THE LORD IS PEACE

Judges 6:22-24 (NKJV) Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." 23 Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace.

God is a God of peace, and He wants us to live in His peace.  As we look at the world around us, and at all of the troubles that people have, we, as children of God, can live in this supernatural peace that only God can give.  I am always amazed to watch some people look to rich people and want what they have.  I think that the most important thing we can have in life is this peace of God that passes all of our understanding.

Here Gideon thinks that He is going to die because he has seen the angel of the Lord, but the angel tells him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."  All throughout the Bible we see as people come in contact with angels that fear came upon them because of the awesomeness of these heavenly beings, yet over and over the angels bring out God’s comfort by saying, “Fear not!”  Do not be afraid because God is for you!

In verse 24, the angel reveals one of the covenant names of Almighty God, and that is Jehovah Shalom or “THE LORD IS PEACE.”  Wow!  When people want to say that God is the One that is causing all of the problems and heartaches in this world, I want to say, “No, He is our peace!  He is our calm even in the midst of a storm!”

So take heart today, and see God, your Father, as a God of peace.  All throughout the Gospels we see Jesus bring peace to the storms.  He gives us His very peace: a peace that surpasses all of our understanding; a peace that will hold us through the hardest times.  So do not give up!  Take hold of God’s peace today!

CONFESSION:  God is my peace.  He is my help in time of need.  Today, I do not need to fret or be filled with worry.  Today, I have His peace living on the inside of me.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 19
Acts 12:1-23
Psalms 136
Proverbs 17:14-15

A FATHER

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NKJV) And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

A father is a gift to his children.  A father needs to have the heart of the true Father, Almighty God.  Of all the attributes that Jesus brought out about Almighty God, the greatest is that He called Him Father.  True fathers are not perfect, but they have such a love in their heart for their children that, at times, it feels like their heart wants to burst.

A father wants the best for his kids, yet he knows that the best for his kids is to let them make mistakes and hit bumps in life. I read this little quote and it is so true:

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who

wants to catch you before you fall

but instead picks you up,

brushes you off,

and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who

wants to keep you from making mistakes

but instead lets you find your own way,

even though his heart breaks in silence

when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who

holds you when you cry,

scolds you when you break the rules,

shines with pride when you succeed,

and has faith in you even when you fail.

Dads, the greatest thing that we can do for our children is to show them the Father God.  Spend time with your children, and be a man of God, and a man that walks in the ways of God.  Remember, you are the image of God to your children, so let them see a big, loving Father: one who is there when they need him, and one whose passion is after the heart of the true Father, Almighty God.

CONFESSION:  Today, I make a decision to be the person that my children can look at to see the Father God.  I make a decision to live a life that says really loudly, “God loves you and so do I!”

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 18
Acts 11
Psalms 135
Proverbs 17:12-13

EAGLE’S WINGS

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

So many times in life, we can get weary.  Maybe you feel that way today.  You have done all that you know to do, and it seems like it is still not going to work out.  Well, today I want to say to you, “Get on those eagle’s wings, and let them help you soar above the problems.”

You see, an eagle has amazing wings.  When a storm comes to an eagle, he does not have to run and hide.  No, he locks his wings, waits for the blast of wind, and then rides high above the storm.  Then when everything calms down, he just goes home.

We also ride on His wings, when we put our trust in God and do things His way, and not the ways of the world.  Our dear and loving Father carries us above the storms of life.  When everything settles down, we just go to the place where we belong.

God does not want us weary and run down.  He wants us filled with Himself and running in His strength.  You might ask, “Is this possible?”  Well these verses say that if we will wait on the Lord, if we will dwell in His presence, our strength will be renewed, and our ability to run will be restored.

So today, do not lean on your own strength; it is bound to let you down.  Lean on His strength, and trust Him to be your “EAGLE’S WINGS.”  You will still see the problems, but this time you will see them from above, and not be in them.

CONFESSION:  Today, I am mounting up on eagle’s wings.  I am not going to be under these problems.  I am going to be seeing them from a higher view; God’s view!

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 15:25 - 1 Kings 17
Acts 10:24-48
Psalms 134
Proverbs 17:9-11

THE GREAT DAY OF OUR GOD

Zephaniah 1:14 (NKJV) The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.

Jesus is coming back!  Let me say that again: Jesus is coming back!  He came the first time, as was prophesied that He would, and the Bible states that He is coming a second time.  This time, He is going to set up His Kingdom, and no one is going to stop Him.

For the world, the unsaved, this is not going to be a good day, but for those of us that have accepted the free gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus, this is going to be the greatest day of all!  Listen to what the scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

That is so powerful!  Our Jesus is going to come back with a shout, and all those that have died will rise to their glorified bodies, and those who remain at that time will see all of their loved ones that have gone on before them.  This is why we can comfort one another with these words.

So today, look up!  Our redemption is drawing near.  The world is falling apart, darkness is sweeping the land like never before, but our light is getting brighter and brighter.  Soon, yes very soon, we are going to see the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Soon we are going to see the One who loves us and laid down His life for us.  And He will bring with Him all those that have gone before us.  Wow!  What a day of celebration that is going to be!

