Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: daily devotion

Joseph Prince (September-25-2020) Daily Devotion: LET THE LORD BE YOUR DEFENSE.

Psalm 94:22 - But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.

Imagine being a poor widow, a stranger in the land and holding one of the lowliest jobs in society. That was Ruth’s situation, so it would have been easy for her to feel vulnerable and defenseless. But because she trusted the Lord (see Ruth 1:16), He placed her under Boaz’s protection.

Boaz, the owner of the field she worked in, commanded his young men saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her” (see Ruth 2:15). What he was saying to his men was this: “She might be a gleaner, but because I care for her, treat her with respect and make sure she is not put to shame.”

Boaz is a picture of our Lord Jesus. If you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless right now, imagine Jesus commanding His angels, “Watch over this one who belongs to Me. Make sure he is treated with respect and not put to shame because he is someone I love and someone whom I died for.”

God’s Word tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us? (see Romans 8:31). No one who has set himself against us can prevail because when God is for us, His protection is upon us. That is why I have never answered any of the poison email messages which I have received in the course of my ministry.

My attitude is this: Jesus is my defense. If He does not defend me, it means that there are things in my life that are not to be defended, and I would be glad to find out about them now rather than later. On the other hand, because I take the Lord as my defense, and He defends me, what can those who are against me do to me?

When you defend yourself, you have only your two hands and your own human resources. But when you let Jesus take up your defense, He defends you with His nail-pierced hands and His legions of angels! The results will be amazing.

Beloved, the Lord is your defense and refuge. Trust Him to defend and provide for you!

Joseph Prince (September-20-2020) Daily Devotion: DON’T LET YOUR PAST ROB YOU.

Philippians 3:13–14 - Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are you living a life of regrets thinking, “If only…”? “If only I had that college education…If only I had married the right girl…If only I had taken up the other job…If only I had not made that stupid mistake…”

Is your past robbing you of the joy of today? Then forget your past!

You might say, “But Pastor Prince, you do not know what I have done in the past!”

Consider Paul. If the devil had anything to bring against Paul, it would be reminders of how he had persecuted the early church and caused the deaths of many, including Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Paul had done horrendous things that were hard for him to forget. But he had such a revelation of God’s awesome forgiveness that he could say, “forgetting those things which are behind…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Beloved, God has forgiven you of all your sins. He has completely forgiven you and declared, “Your sins and lawless deeds, I will remember no more” (see Hebrews 10:17).

Like Paul, you can forget your past, the wrongs you have done and the hurts you have caused others or been through yourself. God can take the tears of yesterday and transform them into the miracles of tomorrow. He can restore to you in all abundance what you have lost. He can cause all things, even the painful events of your past, to work together for your good (see Romans 8:28).

God’s Word says, “The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard” (Isaiah 58:8). His glory will cover your past. Wherever you go, His glory covers your past. It is no longer the same past that you know of because His glory has descended on it. Your past is past. It has been wiped out. It is gone! So don’t let your past rob you of today’s joy any longer!

Charles Stanley (September-18-2019) Daily Devotion: Salvation and Sin.

One of the main reasons Christians doubt their salvation is the presence of sin in their life. According to 1 John 1:6, people who profess faith while continuing in a sinful lifestyle are deceiving themselves and walking in darkness. Verse 7, however, offers reassurance to those who are truly saved: Though they’ll still sin at times, this doesn’t mean they’ve lost their salvation. Today’s passage explains how believers are to deal with sin when it occurs in their life:

Confess your sins (1 John 1:9). Confession should be our first response when we stumble and fall. It means acknowledging to God that we’ve acted in a manner inconsistent with His character and standards and are in need of His promised forgiveness and cleansing.

Know that Christ is your Advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1-2). It’s never God’s will that we sin, but when we do, Jesus is our Defender in God’s courtroom. His sacrifice fully atoned for our sin and satisfied divine justice. When we repented and believed that Christ died for our sins, we were justified and declared righteous before God.

Know that sin is not a continuing practice in the life of a true believer (1 John 3:9). Since we’re born of God and the Holy Spirit abides in us, we cannot continue in sin. Although there may be brief periods of transgression, God’s Spirit works in us to change our desires and practices.

