JULY 31

I Love You, Lord?

“If ye love Me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:15

We can get all emotional about the Lord and relate to Him on that level and that’s fine. Nothing wrong with expressing love for the Lord on the emotional level; it is important. However, the true test of our love for the Lord is our obedience. If we love Him, then we will do what He has asked us to do. So, today, ask yourself, “Where is my love for the Lord? Am I doing what He asks me to do?” Then from this day onward keep in mind that the true test of my love for the Lord is my obedience.

Scripture reading: John 13:34-35, 15:9-16

JULY 30

Keep Running

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Hebrews 12:1

We are in a race. However, it is not a sprint. It is a long distance race that is based on endurance. As a Believer, you must make up your mind that you are in Christ for the long haul. A long distance runner must not only train his body, but he must also condition his mind. We must prepare our minds to run daily, every day, one day at a time. We must incorporate Scriptures such as Galatians 5:22, 23; 2 Peter 1:2-10 and Hebrews 6:11, 12 just to mention a few. We must be able to run through the sun and through the rain, through the good times and the challenging, through good weather and bad, through anything that comes our way…and keep on running until we see Jesus face to face!

Scripture reading: Hebrews 6:9-12; 2 Peter 1:3-10

JULY 29

The Word Is Settled Forever

“For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.”

Psalm 119:89

As you go about your day, keep this vital thought in mind: the Word is settled in heaven forever. Whatever God has said will never fail. For us, that is a blessing. You will run into situations today that you will need this. Take it to heart and as you face life, trust the Spirit of God to bring the Word to your remembrance that you may stand on it.

Scripture reading: Psalm 19:7-11

JULY 28

Don’t Run From The Devil

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Recognize this today: the devil is to flee from you, not the other way around. He attempts to intimidate, but he is totally and completely defeated by the finished work of Jesus Christ. God has made us “more than conquerors” and that is what we are. Don’t yield to the lies or the intimidating tactics of satan. Stand up to him with the Word of God-what is written-and resist him. He WILL flee!

Scripture reading: Romans 8:35-39; 1 Peter 5:6-10

JULY 27

It’s Still About Winning Souls

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” Proverbs 11:30

Personal soul winning and evangelism; it’s almost a lost are in the church in our land. We are in need of a serious revival in this area of our lives. Many a Believer has forgotten that this is one of the chief reasons for us being here in the earth. We are to influence lives; we are to show the kingdom and God and call men to repentance. Then, we are to make disciples of all men. These things will never happen with the majority of the church being fearful of involvement with other people and sitting at home watching television. We must give this a priority in our lives. Each believer has a sphere of influence. Wherever you are, wherever you go, whatever you do daily, there are people that you contact. Begin praying for the people in your neighborhood, begin praying for the people that you work with, begin praying for the people in the places that you shop and begin praying for the people in your places of recreation. You will begin to have a heart that wants to see the Lord Jesus change their lives and the Holy Spirit will give you what you need to help them. It is time for many of us to get up out of our own selfish little world and get involved with others. We are here to make a difference.

Scripture reading: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20

JULY 26

Contend For The Faith

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Jude 3

We are living in a time in which the precious truths concerning our God and His kingdom are being dishonored by satan and natural man. We must position ourselves to “earnestly contend” for the things of God. For one, we must know the Word of God. We cannot contend or stand up for what we don’t know. Two, we must live the Word so that we will know God by experience. We will not just have a heart full of facts, but we will have the experience to go along with it. Third, we must pray and fast. Our spirits, by the Holy Spirit must rise above the senses so that we may display the power of the Holy Spirit in ministry to the needs of mankind.

Scripture reading: Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 10:3-11

JULY 25

The Fast That God Has Chosen

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh. Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. if your turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 58:6-14

JULY 24

The Strait and Narrow Way

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Matthew 7:13, 14

Don’t think it a strange thing that you are being challenged because you are attempting to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Walking in the things that pertain to the life of God-righteousness, holiness, love, health and the power of God-don’t come easy. It takes much diligence and a willingness to apply oneself wholeheartedly and constantly to the Word, prayer and fellowship with God. The pathway that Jesus spoke of is challenging which is the reason that not many find it. Stick with it…don’t be a quitter.

Scripture reading: 2 Peter 1:1-15

JULY 23

From The Rising of The Sun…

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s Name is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3

From the time that we see sunrise until it sets, praise to the Name of the Lord should be coming from our lips. When His Name is praised and magnified in such manner, there is no room for complaining, grumbling, backbiting or sulking. His Presence will invade every situation.

