Ps. 145:18 "The Lord
is close to all who call on Him."
Prov. 30:5 "Every
word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection." NLT
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.
REJOICE.
9/1 2
Kings 17:35-36
For
the LORD had made a covenant with the descendants of Jacob and commanded
them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow before them or serve them or
offer sacrifices to them. Worship only the LORD, who brought you out of
Egypt with such mighty miracles and power. You must worship him and bow
before him; offer sacrifices to him alone.
WORSHIP
Think about Jesus. Place Him foremost in your thoughts. Every thought of
fear or failure, of anxiety or defeat bring to Jesus. Discuss your plans
with Him and ask Him which way you should go.
9/2
Psalm 121:1-3
I
lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes
from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot
slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber;
FOCUS
We will find victory in Jesus. He wants all of us. All of your fears and
confidence, putting ourselves in His hands to lead, guide and protect. Our
fellowship with Him results in friendship for living.
9/3
Judges 4:14
Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera
into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down
Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men.
FEAR
We can do what Jesus calls us to do. We are not at the mercy of our
inadequacies. What ever we need to do what the Lord has called us to do He
will give it to us. The word for us today is “Go.”
9/4 Luke
8:18
Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more;
whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
LISTEN
It takes time for us to listen to Jesus. We need to spend time with Him
every morning and every night. The more time we spend with Jesus the better
we get at listening because we soon run out of things to say.
9/5
Joshua 24:14
"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods
your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the
Lord.
IDOLATRY
We must guard against making anything in our life an idol. The world is
aggressive and is always seeking to trip us up. Be alert and on your
guard. We must throw away our idols.
9/6
Judges 16:20
Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his
sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did
not know that the Lord had left him.
ALERT
We are called to live life with care. We are to be on the alert for our own
foolishness and the onslaught of evil. When we think we okay is immediately
before the attack begins. Careful living requires that I spend time with
Jesus, reading His word and talking with Him.
9/7
Psalm 122:1
I
was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
CHURCH
We go to church because it is important for us to participate in corporate
worship of the Lord Jesus. We go to church because it helps us grow. We go
to church because the Lord has an appointment with us.
9/8
Exodus 20:1-3
Then God instructed the people as follows: "I am the LORD your God, who
rescued you from slavery in Egypt. "Do not worship any other gods besides
me.
IDOLS
What do you do that stands in the way of serving the Lord? You know in your
heart what it is and you are often saddened by your continued abuse of your
focus on Jesus. This too can be changed. Get before the Lord, confess your
sin, accept forgiveness and restore your faithfulness in your relationship
with Jesus.
9/9
Exodus 20:17
"Do
not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, male or
female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns."
VALUE
You are valuable to Jesus. Not your gifts or your wealth or any other thing
that the world looks at as value-you count with Jesus. When you kneel
before the Father, remember that He is waiting right now to hear from you.
9/10 Exodus 20:20
"Don't be afraid," Moses said, "for God has come in this way to show you
his awesome power. From now on, let your fear of him keep you from sinning!"
REVERANCE
God is great, God is good. We belong to Him. Our love and recognition of
His greatness and power calls us to obedience. Do not look upon your
relationship as a sometime thing. You and I are important to Jesus and it
is an all time thing.
9/11
Numbers 9:15-16
The
Tabernacle was set up, and on that day the cloud covered it. Then from
evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle appeared to be a pillar
of fire. This was the regular pattern – at night the cloud changed to the
appearance of fire.
SIGHT
Our sight is one of faith. We see now only darkly but one day the
magnificent light of the Lord will be displayed before our very eyes. As
you keep a journal of your prayer time and time with Jesus be sure to write
down your requests. You will see His presence as He is faithful in meeting
your needs. The Lord will even surprise you as He turns what the world
meant for evil into a blessing and strength. Be sure to “see” the Lord.
9/12 Psalm
125:1
Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be
defeated but will endure forever.
SECURITY
Our security is not from flesh and blood. Our security is in Jesus. He
will not forsake us. He has won the victory and our life is lived in His
victorious entourage. Rejoice and march, Jesus is in control.
9/13 Gen.
22:13-14
Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he
took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of
his son. Abraham named the place "The LORD Will Provide." This name has now
become a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
NEED
We are confused by the difference between wants and needs. Our sinful
nature spurs our wants. The heart of the Father is to meet our needs.
Jesus will meet every need that we have.
9/14 2
Tim. 3:1-2
You
should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very
difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They
will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents,
and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
REALITY
The world never changes. It is always sinful, and always serving those
interests that are in direct opposition to the Lord. Jesus loves us, is
always interested in our best good. Let us look to Jesus and not be fixated
on the world.
9/15 Acts
2:16-18
No,
what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your
old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all
my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.
PROPHESY
We are filled with the Spirit of God and are called to tell everyone about
Jesus. Prophesy at its very basic meaning is simply forth telling. Tell
everyone about Jesus.
9/16 1
Thess. 5:3-5
When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure,"
then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin
when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape. But you
aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you
won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are
all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and
night.