A believer’s disobedience brings the Lord’s discipline, not loss of salvation. However, as God’s children, we should never excuse our disobedience or abuse God’s grace by living in sin. Instead, we’re to pursue obedience and holiness.

Joseph Prince (September-12-2020) Daily Devotion: THAT DISEASE STOPS HERE! 

Psalm 91:7 - A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.

Your doctor or insurance agent may ask you, “Do you have a family history of cancer?” If you say, “Yes,” they will probably tell you that you might get some form of cancer too.

Now, if you are without God, you would probably agree with them and start worrying about your health. But you are not without God! In fact, His Word tells you, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” Therefore, even if you have a family history of cancer, and your family members have died of cancer, you can have the confidence to declare that it will not come near you!

My mother had this attitude. After a thorough medical check-up, the doctor was surprised and told her that she did not have high blood pressure or heart disease, although these two conditions have plagued her father and siblings. You see, my mother had already firmly declared that no deadly, family-related disease would come near her.

Praise God for my mother’s trust in God’s Word because I am the generation after her! In fact, after my mother told me about the results of her check-up, I randomly opened my Bible only to read about Rahab the harlot who by faith “did not perish with those who did not believe” (Hebrews 11:31).

Beloved, God wants you to know that even though you are in this world, you are not of this world. You belong to Him and because He is on your side, “He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence” (Psalm 91:3).

Even when it comes to generational diseases, you can boldly declare, “That disease stops here!” because you have God and His Word. And when you believe God and His Word, you will see His promises come to pass for you—“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you”!

Joyce Meyer (September-10-2019) Daily Devotion: Let Your Light Shine.

As believers in Christ, we can be bubbling over with life. We can be vibrant, alive, active, energized, peaceful, and joy-filled.

It is our approach to God that determines our attitude and countenance. When we approach God with boldness, thankful for His grace and confident that He loves us and He is for us, we can’t help but be full of life. However, a legalistic, religious approach to God steals life. It does not nourish it. Remember, Paul said, “The Law kills, but the Spirit makes alive” (see 2 Corinthians 3:6). When we follow the Spirit, we feel alive.

Each of us should ask ourselves the question, "Would people want what I have by watching my life and looking at my countenance? Is my life reflecting a thankful, expectant heart, excited about what God is going to do each new day?"

We are to be the light of the world. Make sure your light is shining brightly today.

Prayer Starter: Father, I am thankful that I can come boldly to Your throne because of Your amazing grace. Thank You for Your joy that brightens my life. Please help my light to shine brightly for the world to see. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Charles Stanley (September-09-2019) Daily Devotion: Spiritual Shortsightedness.

What are you pursuing in life? The answer is not found in what you thinkyour goal is but in what you are actually doing. For instance, you may claim that the Lord Jesus has first place in your life, but are you actually pursuing Him above all else, or have you gotten sidetracked with your own desires?

This was the case with the Jews who returned to the land of Israel after being in Babylonian captivity. They had the goal of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, but they became distracted with construction of their own homes and kept postponing work on the Lord’s house. As a result, God was challenging their efforts.

The Lord described it this way: “’You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away” (Hag. 1:9). The people mistakenly thought that they could put their own financial interests ahead of God’s and still prosper. Today they would probably say, “The faster I go, the behinder I get.”

The same thing was happening in Malachi’s day. When the people failed to bring their tithes and offerings, God called it robbery. He admonished them to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” so he could open the windows of heaven and pour forth abundant blessing (Mal. 3:10).

This principle reaches down to us today, and it encompasses more than financial matters. Peter has given us a list of qualities God wants us to diligently seek (2 Peter 1:5-11). Neglecting them for other pursuits is shortsighted, but those who practice them will avoid stumbling.

Charles Stanley (September-08-2019) Daily Devotion: Storms of Our Own Making.

We all experience what could be called storms of life. They come in various forms, such as relational, financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Sometimes they are even the result of our own foolish choices. The trouble that comes to us may be the harvest of what we have sown in the past. And that was certainly the case with Jonah.