Scripture reading: Psalm 113

JULY 22

Satisfaction Guaranteed

“They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.” Psalm 37:19

Isn’t the goodness of God just totally amazing? And His promises beyond anything that anyone else can match? He has promised us that we would not be ashamed in times that are evil and in times of famine we would be taken care of. There is no need for the child of God in any generation or any time to be afraid of anything. We have a Father Who will see to our welfare.

Scripture reading: Psalm 35:27, 28; Matthew 6:24-34

JULY 21

Look Out World, Here We Come!

“As Thou has sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:18

The same calling that is on Jesus is on us. The Father sent Him into the world and then Jesus sent us into the world. Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-20 tell us some the things that we have been sent into the world to do. Jesus and the Father are seeing, according to the Word, an obedient and “sent” body of Christ into the world. We declare in agreement with the Word of God that this day Believer’s all over the world are taking their place and going as they have been sent. Look out world, here we come!

Scripture reading: 1 John 3:8; John 13:34-35; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20

JULY 20

Remember The Lord’s House

“For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forget the house of our God.”

Nehemiah 10:39

In the hustle and bustle of life, it can become easy for Believer’s, if they are not mindful, to forget the house of the Lord. I want to encourage you today to remember your local church. It is the place where you are fed the Word of God. It is the place of fellowship with other Believer’s. It is the storehouse of God for meeting the needs of people in your community, your nation and the world. Don’t get so wrapped up in your natural life that you forget the house of the Lord.

Scripture reading: Haggai 1:1-2:23; Malachi 3:8-12

JULY 19

Seek God Early

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”

Proverbs 8:17

Seeking the Lord and His wisdom in the first and best part of the day is always the best thing to do. Before the world around you gets active, when it is quiet; that’s the best time to seek God. But consider this also: we must learn to seek the Lord early on in the affairs of our lives. Before we start something or in a test or trial we have entered into, we should seek Him-right from the start. So much of the time we get encumbered in our own plans or make a mess of some situation all because we did not seek God early or in the initial stages or our situation. Let us be ever mindful to seek Him early.

Scripture reading: Proverbs 1:20-33; Isaiah 55:6-11

JULY 18

Get Busy!

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14

Most of us at some time or another have probably heard the saying, “life is short.” Compared to eternity that is a definite fact. No matter how many years you live, it will be no real comparison to eternity. Our lives here in the earth truly are a vapor that appears for a short time, then…they are gone. With that being said, we need to get busy serving God and advancing His kingdom. We need to focus so much more of our attention on the things that will make a mark on eternity; things that will last in the sight of God. Maybe on the inside of you and me today there are things that we want to accomplish for God, or, maybe even things that we know that He has told us to do. And we are plodding along as if we are going to be living on the earth for 500 years before we expire physically and go to the presence of the Lord. My suggestion: stop putting off for the future what you know you can do today. Get started! If there are things you are uncertain of, do the part that you know can be done and get serious about your prayer and Bible searching time in order to become secure in the rest. It’s time to get busy…your life is but a vapor.

Scripture reading: John 9:4

JULY 17

How Do YOU Measure The Word?

“And He said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.” Mark 4:24

When God says something to or about us, He really means what He says. Our traditions and our fears have kept us from stepping out fully on what He has said. A good example of this is the above Scripture. It is a very simple yet powerful truth and it is working for every one of us even though some of us may not even realize it. However each of us measures what we will believe of the Word of God is exactly what we will receive. We have made God and the experiences of other men the measuring stick for our own receiving. The only responsibility that God has toward us is giving us His Word to believe and then standing behind its producing for the one who truly stands in faith for that Word to come to pass in his or her life. It is not His responsibility to believe for us; we must search the Word, find what it says and then on purpose believe what He says. When an individual experiences either limited blessing from the Word of God or a total failure in receiving God’s blessing, we are not obligated to accept that man’s experience as the proof of what God has promised as His blessing toward us. Pray and believe that the Holy Spirit will help you to remain conscious of this truth. It will prove to be invaluable to you. You may have to stand alone; you may need to be a pioneer in some areas of the Scripture, but isn’t this a “personal relationship” that each of us has with the Lord? So let each of us receive our own responsibility to measure the Word and take the limits off of God and His desire to richly bless our lives.

