Daily Devotional

March 14










Philippians 4:19 And my God
shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.





Many people have felt the
Lord called them to do something, but later did not see the needs supplied.
Sometimes the time has not arrived to fulfill the thing God has called
you to do. Moses learned this after he killed the Egyptian and had to run
for his life. God had called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but
not at that time. Some have mistaken a call to pray and support a cause,
for an assignment to go. They accomplished very little because they were
not in the center of the will of the Lord.





Where God guides, He
provides. If the Lord has assigned you to a specific task, raise your
level of faith, by filling your spirit with the promises of God. Romans
10:17 says your faith is increased by reading the Word. You will then be
able to believe Him to fulfill the assignment He has given you.





Prayer Thought


“Lord help me not to look on
what others aren’t doing for You, but focus on what You have placed in my hands
that only I can do.”

March 15










Psalm 40:2 He also brought me
up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my steps.





Once a five year old girl was
told not to go into the woods, but went anyway. Sometime after she
returned her mother noticed that her little body was covered with a rash, and
realized it was poison oak. She told her that the rash was the
consequences of disobeying. Later the rash became worse, when the Doctor looked
at her he asked, “What have we here?” Her response was, “The
consequences.”





In our own lives we see
forgiveness given for things, but this does not always remove the consequences.
The above verse shows that consequences don’t have to last forever,
because God can overcome them. The doctor overcame them for the five year
old, by giving her some medicine. Go to the Lord, ask for forgiveness, then ask
Him to help you overcome the rest of the consequences in your life.





Prayer Thought


There are some who wish they
could pray for a “crop failure,” but only God in His mercy can change what we
sow we shall reap.

March 16










Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.





You are fighting a spiritual
war, but Satan wants you to think that you are on the losing side. All he
has at his disposal are fiery darts of temptation and deception. He is
able - on occasion, to give you a “thorn in the flesh.” He is not
permitted to tempt you with anything more than you can stand. God is
going to protect you, but He expects you to do your part. You are to use
the weapons He has given you, against the powers of darkness.





You are not to use your own
power, but are to be strong because of His power. Satanic forces will
work through people or governments, and many will use human ideas to overcome
them. God wants you to ask Him for directions, so that you will be
victorious against their attacks. Start praising the Lord, because He will
enable you to overcome the problems you are facing today.





Prayer Thought


Temptation is always a
shortcut. It’s Satan’s way of offering you now, what God wants to give
you later on. What he doesn’t tell you is the cost, and the consequences.

March 17










Ephesians 6:16 Above all,
taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked one.





You received divine faith the
moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior. You increase that faith as you
read His Word. That faith becomes a shield against the attacks of the
satanic forces, but must be used to be effective. When doubt tries to
attack you, use your faith to resist it. Expect the Lord to honor His
Word, and help you in your time of need.





A tea bag releases its
strength when it is put into a cup of hot water. The Lord is able to show
His power to the world when you are going through trouble. The people of
the world will see your faith and confidence in God and in His promises, and
want to receive the same help for their needs. The Lord receives glory as
a result of your faith and actions.





Prayer Thought


Be prepared, because you are
up against far more than you can handle on your own. Truth and faith are
more than just words. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon - use it.
(The Message.)





March 18










Ephesians 6:17 And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.





You release your faith when
you apply the Scripture that covers the problem. Expect the power of the
Lord to do the same thing for you that was done in the Bible. When you
look for Scriptures to cover the problems you are facing, you will build up a
good list to work from. Eventually this habit will become second nature
to you, as you apply them.





Expect God to honor your
faith just as He has honored the faith of countless others in every century.
First of all find out what the will of the Lord is concerning your need.
Next, look for Scripture that matches your problem. Tell the Lord
that a precedent was set there, and that you would like Him to do the same
thing for you. It is necessary to get rid of any spirits of doubt or
unbelief that may be affecting you.





Prayer Thought


Remember, words of faith
produce faith. Words of fear produce fear, and words of doubt produce
doubt. Your faith is seed - watch what you plant.

