Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: daily devotion
Joyce Meyer (November-22-2019) Daily Devotion: Three Things That Help Me Forgive.
The first thing that really helps me forgive is to remember this: God forgives me for much more than I will ever have to forgive others for. We may not do what others have done to us, but then again we may do things that are worse. In God’s Kingdom, sin does not come in sizes like small, medium, and large; sin is just sin! Do yourself a favor and forgive quickly and freely (without expectation or stipulation). The longer you hold a grudge, the more difficult it is to let it go.
The second thing that helps me forgive is to think of God’s mercy. Mercy is the most beautiful gift we can give or receive. It cannot be earned and is not deserved—otherwise, it wouldn’t be mercy. I like to think of mercy as looking beyond what was done wrong and on to why it was done. Many times people do a hurtful thing and don’t know why they are doing it, or they may not even realize they are doing it. I was hurt so badly in my childhood that I in turn frequently hurt others with my harsh words and attitudes. But I did not realize I was being harsh; because life had been so hard and painful for me, that harshness had become part of me.
The third thing that helps me forgive others is to remember that if I stay angry, I am giving Satan a foothold in my life (see Eph. 4:26–27). When I forgive, I am keeping Satan from gaining an advantage over me (see 2 Cor. 2:10–11). If I don’t forgive, I am poisoning my own soul with bitterness that will surely work its way out in some kind of bad behavior or attitude. One of the most valuable things I have learned is that I am doing myself a favor when I forgive.
Prayer Starter: Thank You, Father, for Your mercy and forgiveness. Help me, in turn, to forgive those who have hurt me and release any bitterness and resentment. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Charles Stanley (November-21-2019) Daily Devotion: Comebacks After Setbacks.
Whether you have recently become a believer or have followed Christ for many years, you’ve undoubtedly discovered that the Christian life is a series of highs and lows. The truth is, we are never ultimately defeated because Christ overcame sin and death for us on the cross. Yet Scripture still warns us not to yield to the sinful desires of our flesh, conform to this world’s evil system, or fall for the schemes and lies of the devil.
Since we are not totally free from the corrupt influences in and around us, the Lord has provided a way for us to come back and be restored. It is called confession, and it involves humbling ourselves, telling God what we have done, and agreeing with Him that it is wrong. Then God promises to forgive and cleanse us so that we might be restored to fellowship with Him (1 John 1:9). The good news is that we are not alone in this battle with sin.
• We have God’s Holy Spirit, by whom we put to death the deeds of the flesh (Rom. 8:13).
• We have God’s Word, by which we grow in respect to salvation (1 Pet. 2:2).
• We have God’s grace, which instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and live righteously (Titus 2:11-12).
• We have God’s promise that He will complete the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6).
When you sin, think of confession not as a dreaded duty but as a gracious gift of God. Take advantage of this privilege without shame, knowing that restoration is on the other side.
Joel Osteen (November-19-2022) Daily Devotion: Detoxing Your Mind.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23, AMPC
TODAY'S WORD: When something is toxic, it’s poisonous; it can destroy you. When we go around dwelling on the wrong thoughts, thinking about what we can’t do or how we’ll never get ahead, those are toxic thoughts. Toxic thoughts left alone become like toxic waste that sinks into your heart. It will eventually contaminate your whole life. It affects your self-image, your attitude, your confidence, and ultimately, your success. That’s why the Scripture says to guard your heart because the condition of your heart and mind determines the condition of your whole life.
You need to go through a mental cleansing. Make the decision today to detox any negative, self-defeating thoughts by meditating on God’s promises instead. Make the decision to detox bitterness, detox low self-esteem, detox negative words that may have been spoken over you, detox condemnation. Make the decision to dwell on what God says about you. God says, “You are forgiven.” God says, “Your best days are in front of you.” God says, “I’ll restore the years that the enemy has stolen.” As you detox your mind and fill your thoughts with His promises, you’ll see His hand of blessing on your life. You’ll rise up higher, and you’ll live the abundant life He has for you!
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father in heaven, I invite You to purify my heart and mind by Your Spirit today. Wash me with the Word as I meditate on Your wonderful promises. Help me keep my mind focused on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Charles Stanley (November-16-2019) Daily Devotion: Sharing Our Hope.
For believers in Jesus Christ, the condition of lost humanity ought to be both sobering and motivating. Ephesians 2:12 says we were “separate from Christ ... having no hope and without God in the world.” Is there anything worse than this? But apart from a relationship with God through His Son, there is no eternal hope.
Jesus Christ came into the world to take the punishment for sin and die the death that we deserved. In so doing, He satisfied God’s demands for justice, thereby removing the guilt and condemnation of everyone who believes in Him as Savior and Lord. The result is that those who were formerly “far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).
Now we who have received this hope are called to share it with others. But people cannot know that Jesus is the only hope unless they learn about Him from us. As Peter points out, this assignment may not always be easy because some people are hostile to our message. Yet we are called to “give an account for the hope” that is in us “with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15).