 Scripture reading: Mark 4:14-41

JULY 16

You Are…

A new creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17

His righteousness in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:21

His workmanship created in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:10

The salt of the earth: Matthew 5:13

The light of the world: Matthew 5:14

Crucified to the world: Galatians 6:14

Blessed of the Lord: Psalm 115:15

More than a conqueror: Romans 8:37

A world overcomer: 1 John 5:5

The head and not the tail: Deuteronomy 28:13

Above only and never beneath: Deuteronomy 28:13

The lender and not the borrower: Deuteronomy 28:12

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!

JULY 15

Sing Your Praise To The Lord

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25

Are you at a challenging time in your life? Does it seem as if you are in “prison” with no hope or means or release? Are you suffering wrong for the right thing that you did? Are the circumstances that you are facing “unfair?” Paul and Silas could have sung these songs. But they chose to sing praises unto God…and the heathen heard them. Determine today, that in the midst of all these “issues” that you might be facing, to sing songs of praise to the Lord. Determine that your praise will be an instrument through which God shows His delivering power in your behalf.

Scripture reading: Psalm 9:1-4; Psalm 18:46-49

JULY 14

Remember His Benefits

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.” Psalm 103:1-5

One of the first things that many people consider when they look for employment is the type of benefits that the company has to offer its workers. Those “benefits” are good things that come along with the employment package. It could include things such as vacation time, personal time, health insurance and some kind of investment, just to name a few. But notice this, these are things that come along with the package. Once you accept employment, these things become yours as long as you are employed. The company is now responsible for keeping its word to you…and you won’t forget YOUR benefits. Well, when we answered redemptions call and gave our lives to the Lord, there are some things that came along with the “package.” It is up to us to remember these benefits that are already ours, stand up for them and not let satan nor life’s circumstances cheat us out of what is ALREADY OURS! Receive these Scriptures today as your own and determine to let the Holy Spirit help you to receive in your life what is already yours. Thank you Jesus!

Scripture reading: Psalm 68:19-20

JULY 13

See The Invisible

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

How in the world do we see the invisible? By looking at the Word of God. The Believer is to see things through a different set of eyes than natural man. We must remember that everything that we can see with our eyes, in this natural world, is subject to change. So, no matter what anything looks like in the natural realm, IT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE! This lets us know that we should keep our focus on the Word of God because it is the only thing that is eternal and unchanging. Don’t let the enemy or your senses sidetrack you into fixing your mental gaze on all of the natural instabilities around you. Keep your sights on the Word of God. The application of the Bible will bring about change in the natural things around you.

Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

JULY 12

The Word Will Never Fail

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8

If there is one thing in this universe that cannot fail it is the Word of the Living God. You can rest assured of that. Let that be your confidence today. Not one Word, not one promise, not one fact concerning our redemption can ever be made null or void. In your prayers and in your confessions today, in all that you live this day, remember that His Word will never fail…it will stand forever!

Scripture reading: Isaiah 55:11; 1 Kings 8:56

JULY 11

Answered Prayer?

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” 1 John 5:14, 15

Yes, answered prayer. Emphatically “yes”, answered prayer! When we pray, we are to expect results. God declares it. This Scripture tells us that if we ask according to His will that we have confidence that we are heard, and confidence that we are heard is confidence that we have what we have asked. Don’t get cheated by satan or the traditions of men: ask and receive in the way that God says to and enjoy the results of Him giving you what you asked for.

Scripture reading: Matthew 21:21, 22; James 4:1-3

JULY 10

Power To Get Wealth

“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

Notice that this Scripture says that God gives us the power or the ability to produce wealth, not money. There is a difference is wealth and money. Money is what we use as a means of exchange for things, wealth actually is that which continues to produce over time. It can be likened to a good or a service that one has that is lasting and just keeps producing. Every believer should believe God, not just for money, but for the “ability to produce wealth.” Ask the Lord to open your eyes, give you an idea, something that people need, a good or a service that will continue to produce over time, that will open the door for lasting wealth, not just money to spend.

Scripture reading: Matthew 25:14-30; Proverbs 10:4-5

JULY 9

The Portrait of a Blessed Man

“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty up earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favor, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever: his horn shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it and be grieved; he shall nash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish.”

Psalm 112

JULY 8

You Can’t Do It All In One Day!

“And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

Mark 6:31

TAKE TIME…AND REST!

Scripture reading: Luke 10:38-42

JULY 7

Remember Your Children

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.”