March 19










Psalm 91:2 I will say of the
Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”





Many Christians, in a time of
need or crisis, tend to become afraid, or panic. God expects you to depend upon
the promises He has given you in the Bible. Start quoting them, and the
spirit of fear will be driven out by God’s power. The spirit of fear will
make you want to say that you are afraid, whereas the Psalmist says: “I will
say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’
” You do not have to be afraid when you can have confidence in whom you
depend. You are depending on the Lord, Who is completely capable of
helping you in any time of need. You can trust in Him, because He will
never let you down.





Psalm 91:3 tells you that He
will deliver you from the trap of the hunter, as well as perilous pestilences.
Expect the Lord to give you the divine protection He promised.





Prayer Thought


It’s wonderful what happens
when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Fill your spirit
with faith words and your fear and panic will disappear.

March 20










2 Samuel 22:18 He delivered
me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for
me. 19. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my
support.





Riots, strife and tension are
greatly increasing, but these don’t need to make you afraid if your confidence
is in the Lord. How strong is your enemy? It’s impossible for him
to be stronger than the Lord, who is on your side. God wants to deliver
you today, however He is expecting your trust in Him. On one occasion my
wife and I spent a week in Soweto, South Africa for a convention. During
that time nine people were killed in a tent down the road from us. The
first night we were there a man was shot to death across the street from my
wife. We were not the least bit afraid because we were depending on the
promises of God protecting us. Remember, the Lord is your support, and
wants to help you in your time of need. Call out to Him and ask for His
help.





Prayer Thought


“God You’re my refuge, I
trust in You and I’m safe. You order Your angels to guard me, wherever I
go.” Psalm 91.

March 21










John 14:13 And whatever you
ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.





Christians in every country
of the world are faced with serious situations. A feeling of hopelessness
is trying to grip people to cause them to stop depending on the faith that God
has given you. Satan wants as many believers as possible to live defeated
lives, and does not want the power of God to be demonstrated through you.
Jesus has given you the authority or “power of attorney” to use His name
in all situations where it is needed. Every time you come to a situation
that is beyond your control, you have the wonderful privilege to use the power
behind His name. John 14:13 shows us that the Father receives glory
because His power has been used. The satanic forces are very much afraid
of the Name of Jesus, and back away from you, when you have the authority to
use it. Expect God to work in a greater way as you use this authority.





Prayer Thought


Take authority over your
thoughts! Transfer your trust to Him and His thoughts - not worry.
What you think about most, indicates where your trust lies.

March 22










Hebrews 11:34 Quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the
aliens.





My grandmother, spent over
sixty years as a missionary in Africa. During this time God worked
through her in a mighty way. Before my grandparents went to Africa in
1912 the roof of their home caught on fire. Her immediate thought was,
“Where is a Scripture to cover this problem?” The Holy Spirit immediately
reminded her of the Hebrews 11:33-34. The next thing she did was point to
the fire and say, “In the name of Jesus it shall not be.” The fire was
immediately stopped, and the roof was not damaged at all. Only the
rafters under the roof were scorched. In the 1950's when my parents were
back in the States, my father went looking for the house. He found the
rafters were still in the same scorched condition. This was mute
testimony of my grand-mother’s faith.





Prayer Thought


God has provided each of you
with all the “tools” you need to stand against any of Satan’s attacks, but they
are totally useless unless you use them.

March 23










Isaiah 53:5 But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are
healed.





Divine healing is possible
through the power of the Name of Jesus. Isaiah looked forward to, and 1 Peter
2:24 looked back to it. Jesus paid for your atonement, which includes
much more than salvation. Six of the things that are available, are seen
in Isaiah 53. No blessing of the atonement will fail until salvation
fails. Jesus paid for: 1. Your Salvation, 2. New Nature, 3.
Healing, 4. Your Pains, 5. Your Peace, 6. You were
redeemed from the Curse of The Law, see Galatians 3:13 and Colossians 1:13-14;
2:14-15. A person may take his clothes to the dry cleaners and pay for the
cleaning in advance, but does not have to pay for them again when picked up.
Jesus has paid for your healing, all you have to do is to accept the healing
that He has already paid for.





