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Psalm 100:4

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Psalm 100:4 - "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A preacher who was traveling by train noticed two other passengers, a well-dressed man and a magnificently dressed woman with expensive jewelry. The woman was complaining about everything - the train ride, the weather, the news, the food, the service. The preacher decided to engage this couple in a conversation. He asked the man what kind of business he was in and the man told him. Then he asked, "What does your wife do?" He said, "Oh, she's in the manufacturing business. She manufactures her own unhappiness." There are a lot of people like that. They manufacture their misery because they fail to be grateful. Only Christ can turn our lives around and stir up a grateful heart within.

ACTION POINT:
Go through the alphabet and be thankful for something that begins with each letter.

1 Peter 1:18-19

BIBLE MEDITATION:
1 Peter 1:18-19 - "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I was talking to a man who sold real estate and asked, "What determines the worth of a piece of property?" He said, "What a person is willing to pay for it." It doesn't matter how much you paid for it yourself. It's what a person is willing to pay to have it for himself. That makes me want to shout! You and I must be worth something if Jesus would pay His life to have us for His own. Jesus is the proof of how much we're worth.

ACTION POINT:
Do you know how much you weigh? Call a jeweler or a bank today and ask how much your weight is worth in gold. That's no comparison to your worth in blood.

Psalm 24:3-4

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Psalm 24:3-4 - "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A man was in the back bedroom of his home getting dressed while his wife was in the living room talking to a friend. He called out to his wife, "Darling, is this shirt clean enough for me to wear?" Without hesitation, she said, "No." He said, "How did you know it wasn't clean enough to wear, you didn't even come back to look?" She said, "If you had to ask, it wasn't!" When it comes to the question of whether you should do something or not, if it's doubtful, it's dirty. Most of us don't give God the benefit of the doubt; we just go ahead and do it.

ACTION POINT:
Are you in doubt about something? If you have even the smallest doubt in your heart that it might be sin or lead to sin, be strong and choose to say "no." He will be your peace.

John 8:32

 

BIBLE MEDITATION:
John 8:32 - "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever been to a circus and seen an elephant chained to a stake in the ground? Why doesn't he break free? Because as a young elephant he was tied to a tree. And try as he could, he couldn't break free. Now the thought is ingrained that he cannot break free. How true that is of you and me who have ingrained thought patterns in our lives. We say, "I am chained to this habit and I can't break free." Or we say, "I'm not good enough." All kinds of lies keep us in bondage. But truth is what God says, not what we think.

ACTION POINT:
Are there any strongholds in your life that keep you chained to the past? Write down  2 Corinthians 10:4   ⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) and Galatians 5:1  ¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. and memorize them. Break free from the lies of the past and tell yourself the truth!

Psalm 84:11

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Psalm 84:11 - "...the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are three words that came together at Calvary: justice, mercy and grace. Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. But wait a minute; grace is more than that! It is grace that gives at great cost to the giver. It is not cheap. Grace cost the life of God's Son. Jesus gave freely of Himself in agony and blood. Did you know that grace has to chase us down? If God didn't run faster than us, we would never be saved! Grace seeks to give to vile and wicked people that which they don't deserve and can never deserve.

ACTION POINT:
Are you a grace-giver? Find someone today and do a favor for them - something for which they couldn't possibly repay you. Perhaps it will even be for a stranger you will never see again.

Joshua 1:9

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The devil is the sinister minister of fear. When he clamps his icy fingers of fear on your heart, do you become afraid of what he'll do to you if you take a stand for God? Don't be afraid. Fear is an insult to God who said, I will be with thee. Fear will destroy you. Are you a worrywart? One lady said, "Don't tell me it does no good to worry. Most of the things I worry about never come to pass." Be not dismayed. God will take care of you.

ACTION POINT:
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your fears are, then confess them as sin. Repent, then reach up and take hold of His right hand that is outstretched to sustain you and give you the victory!

 

1 John 5:1

BIBLE MEDITATION:
1 John 5:1 - "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What is salvation? It's not a creed. You say, "Well, I believe the plan of salvation." You can believe the plan of salvation and go straight to hell. You're not saved by the plan of salvation; you're saved by the Man of salvation. Salvation is not a creed. It's not a code. You say, "Well, I believe if you live right, you'll go to heaven." If you could be saved by living right then Calvary was a blunder. It's not a cause. You say, "I'm a member of a good, fundamental, Bible-believing church." It's not any of these things. It's Christ. Salvation is not believing something; it is receiving Someone. The true gospel is one that centers in Jesus Christ.

ACTION POINT:
Ask God to give you a divine opportunity to boldly share Jesus with someone today. Maybe it's a co-worker; maybe it's your child. Maybe it's a stranger that sits next to you at a restaurant. Be strong and of good courage; God will go before you to prepare the way.

Ephesians 2:8

 

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
How can you tell whether or not you have the true gospel? Paul gives you three tests. First, the source of the gospel. Where did it come from? God gave it. It is direct and divine revelation. The gospel is authenticated by its source. Secondly, by its salvation. Any gospel that is not the gospel of grace is not the true gospel. You can't beg it. You can't buy it. You can't borrow it. You can't steal it. You can't earn it. It was bought by Christ on the cross. It is the supernatural work of God. The third test is its subject. It is the grace of Christ. Jesus is the subject. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus.

ACTION POINT:
Take an hour or two this week and find the prophecies of Jesus in the book of Isaiah. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus is the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come!

Ephesians 6:12

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Ephesians 6:12 - "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against ... the rulers of the darkness of this world."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There is a ruthless, cruel underworld system that wars against you. The crime bosses are but amateurs compared to this syndicate, ruled by the Master of Deception. He's called the "destroyer," "liar," "accuser," "tempter," and "prince." Satan is indescribably wicked, brilliantly stupid, and hideously beautiful. If he can't convince you that he does not exist, then he tries to spread the lie that he is only in hell. He is not in hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but he is not there yet! Be warned . . . Satan comes against you to obsess, depress, and possess. But, be encouraged . . . Jesus has purchased your victory by His blood!

ACTION POINT:
Satan is portrayed as a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8. Put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) and claim the victory that only faith in King Jesus can achieve.

Proverbs 23:7

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Proverbs 23:7 - "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There was a sign in a business that said, "We are not what we think we are; what we think - we are." What are you allowing into your mind that is thereby controlling your heart, your actions, and your words? God made you so that you can't think two thoughts at one time. If you're thinking what's right, you can't be thinking what's wrong. And as you think, you will become. Guard your mind. Center your mind upon the Lord Jesus. Don't let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Stay in love with Jesus and there won't be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, and prideful thoughts that bombard us all.

ACTION POINT:
Start today to become more active in marshalling your thoughts and bringing them into obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Use Phil. 4:8 as a sieve through which you pass each thought.

2 COR 10: ⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

PHIL. 4: ⁸Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.