When Jonah tried to run away from God’s assignment, the Lord brought a corrective storm into his life. And because He loves us, He will similarly disrupt our plans when we insist on going our own way instead of submitting to His will. God’s storms …

Get our attention. Storms disrupt our normal routine in such a way that we stop to consider what God is doing in our lives.

Humble us. The Lord challenges our pride and self-reliance so we realize that we are not in charge and can do nothing apart from Him.

Lead us to repentance. Sometimes the consequences of our sin and rebellion are so painful and troublesome that we come to our senses and turn back to God in humble obedience.

Align our life with His plans. Storms cause us to let go of our stubbornly held plans and yield to His will no matter what it costs us.

Crying out to the Lord is the best response in a storm. Like Jonah, we should humble ourselves in the midst of our circumstances, submit to God’s dealings with us, turn from our rebellion to obedience, and yield to His will. Only then will we become a useful servant in His mighty hand.

Joseph Prince (August-29-2020) Daily Devotion: YOU ARE A SON AND AN HEIR OF GOD.

Galatians 4:6–7 - And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Perhaps these questions have been popping into your head lately: “If You are a Christian, why are you sick? If your heavenly Father is so wonderful, why do you have so many problems? Doesn’t your God help you, His child?”

And if you have been tempted to ask, “God, I am Your child. Why is this happening to me?” know that Jesus knows exactly how you feel because 2,000 years ago, the devil played the same trick on Him—“If You are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). You see, the devil’s intention was to make Jesus doubt His Sonship, and the devil wants to do the same thing to you today.

He wants to destroy the Spirit of sonship in you and in the body of believers. He knows that once you really believe that you are a son of God, something happens—you begin to live life as “an heir of God through Christ.”

As a son and an heir of God, you inherit all the blessings of God which Jesus died to give you, including salvation, healing, provision, wholeness, favor, intimacy with God and answered prayers. And Jesus rose from the dead to make sure that what He died to give you, you get. He is alive today to enforce this rich, blood-bought inheritance in your life!

My friend, you are an heir of God through Christ. This means that you are joint heirs with Jesus (see Romans 8:17). So His inheritance is your inheritance too!

What is provision when you are an heir of God? He owns every beast in the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills (see Psalm 50:10). All the diamonds and gold came from Him. What is healing when you are an heir of God? He is your Creator and the very breath of your life.

Beloved, enjoy every bit of your inheritance in Christ, not because you deserve it, but because it was paid for by Jesus’ blood!

Joel Osteen (August-27-2021) Daily Devotion: Consider Your God.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body…He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:19-21, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD: Abraham, who is known as our father in the faith, had many obstacles coming against the promise of God in his life. God told him that he would be “the father of many nations.” Abraham was over ninety years old before he ever saw that promise begin to come to pass. This Scripture tells us that He didn’t consider his body. He didn’t think and meditate on all the reasons why he couldn’t be the father of many nations. No, he considered and thought about the strength and ability of God! He thought about God’s faithfulness and gave praise and glory to Him. The faith that Abraham exercised opened the door for God to do mighty things in and through Him. 

Today, what are you believing God for? Does it seem impossible? Sometimes there’s no logical reason to have hope. There may be many reasons your situation will never work out. Consider your God. Consider His Word. Consider His faithfulness. Just like Abraham, you’ll grow strong in faith as you give glory to God. Trust Him today and experience the victory He has in store for you tomorrow!

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father, thank You for Your faithfulness and strength at work in my life today. I choose to consider Your ability over my circumstance. I choose to trust You and give You praise, honor and glory, now and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Joyce Meyer (August-27-2021) Daily Devotion: The Sacrifice of Praise.

Praising God starts your day right. Start thanking God as soon as you get out of bed in the morning. Hebrews 13:15 says, Let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name (AMPC).

Jesus said, Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within them (John 7:38 NIV). Acknowledge the Lord, and drink that living water.

Prayer Starter: Father, I take a moment right now to thank and praise You for how wonderful You are! Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins, and thank You for every good thing You do for me each and every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.