Prayer Thought


God never puts sickness on
you. Good things come from God, bad things from Satan. If you dwell
in the secret place of the Most High, pestilence can’t come near you.

March 24










Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my
light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?





Fear can tear down or control
you in direct proportion to the problems that come your way. Fear does
not have a claim over you. Faith will be built up in your life as you
remove fear from your spirit. Fear is the opposite of faith. Both
are released by expecting something you can’t see. Faith comes from
seeing the Word. Fear comes from seeing the problem. Faith is released
by the words of your mouth. Fear is also released by the words of your
mouth. Focus on the answer to the problem, rather than on the problem.
When you quote Scripture you are resisting the enemy who is tempting you
with a spirit of fear. The more Scripture you quote to the enemy, the
more pain you inflict on the satanic forces. The Lord wants to give you total
victory over fear, which will be possible as you spend time studying the
Scriptures.





Prayer Thought


Remember, resist the devil
and he has to run! Tell Satan to “Beat it,” for the Greater One lives in
you, and you have His authority to kick the devil out.

March 25







Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord
your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help
you.”





When Elisha was in Dothan the
enemy army came against the city during the night. The servant saw them
and became very afraid, so Elisha asked God to open his eyes. When you
are surrounded by an enemy you can pray: “Lord open the eyes of the enemy to
see the protection I have, and make them run for their lives.”





One night a man broke into
the home of a Seventh Day Adventist lady, who fearfully grabbed her baby, and
then cautiously said “Jesus.” The man’s eyes immediately opened wide.
She then said “Jesus” a little louder. His eyes opened wider, and he
began to stare at something above and behind her. She said “Jesus”
louder, one more time, then the man fled. Remember: there is power in the
Name of Jesus, and we have the authority to use His name in a time of need.





Prayer Thought


Jesus says in John 16 “Trust
Me, you will be unshakeable and assured, deeply at peace, remember, I’ve
conquered the world, have no fear.” (The Message.)

March 26










Deuteronomy 3:22 You must not
fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.





One afternoon a four year old
girl was watching television in the livingroom. This was a children’s
program telling them that Jesus loved them and promised to protect them. During
it, the mother left the room to answer the phone. While she was on the phone,
a man came in and kidnaped the girl, and drove away with her. While in
the car the girl told the man that he couldn’t hurt her because Jesus was
protecting her. The man told her to keep quiet, but she said “I don’t
have to, because Jesus is protecting me.” The man told her to “shut up,”
but she still said she didn’t have to, because Jesus was protecting her.
Finally the man pulled over to the side of the road and told her to get
out. In the meantime the mother had called the police, who gave a description
of the little girl on the police radio. A police car was right behind the
car when she was pushed out. The policeman stopped and picked her up, and
was able to unite her with her mother.





Prayer Thought


Refuse to say anything
contrary to what you believe you’ll receive!

March 27










John 14:12 Most assuredly, I
say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and
greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.





You are not given the
authority to use the name of Jesus like a magic wand, but have this authority
to use when you come against a situation that you can not take care of.
The age of the person makes no difference, and neither does it make any
difference how long you have been serving the Lord. Once a girl was
trying to pass another car and misjudged her distance, and was now coming
toward us in the same lane we were in. She panicked because she did not
know what to do. I immediately said: “In the name of Jesus get out of my
way.” She quickly turned and got out of our way. I told my friends
in the car that most people would have thought that this was the time to pray,
but I prayed this morning, this was the time for action, and to tell the person
what you want them to do.





Prayer Thought


Believing in Jesus is more
than saying words, it’s speaking the meaning of these words into the way you
live!

March 28










Psalm 91:11 For He shall give
his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.





Late one night I was driving
in Mexico, and saw a man standing in the middle of the road, who was waiving his
arms for me to stop. His pickup was parked at the side of the road, and I
thought he needed help, so I stopped behind his pickup. The Lord then
showed me that this was a holdup and instantly I said, “In the name of Jesus
you will not touch me.” A spirit of fear came over the man, and he jumped
into his pickup and rolled up his window, obviously he was afraid that I might
come after him. I pulled up beside him and asked him what he wanted.
I could see fear on his face when he told me he wanted nothing, because
he wanted me to leave him alone. He must have seen the angels protecting
me as promised in Psalm 9l:11. You have the same protection, if you will
depend on God’s promises. Spend more time reading His Word, to raise your
level of faith.