LIGHT
Darkness has no property. It is simply the absence of light. When we give
our hearts to Jesus and focus our lives on Him we are constantly walking in
the light. Spend time with the Lord now. One day we will see Him face to
face and will spend eternity with Him.
9/17 Luke
24:1-3
But
very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices
they had prepared. They found that the stone covering the entrance had been
rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn't find the body of the Lord
Jesus.
FEAR
The women were afraid. Their love for
Jesus overcame their fear. When we live a life devoted to spending time
with Jesus we will also be able to face our fear and do the right thing.
Jesus will calm our fears, strengthen our hearts and give us the wisdom we
need to live an abundant life.
9/18 Luke
24:13-16
That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus,
seven miles out of Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about
everything that had happened. Suddenly, Jesus himself came along and joined
them and began walking beside them. But they didn't know who he was,
because God kept them from recognizing him.
SIGHT
We want to see Jesus. We belittle ourselves about our fears and
frustrations. Too often we think if only I. Jesus gives us the sight we
need to do what only we can do. Rejoice because you are valuable to Him.
9/19 Psalm
42:21
I
thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?
HOLINESS
The world burdens us. The world abuses us. The world seeks to separate us
from those things that build our relationship with Jesus. When we know this
and experience the reality of struggle that developing a consistency of
Christ likeness in our lives causes our spiritual being cries out to see
Jesus. You Lord are everything to us.
9/20 1
Corinthians 13:1
If
I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others,
I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging
cymbal.
ACTION
What we do speaks louder than words. If I love I will change. If I love I
will set aside my pride, ego and self-centeredness. If I love I will give
the rude driver more room. If I love I will make others more important than
myself. And when I do this I will grow and become the person I always knew
that I would be.
9/21 Psalm
84:10-12
A
single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would
rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the
homes of the wicked. For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives
us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do
what is right. O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.
TIME
Time distorts our view of life. The ravages of time destroy our bodies and
work against our ability to serve. We are constantly on the alert to using
our time well. But Jesus is in charge of time. His timing is never off.
He will never forget where we are. He always knows what time it is.
9/22 2
Corinthians 5:1
For
we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down – when we die
and leave these bodies – we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made
for us by God himself and not by human hands.
HOME
Our home is waiting for our arrival. Our family members who have died in
the Lord are waiting for us. There is no time in heaven and when we get
there it will be as though we were always there. When things really spin
out of control I remember about my home. We are sojourners and this place
is not our home.
9/23 2
Corinthians 5:2-4
We
grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put
on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits
without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies
make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies
at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will
be swallowed up by everlasting life.
AGING
None of us will age gracefully. Aging brings many unwanted changes. My
prayer for each one of us is that we grow in Christ likeness. As we mature
in Christ I pray that our maturity will be greater than our age.
9/24 2
Corinthians 5:5-7
God
himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his
Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long
as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we
live by believing and not by seeing.
FAITH
Faith equips me for use. Faith conquers failure. Faith enables me to love
the unlovely and to serve the ungrateful. Faith is my victory.
9/25
Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its
flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled
underfoot as worthless.
CHRISTIAN
We will be known by the way we act. If we act like Jesus the world will
immediately identify that we are different. Many times the world will
respond negatively to us. Do not fear nor be downtrodden. Jesus conquered
this world and so will we.
9/26
Matthew 5:14-15
You are the light of the world – like a city on a mountain, glowing in
the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead,
put it on a stand and let it shine for all.
CHRISTIAN
Be who you are. Live like you should. Rejoice because Jesus lives. Remind
yourself that you are a sojourner just passing through. Make sure that what
you do reflects well on Jesus.
9/27
Hebrews 7:19-21
For
the law made nothing perfect, and now a better hope has taken its place. And
that is how we draw near to God. God took an oath that Christ would always
be a priest, but he never did this for any other priest. Only to Jesus did
he say, "The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: 'You are a
priest forever.'"
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. He will deal with our problems. He will fix our
spiritual being. He is seeking to have a relationship with us. He died for
our sin. He loves you and me.
9/28 Mark
14:32
And they came to an
olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said,
"Sit here while I go and pray."
CARE
Jesus
thought about you there in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew your struggle
with sin and the desperate need for forgiveness that each one of us has. He
willingly shed His blood so that we might have life. Jesus leads us in His
victory.
9/29 Titus
2:11
For
the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
GRACE
Grace works among us. It is the activity of God giving us what we need and
cannot earn. We need grace every moment of every day. Jesus has enough
grace to meet each one of our needs. It is given freely and of great
worth. Grace is greater than all of our sin.
9/30
Matthew 5:3
"God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is given to them.
NEED
We are blessed when we know our need for Jesus. We need to be saved. We
need to grow. We need grace and wisdom to deal with daily life. We need
strength for the journey of life. We need joy so that we can recognize the
value of our life.
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contact Clay:
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Scripture quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
NASB Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New American
Standard Bible, copyright 1975. All rights
reserved by the Lockman Foundation.
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