Our witness for Jesus Christ should be evident in both our words and actions. As the Holy Spirit begins the work of renewing our mind with the Word of God, our attitudes and behavior become increasingly Christlike. And that is a powerful witness to a world without hope. Christ offers a transformed life now and the promise of eternal life for all who will come to Him in repentance and faith. So let’s share our hope!
Believe God over People - Joel Osteen Daily Devotion (November-16-2021).
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: …the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8, ESV
TODAY'S WORD: Sometimes we can be more aware of what other people think about us than we are of what God thinks. But people don’t determine your destiny. People can’t stop God’s plan for your life. People may not approve you. Don’t worry about it. God approves you. God called you; people didn’t call you. People don’t equip you; God equips you. People don’t anoint you; God anoints you. When you come to the end of your life, you won’t answer to people; you’ll answer to Almighty God.
Don’t let what some person say or do make you feel less than or unqualified. You’ve been handpicked by the Creator of the universe. You are lacking nothing for the season that you’re in right now. God used the rod that was in Moses' hand to help deliver His people from Egypt. What you have in your hand is what you need. When you dedicate it to God and do what He tells you, He’ll bless and multiply what you have in your hand and use it to take you further than you ever dreamed!
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father, right now, I renounce the negative voices that have come against me and against Your Word. I choose to trust You. I choose to believe You. I choose to forgive others and believe Your Word which stands forever in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joseph Prince (November-15-2020) Daily Devotion: CALLED FROM YOUR MOTHER’S WOMB.
Galatians 1:15 - …God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,
Beloved, you are not an accident with no destiny. God has called you from your mother’s womb. You have a special calling and a destiny in Christ, and it is all by His grace!There are Christians who are called by God to be doctors. But I believe that among them are those separated from their mothers’ wombs for the healing ministry. They are passionate about seeking cures to alleviate the sufferings of humanity.
Likewise, I think that there are Christians who are called by God to be teachers in secular schools. But among them are those separated from their mothers’ wombs to be Bible teachers. What gives them tremendous fulfillment is seeing lives saved and transformed under their teaching.
What about those famous magicians you see performing tricks on television? They have a love for the mystical and supernatural. If they were to become Christians, they might just become prophets with ministries marked by the miraculous!
The apostle Paul knew that he was called from his mother’s womb. He had a misguided passion for God though, as he was persecuting the church, until he had his encounter with Jesus (see Acts 8:3, 9:1–6).
If Paul, a terrorist to the early church, could be touched by Christ to become an apostle of grace, what about today’s terrorists who blow up people in the name of their god? For all you know, if they receive Christ, they might just become trailblazers in the kingdom of God!
Now, don’t think that your calling has to do with your qualifications, abilities, achievements or even your walk with God. You were called from your mother’s womb by His grace. As a fetus in your mother’s womb, there was not much you could do—good or bad. That is why your calling is all by His grace. And since He has given you a calling, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern the desires that He has placed in your heart, the passions that drive you in life, and fulfill your calling and destiny in Christ!
Joel Osteen (November-12-2022) Daily Devotion: Bigger Than Fearю
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4, NASB
TODAY'S WORD: Fear always presents itself as much bigger than it really is. It’s always the worst-case scenario. It always tries to get you worried, anxious, uptight and panicked. Fear’s goal is to separate you from God by trying to get you to doubt His Word. But when the spirit of fear comes, recognize that it has no power unless you give it power. Don’t give it power by speaking what fear speaks. Don’t give it power by meditating on it. Instead, let the power of the Word of God rise up within you. Declare what God says; declare that God has given you all authority in heaven and earth. Declare that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Remember that no matter how big fear presents itself, it’s no match for the power of Almighty God. When you yield yourself to Him, you tap into His power. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. God is bigger than your problems and bigger than fear. Let faith rise up in your heart because faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father, thank You for Your perfect love which drives out all fear. I choose to meditate on Your Word which feeds my faith and empowers me to overcome. I bless You and praise You today for Your goodness and grace in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joyce Meyer (November-12-2022) Daily Devotion: Reminders.
It doesn’t matter what kind of problem we have in our lives, we need self-control and discipline to gain and maintain the victory. I believe this is especially true with regard to our thought life and the battle for our mind. What begins in the mind eventually comes out of the mouth, and before we know it, we’re telling anyone who will listen how we feel. We have to discipline our mind, our mouth, our feelings, and our actions so that they are all in agreement with what the Word of God says.
Every quality of God that is in you and me, God Himself planted in us in the form of a seed the day we accepted Christ (see Colossians 2:10). Over time and through life’s experiences, the seeds of Christ’s character begin to grow and produce the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22–23).