Prayer Thought


Because God’s your refuge,
the High God your very home, evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get
through the door.

March 29










Judges 6:12 And the Angel of
the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty
man of valor!”





In the eyes of mankind Gideon
was a man of fear. He was threshing his wheat in the wine press because
he thought the Midianites would see him and steal his wheat. How did God
see him? In the above verse God calls him a valiant warrior. God
was looking at what HE will do through Gideon, and not at what Gideon can do
with his own strength. The secret for your success over the spirit of
fear is based on your focus. Do you focus on the situation around you, on
your past failures, your lack of resources, or are you going to look to the
Lord Who is your complete provider? In the coming days God wants to use
you in a far greater way than you thought possible. He does not look at
your inability, but what He can do through you, if you’ll let Him. Trust
Him to provide all the things needed to accomplish His goal for you.





Prayer Thought


As long as Peter stepped out
of the boat in faith, keeping his eyes on the Master, he walked on the water,
when he looked at the waves, he lost his nerve, and started to sink. Keep
your focus clear.

March 30










Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my
side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?





In the above verse as well as
the first two verses of Psalm 124, you see that God is on your side. If
He told you only once that He was on your side, that should be enough, but He
has told you three times, which shows you He is very much on your side.
When you understand that He is really on your side, you will have no
reason to fear, because He is planning on coming to your defense. In
Psalm 46:1-2 He tells you: God is your refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble. Therefore you will not fear, though the earth be removed, and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.





God wants you to be
triumphant over fear, which will be possible as you spend more time studying
the Scriptures. Expect Him to increase your understanding, so that you
will be able to use them in a time of need.





Prayer Thought


The battle is first won or
lost in the mind. You can’t live on mental junk food and be a spiritual
giant!

March 31










Luke 24:6 He is not here, but
is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee.





Things looked very gloomy for
the followers of Jesus the day of His death, but Sunday was around the corner.
We rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, realizing how necessary it is to our
salvation. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and
your faith is also vain. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you
are still in your sins! (1 Corinthians 15:14) Every Christian hope and joy
flows through us because Jesus has risen. Other religions can point to
where their prophet is buried, but we point to a Risen Savior! He is now
seated at the right hand of God the Father, praying for us, which is not
possible for other religious leaders. Things might be looking gloomy for
you today, but rejoice because Jesus is praying in the will of the Father for
you. He is expecting you to come out victoriously!





Prayer Thought


He’s seated at the right hand
of the Father cheering you on, praying for you when you’re in trouble,
encouraging you when you fall. With Him on your side, you can’t fail!





April 1










Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and
I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.





Prayer is joining forces with
the Father, having fellow-ship with Him, and carrying out His will on earth.
Prayer is also bringing your desires to God, for things that are
agreeable to His will, which is done in the name of Jesus. When needed,
confession will be part of prayer. True prayer seeks God, Himself.
It is talking with Him, and not just to Him. Jesus is going to be
the Bridegroom of the Church, and it is very important that you get to know Him
better. This is done through prayer and Bible study. Prayer reaches
out for God’s highest willingness, when you are aiming for the center of His
will. God’s will for you is always for your highest good. God wants
to work in partnership with you, and many times limits Himself to your prayers.





Prayer Thought


He is still in the prayer
answering business. Whatever your grounds for asking, remember you must
be on praying ground. Pray hardest when its hardest to pray. Don’t
expect a thousand Dollar answer for a ten cent prayer.

April 2










Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a
parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.





Why are so many Christians
ineffective in their prayer life? Why do so many not have the power of
God that they see in others? Is God a respecter of persons? Many
don’t bring their needs to the Lord because they aren’t expecting Him to meet
them.





