been doing while you were waiting (see Psalm 37:3-6).
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
The fulfillment of your hopes and desires will come at the right time and in the right way, so do your best to enjoy your journey. Being patient makes the journey much more pleasant than constantly wishing it was over. When you keep a humble, patient heart as we wait and obey God, He always brings a worthwhile harvest later on (see 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.).
Prayer Starter: Father, please help me trust You as I’m waiting for the dreams You’ve placed in my heart to come to pass. Thank You for Your grace to wait patiently, and for the ways You’re working to provide the desires of my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.
John Hagee (October-29-2022) Daily Devotion: Psalm 121:3 - He will not allow your foot to be moved
When we take a stand and place our foot on God’s Word, He keeps us from slipping. When we stay put on His promises, He will not fail us. Others may doubt, intimidate, or accuse, but we stand immovable.
Paul urged believers to pull on the whole armor of God to withstand the fight with the powers and rulers of this dark age (Ephesians 6:13). Having done that, we will stand. However the enemy comes against us, our feet remain firm in the power of His might.
The young David shows us what uncompromising confidence in God looks like. While war-hardened soldiers trembled in the face of Goliath, David stood on the battlefield and proclaimed, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…” (I Samuel 17:45). Then, he ran at the giant on sure feet!
Once you make a bold decision to stand for Jesus, do not succumb to second-guessing. The Israelites gladly followed Moses out of Egypt, but their doubt in God shut the door to the Promised Land for forty long years.
Where can you take a stand today? Will you contend with the enemy for the souls of your children? Will you speak Truth to a society steeped in lies? No matter how treacherous the path or shaky the ground, God will not allow our feet to be moved.
Today's Blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. God is your Rock and Defense! The foot of the righteous cannot be moved!
Today's Bible Reading:
- Old Testament - Lamentations 1:1-2:19
- New Testament - Philemon 1:1-15
- Psalms & Proverbs - Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 26:20