I have found that it is virtually impossible to operate in any of the other eight fruit of the Spirit unless we are exercising self-control. How can you and I remain patient, for example, in the midst of an upsetting situation unless we exercise restraint? Or how can we walk in love and believe the best of someone after they have repeatedly hurt us unless we use the fruit of self-control?
As Christians, we have the fruit of the Spirit in us, but we must purposely choose to exercise them. Not choosing to exercise the fruit of the Spirit is what produces carnal Christians—those who are under the control of ordinary impulses and walk after the desires of the flesh (see 1 Corinthians 3:3). Whatever we exercise the most becomes the strongest.
Our thoughts and words are two areas in which the Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to exercise self-control. The Bible says that …as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he, and …out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks(Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45 AMPC). Satan is constantly trying to get us to accept wrong thoughts about everything from God’s love for us to what terrible thing is going to happen to us next. Why? Because he knows that once we start accepting and believing his lies, it is just a matter of time until we begin to speak them out of our mouths. And when we speak wrong things, we open the door for wrong things to come into our lives (see Proverbs 18:20–21).
What if, instead of allowing our minds to go over all of the things that have hurt us, we would remind ourselves to think about all the good things God has brought into our lives? When we allow Satan to fill our minds with worry, anxiety, and doubt, we wear out our ability to make good decisions. Worry is also thankless by nature. I’ve noticed that people who worry rarely see much good in life. They talk about tragedy, failures, sickness, and loss. They seem unable to focus on the good things that they still have in life.
Try this. Each day, focus on the things God has done for you in the past. This will make it easier for you to expect good things in the future. As I wrote those words, I thought of the memorials mentioned in the Old Testament. Often the people stacked up heaps of stones as reminders that God had delivered them or appeared to them. As they looked backward and remembered, they were able to look forward and believe.
The psalmist wrote, O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon… (Psalm 42:6 AMPC). He was reminding himself of past victories. When he was having problems, he recalled God’s great work in the lives of the people.
When doubts try to sneak in, you can do what the psalmist did: You can look back and remember that God has always been with His people. All of us have had times when we wondered if we’d make it. But we did. So will you.
Prayer Starter: My great God, forgive me for allowing the little things of life to distract me and to take my thoughts away from You. Through Jesus Christ, help me always to remember that You are with me in the good times and in the bad times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Joseph Prince (November-10-2020) Daily Devotion: GOOD SUCCESS IS IN YOUR MOUTH.
Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night…For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
I had always wondered why the Torah (the first five books of Moses) is read out loud by the Jews. Then, a Jewish Christian told me that for generations, they read God’s Word out loud because of Joshua 1:8—“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night.”
The word “meditate” in English means to ponder. But in Hebrew, it is the word hagah, which means to utter or mutter under your breath. In other words, when you meditate on God’s Word, you speak forth or confess His Word instead of just giving it mental assent.
My friend, hagah God’s Word by confessing verses in the areas that you are believing God for breakthroughs. When I was working in sales, I confessed verses like, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty” (Proverbs 3:9–10). In the first year, I became the top salesman in my company! My way was made prosperous and I enjoyed good success.
“Pastor Prince, I am waiting for God to make my way prosperous.”
No, the Bible says that you will make your way prosperous when you hagah God’s Word. So speak forth verses in the areas which you want to see breakthroughs and you will have good success.
Some people have success that destroys them—you don’t see them in church anymore and their family members don’t get to see them either. That is bad success. But when you hagah God’s Word, you will have good success that does not destroy you.
Now, confessing God’s Word does not move God to do things for you. It is not a formula. God had already moved when He gave up Jesus to die for you. However, when you confess His Word, it moves you from a position of doubt to faith. It moves your heart from a position of “Is it true?” to “I believe it!” When that happens, “you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”!
Charles Stanley (November-08-2019) Daily Devotion: Praise for the Lamb.
Anyone who isn’t sure that Jesus is God and is worthy of worship should take a look at today’s passage. This heavenly scene opens with a dilemma—no one is found worthy to open the scroll in God’s right hand until the Lion of Judah, the root of David, appears as a Lamb standing as if slain.
This is none other than Jesus Christ, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for mankind’s sin. He took our sin upon Himself, suffered the punishment we deserved, and clothed us in His righteousness so that, through faith in Him, we could be reconciled to God. Now He stands in heaven, receiving praise and honor from all its inhabitants. He alone is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, which contains God’s final plans for human history.
If the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures praise the Son and the Father with such reverence, awe, and exaltation, then we who are direct recipients of divine mercy and grace can, too. The citizens of heaven hold nothing back in their unceasing worship and adoration as they humbly bow before the throne.
Considering all that our triune God has done for us, praise should be our humble and joyful response. He delights in hearing our voices raised in adoration and worship as we declare that He is worthy of all honor.
Is God the focus of your thoughts and emotions as you join with fellow believers in exalting Him, or do you sing the words thoughtlessly or get caught up in an emotional experience? Although worship will be perfect only in heaven, let’s start practicing now.