How is your prayer life?
Without developing a good prayer life, you will run a chance of living way
below the privileges God has for you. Set aside time each day to
communicate with God. Spend time in praise and worship, asking the Lord
to reveal Himself to you in a greater way. As you spend time in His
presence, His joy and peace will envelope you. Don’t rush in with your
petitions, unless there is an emergency. Ask Him if there is anything that will
hinder answers to your prayers.





Prayer Thought


How much is a minute worth?
It’s priceless or worthless depending on how you use it.

April 3










Philippians 4:7 And the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.





The secret of the peace of
God for your life is found in a life of prayer. This kind of peace is
able to flood your heart because you can be confident that He is going to meet
all your needs. The Holy Spirit is then able to direct you in a greater
way.





Peace to some people, is the
absence of hostility or turmoil, however in the midst of a storm they don’t
seem to have peace either. The peace of God will give a calmness in the
midst of turmoil, storm or any adverse situation. After a serious
accident has affected a loved one, people could ask you, “How can you be so
calm?” This is possible when you have the peace of God that is standing
guard over your spirit and mind. Take your burdens to the Lord and leave
them there.





Prayer Thought


I am the apple of God’s eye.
Whoever touches me touches Him, Zechariah 2:8.

April 4










Psalm 106:1 Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures
forever.





God is a God of love, but
some have a picture in their mind of God having a sledge hammer behind His
back. They expect Him to be watching for them to make a mistake so that He can
use His hammer on them. Understand that God is a loving God, and wants to
help you. The more you give Him thanks, the more you will find that He
gives you something to be thankful about. God has no favorites.
Everyone comes to Him on an equal basis. You may ask: “Then why
does He answer other peoples prayers more than mine?” Is it possible that those
people are spending more time in praise and thanksgiving? Spend time
praising the Lord, and you will see a quicker release of faith to receive the
answers to your needs.





Prayer Thought


Count your blessings, name
them one by one; Count Your Blessings, see what God has done - J Oatman, Jr.

April 5










Psalm 22:3 But You are holy,
Who inhabit the praises of Israel.





This verse shows that God
inhabits the praises of His people, which means that God lives in the praises
of his people. You need to realize that when you are praising the Lord,
His presence is filling the place you are in. There are possibly more
verses in the Bible devoted to praise and worship, than any other subject.
Take a look at how much time you spend complaining or worrying, in
comparison to how much time you spend praising the Lord for the answers.
When you spend time praising the Lord, you are allowing the Holy Spirit
to work through you. He will drive off the spirits of doubt, fear,
unbelief, or any other kind of satanic force that might be trying to affect
you. God has instructed you many times in the Bible to spend time
praising Him, if necessary offer a sacrifice of praise.





Prayer Thought


You may praise the Lord too
little, but you can never praise Him too much. He lives in the praises of
His people.

April 6





PRAISE HIM WITH


ALL YOUR HEART





Psalm 111:1 Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and
in the congregation.





When you study the rest of
the above psalm you will see that you are to praise Him for His faithfulness
and justice. Praise Him with your whole heart. The more you
sincerely praise the Lord, the more you will find that God will give you something
to praise Him about. Many Christians limit their praising the Lord to the
times when they have something to be joyful about. They hurt themselves by
doing this because they limit the power of God from flowing through themselves.
There will be times when you do not feel like praising the Lord. It
then becomes necessary to spend time giving a sacrifice of praise to God.
The more you study His Word, the more you will find things to praise the
Lord for. Make a real effort to become better acquainted with the Lord
through praise.





Prayer Thought


Spend time remembering all
the things you have to be thankful for, and then praise Him for each one.
Remember each moment you live is His gift to you! What you do with that
moment is your gift to Him!

April 7










Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by
Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to His name.





One of the hardest things to
do when you’re having trouble, is to spend time praising the Lord.
Frequently you will spend a lot of time talking about the problems to
others, or complaining, but God wants you to use the problems as stepping
stones, instead of stumbling blocks. When you spend time praising Him for
the answers that are on the way, He will cause them to arrive sooner.