CONFESSION: My King, the Lord Jesus, is coming back soon, and I am going to be ready for His return.  I long to see the One who loves me like no other.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 14 - 15:24
Acts 10:1-23
Psalms 133
Proverbs 17:7-8

HE IS OUR HIDING PLACE

Nahum 1:7 (NKJV) The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.

Our God and Father is a good God.  He is ever faithful.  He is always there, and when we think that He is not, well guess what?  He is!  God promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us, and if we will take Him at His Word, He will always come through.

I like how this verse says this in the Message Bible, “God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help.”  God is good!  He is our hiding place in hard times, and He does welcome us and knows us when we have troubles.  He is ever faithful, because it is impossible for Him to lie, so He is true to His Word.

Do not just look at what is coming in this world, but look to Him Who is the light of the world.  The darker the world gets, the brighter the light shines.  This world is falling apart, but our God has the super glue to keep it together for us. He will make sure that we will not just get by, but He will give us the victory through Christ Jesus!

So today, do not fret about all the bad things that you hear on the news, and all the plagues and calamities that you hear that have been coming against our world.  Trust and confess His Word.  Hold fast to this verse of scripture today.  Quote Psalm 91 out loud, and tell the devil that He has no place in your life or in your house.

Keep God’s Word before you and watch and see what happens.  Remember that satan comes as a roaring lion, but all he can do is roar.  All of his teeth have been knocked out by our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ.  You have to remember that when the devil messes with you, he is going to have a big problem with your Elder Brother, and he has already fought Him once and lost.  So remember, God loves you, He recognizes you, and He welcomes you!

CONFESSION: God is for me and not against me.  He knows me by name, and He has my name written on the palm of His hand.  What a great God I serve!

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 12:20 - 1 Kings 13
Acts 9:26-43
Psalms 132
Proverbs 17:6 

GET READY

Obadiah 1:1 (NLT) This is the vision that the Sovereign LORD revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom. We have heard a message from the LORD that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say, “Get ready, everyone!”

I like that, “GET READY!”  God wants us ready no matter what comes against us in life.  Jesus spoke many times about being ready, because you never know when He will return.  Too many people are playing around with the things of eternity, but I want to say today, “Let us get ready, and stay ready!”

You might ask, “How can I get ready, and how can I stay ready?”  Well it is not that hard.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  He is the author and the finisher of our faith.  He is the One that has started the work in us, and He will bring it to completion.  Jesus is totally for us, and He wants us to get to heaven one day and receive all the rewards that He has in store for us. 

Get ready, because the way this world is going, we can see that His return is soon!  There will be more pressures than ever before, but if God is for us, who can be against us?  He wants us to finish our race, but to finish well, we need to be ready in that race.

It would be unfortunate if a runner was not ready for the gun to go off, and he missed the start of the race.  We have seen it with some boxers.  They wait until the very end and do not get their bodies ready for the big fight, and then when the day of the fight comes, they are not ready, and they lose the fight.  Let us be wise servants today, always having an expectation that the master of the house can come at any time, and when He does, He will find us up and ready.

So today, be ready!  Serve God with all of your heart, and watch and see what He will do in you and through you.  Never say, “God cannot use me.”  Instead start saying, “Here I am Lord!  I am ready to do whatever you give me the ability to do!”

CONFESSION:  My God has placed within me the ability to do certain things for the Kingdom.  Today, I declare that I am staying ready to do whatever He wants me to do.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 11 -12:19
Acts 9:1-25
Psalms 131
Proverbs 17:4-5

GOD IS PROUD OF YOU

Philemon 1:4-7 (NKJV) I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Wow!  What a pat on the back to receive from the great Apostle Paul.  Here is this mighty man of God, and he takes time to tell his friend, Philemon, how much he appreciated his faith and love that he had towards Jesus, and the other believers that he was praying for.

We all need a pat on the back, and in today’s devotional, that is exactly what I want to do.  It seems like so often we hear of all the bad that we do, or what we did not do, but God, our dear Father, wants us to know that He loves us and that He is proud of us.  I know how proud I am as an earthly parent.  How much more God?

You see, God sees you when you are praying, and He sees you when temptation comes and you do the right thing.  He sees when people make fun of you or call you names, and you bite your tongue and turn the other cheek.  In this world, we have so many opportunities to do the wrong thing, but when we do it right, God knows and God cares.

We can be so negative in life, but if God is our Father, then He wants to be a Father in all ways.  One of the most important ways that a father blesses their children is by encouraging them and telling them what a great job they have done.

You know, it starts all the way back when our kids draw a picture, and we put it on the refrigerator.  Then they get their first A, and we take them out for ice cream, and this continues, or should continue, throughout their whole life.   It is the same with our Heavenly Father.  If you will take time to listen, He is telling you how much He loves you, and how proud He is of you.

CONFESSION: Today, I see my Heavenly Father as a Father who is proud of me, and loves me dearly.  God is for me not against me.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

1 Kings 9 - 10
Acts 8:14-40
Psalms 130
Proverbs 17:2-3