Genesis 18:19

We must remember that God has His mind on our children. Why is that? Well, one reason is because He is thinking about His covenant being perpetual. It must be passed down from generation to generation. He needs people who will be able to walk with Him and continue to manifest Him in the earth. Unless the Lord comes in our lifetime, our bodies will sleep in the grave and our inner man will go to be in the presence of the Lord. Someone will need to continue. This is why you must train your children in the things of the Lord. Start talking to them while they are in the womb. Teach them when they are small. Read the Word to them. Answer their questions. Take them to church. Exemplify worship before them. And one to the most important things is to make sure that you show them, by your actions, what it means to walk with God. Children will imitate what they see!

Scripture reading: Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:1-2, 6:4

JULY 6

What Kind of Treasure Is Inside of You?

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

Matthew 12:35

Whatever a person gives their thought life and words to is what becomes their inward treasure. Our hearts are, in a sense, incubators. Thoughts that are continually meditated on and rolled around in the heart eventually find conception: they become our “treasure.” Then we will begin to look for ways to bring out into the open what we have given value to on the inside and we do that by our words and our actions. If we treasure good things inside, then good things will come out of us. If we treasure evil things inside, then that is what will come out of us. These things do not come about by accident; they come about because of what we choose to continually think about. If you desire good things to come out of you, then give your thoughts to the Word of God and good things. If evil things seem to be “rooted” inside of you, repent, change the things that you have been thinking on. Think on the good. You will uproot the evil, cast it out and have a treasure of good things inside of yourself. Good things will come out!

Scripture reading: Philippians 4:8; James 1:12-15

JULY 5

Go To The Head of The Class

“And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.”

Deuteronomy 28:13

The Scripture teaches us that we as the people of the Lord have been placed in a blessed position: the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. The world, the circumstances of life and satan and demon spirits are not to have any control or mastery of our lives. Make, re-establish or affirm these two things today: 1) determine to obey the Lord, whether it be by the written Word or the voice of the Holy Spirit and 2) make up your mind to stand against being the tail and being on the bottom via the confession of the Word of God and the actions of your life that agree with the Word. GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS!

Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Galatians 3:13, 14

JULY 4

The Truth Will Make You Free

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:31, 32

We are living in a country in which, relatively speaking, to the rest of the world, we enjoy great freedom. But satan is out to disturb that. As Christian people in these United States of America we must know the truth of the Word of God, but we must also know our Constitution and Bill of Rights. I would encourage you today, if you have not, to search out copies of these documents and know them for yourself. You will know what “is written”, and with that know your own freedoms and be in a position to help others stand for theirs. America is a great nation and we need to know the truth so that we are able to enforce our freedom.

Scripture reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-5

JULY 3

Acknowledging The Good

“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Philemon 6

 As Believer’s, the sharing of our faith becomes powerful and effective as we give voice to all the good things that the Father has placed in us through our union with Christ Jesus. There is just something about hearing all of these good things that causes each hearer to be encouraged. When we acknowledge that we are righteous, holy, joint-heirs with Christ, God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus, more than conquerors through Him that loved us and things such as these, we encourage one another to press on in the things of God and we encourage one another to believe that the God Who is in us (and who He has made us in Christ) is bigger than any situation or circumstance that could ever come against us. When we do this, we change the very atmosphere around us from one of defeat to victory, from sadness to joy and from hopelessness to expectancy. Make up your mind to be the bearer of some good news-acknowledge the good!

Scripture reading: Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

JULY 2

God Always Know What You Are Doing and Why

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.” Proverbs 5:21

I know that this is something that we could probably take for granted, however, we won’t…and that is this: God always knows what you are doing and why. There is nothing that we can hide from the Lord and there is motive of ours that He does not know. With that said, a good thing for us to do is to just be honest with God and to let Him know from our own lips our plans, purposes and intents. If any of them should happen to be out of line with the Word and His will, we should just say, “Lord, please help me with what I am thinking and about what I am thinking about doing. Show me how to have my actions and my thoughts agreeable to your purpose.” We will get a lot further along with God in this manner than we would by thinking that He is unaware of what we are doing and why.

Scripture reading: Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 139:7-12

JULY 1

Do It In Strength

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

Has the Lord given you some task or assignment to fulfill? Is there a Scripture that He has given you to walk out in your life or make an adjustment with? Maybe in your own mind you feel weak or inadequate. God’s encouragement is always to be strong. He never tells us to settle for weakness or inability. Our strength, however has to come from our reliance upon Him and the things that He said would bring strength into our lives. In our Scripture reading there are some specific things that the Holy Spirit instructs us to do that will trigger the strength that we need to walk out our assignment. Be encouraged.

Scripture reading: Joel 3:10; Zechariah 4:6; Ephesians 3:14-16; 6:10-18