“Try Thanksgiving,” must be
your motto. When you first praise the Lord, you will find that your
spirit will be more knit with His. You will then be in a greater position
to be praying in the Father’s will. If you truly trust Him, you will
always praise Him. Do I praise him enough to have my prayers answered?





Prayer Thought


No matter how difficult life
is, joy comes not from outward problems, but from inward possessions.





April 8










Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2. Praise Him
for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!





Do you spend the majority of
your prayer time bringing your own needs to the Lord? Your focus should
not be directed towards yourself, but rather on the Lord. The more you
focus your attention on the Lord, the more you will realize that He is more
than able to meet your needs. Praise and adoration remove the focus from
yourself and onto the Lord Who rightly deserves it.





Faith is not received by
praising the Lord. Divine faith is released by praising the Lord.
Faith is received by studying your Bible, believing what you read,
under-standing what the Word says, and then acting on what you believe.
This is seen in Romans 10:17.





Prayer Thought


The eagle that soars in the
upper air does not worry itself as to how it is to cross rivers.

April 9










John 15:16 You did not choose
Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and
that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He
may give you.





Jesus is laying down some
instructions for petitions here. You are not to pray to Jesus, but to the
Father in the name of Jesus, however, praise and worship can be given to Jesus.
Answers to your needs will be met on the basis of divine faith and as you
are a fruit producing believer. Many may be operating in divine faith,
but lack any fruit. The four types of fruit are:





1. Righteousness:
Philippians 1:11


2. Spirit: Galatians
5:22-23


3. Salvation: Romans
1:13


4. Your lips - praise:
Hebrews 13:15.





Become a fruit inspector
yourself. What is the quality of the fruit you are producing?
Possibly some changes need to be made to improve the quality, so that
your prayers can be answered.





Prayer Thought


Joy is some of the fruit you can expect.
Joy is the echo of God’s life within you. This joy that you bring
to others, is also the joy that comes back to you

April 11










Matthew 18:19 Again I say to
you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it
will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20. For where two or three are
gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.





There is no limit on how many
can be in a group involved in united prayer. The group may be small, just
the husband and wife, but if they agree as touching anything that they pray
about, it will be done. The requirement is that you are to pray in the will of
God. Every believer should find someone to agree with in prayer.
You should have a plan of prayer, making a list of the subjects to bring
before God. You need to ask God to remove the hindrances, or show you
what you need to do so that the prayer can be answered. Sometimes it will
be necessary to raise your level of faith to see the answers. You are to
expect that God will honor the promises in His Word.





Prayer Thought


You may never know of the
prayers that might have been answered had you not given up too soon!

April 12










Luke 5:16 So He Himself often
withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.





Prayer is a sign of spiritual
life. Expect to see just as much life in a dead person, as you can see
spiritual life in a prayerless person. Your spirituality and your fruit-fulness
are always in direct proportion to the reality of your prayers. One
reason for failure is that sometimes some people pray to be seen of men,
instead of talking with God. Jesus’ preaching was always preceded with a
time of prayer. He was constantly surrounded by His disciples or large
crowds, with very little time for Himself. It became necessary for Jesus
to find time to pray. Prayer played a very important part in His life, as well
as taking a lot of time and strength out of Him. You must have a daily
time for prayer if you are using Jesus as the example for your life. Ask
the Lord to help you have quality time to devote to prayer each day.





Prayer Thought


Do you know what’s wrong with
our world today? There is too much “theology” and not enough
“knee-ology.”

April 13







James 4:3 And even when you
do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong - you want only
what will give you pleasure. - N.L.T.





It is imperative that you
pray in the will of God, otherwise you could be asking for things that could be
harmful. You may also be coveting something that is not His will.
Picture in your mind that a ship is entering a harbor late at night.
On the shore are four green lights that the ship must line up with.
If the pilot steers his ship in a straight line toward the four lights he
will not hit the rocks. You have four things that you can look at to
determine the will of God which are:





1. The Word of God.
2. The guidance of the Holy Spirit.


3. Circumstances.
4. Timing.





Before you pray for
something, it is better to ask the Lord what His will is for that item.
Sometimes He doesn’t want your plan, because He has a far better one for
you.





Prayer Thought


What if - God decides to stop
leading us tomorrow, because we didn’t follow Him today? What if - God
needed your trust, and you already had your own agenda?

April 14










Psalm 119:164 Seven times a
day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.





You need to understand that
God does not answer prayers that you don’t pray. When you don’t ask God
for help, you are putting a limit on the help you receive from Him. He is
interested in every part of your life, as well as the things around you, and
nothing is too small or big to bring to Him in prayer. Remember - you
place the limit. Get into the habit of asking God for guidance, direction
and help to have your needs met. As you receive the answers, your faith
will be strengthened, and you in turn will be able to help others, because of
your testimony. Some people pray very consistently - they only pray every
time they have an emergency. A daily habit of prayer will take
perseverance. You must determine in your heart that your prayer life will
count. Ask God to give you the desire to pray until the victory is won.





Prayer Thought


Prayers never prayed - will
never be answered. Prayer isn’t easy. Determine a time, a plan, and
a place. Don’t give up short of the answer.





April 15







1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I
exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks be made for all men, 2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we
may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.





Some of our prayers are vague
and indefinite, and will accomplish nothing. “Lord, bless the
missionaries” is an example of this. What missionaries are you praying for?
What do you want God to do for them? Another example is the prayers many
have for government officials. Most of the time they are mentioned in a
general way. Make your requests with definite earnestness if you would
have definite answers. When going on a trip you know where you are going, you
don’t just have a vague idea of your destination. Aimless prayer accounts for
many seemingly unanswered prayers. Dare to be definite with your petition
to God, and expect Him to answer prayers in His will.





Prayer Thought


When you go to God’s
storehouse, take your list and leave it with Him. “He who aims at nothing
always hits his target.”

April 16










Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men;
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.”





Praying with wrong motives
will not allow your prayers to be answered. Many prayers have been
“said”, but accomplished nothing because God was not listening to them.
God is not impressed with your fancy words, which may impress others.
The Lord wants sincerity, and expects you to be honest and truthful with
what you say to Him. This kind of praying only comes when the carnal
nature is not in control. Remember, God not only hears your words, but
looks at the motive behind the words. The Pharisee was trying to impress
the Tax Collector, who only prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
God listened to the Tax Collector, but refused to honor the prayer of the
Pharisee.





Prayer Thought


The health of anything,
whether a garden plant, or a heart devoted to God - reflects on what is, or is
not going on - underground.

April 17










Matthew 6:9 In this manner,
therefore, pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”





How does Jesus’ pattern for
prayer begin? The first part is focusing on God. Many people start
focusing on their own needs, and after they have brought their requests to the
Lord they feel they are through praying. You are to think of God when you
pray, recognizing who He is, and asking Him to have His will done in your life.
He tells you to ask God to make His name holy or sacred. In this
part of the prayer you see no mention of personal needs. The Lord is
showing you that you are to place your focus on God, the Father. The more
time you spend in His presence, the sooner you get to the place where you will
come in contact with the glory of the Lord. God wants to change your idea
of Him, from a stern Judge, to a loving Heavenly Father who wants to talk to
you, and meet your needs.





Prayer Thought


Just gather up all your
problems and simply, slowly and reverently repeat this prayer. Let it be
a daily part of you. Go to God in the words and name of His Son.
You are bound to get results.

April 19










Matthew 6:11 Give us this day
our daily bread.





Sometime ago an archaeologist
discovered a broken piece of pottery in Israel, and a woman’s shopping list was
on it. She had called the list her “daily perishables.” This was a
normal habit that people had in those days, because there was no refrigeration
in the home, and people had to go to the market on a daily basis. Most
Christians have thought that this verse refers to God supplying their
sustenance. The Lord is talking about daily perishables, because He is
expecting you to use other promises in the Bible to fill your pantry, or
storehouse, so that you would be able to help others in their time of need.






Deuteronomy 28:8 The Lord
will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you
set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is
giving you.





Prayer Thought


Here is a question that can
only be answered by action. Today God will use you to help someone in need.
See to it that you obey His voice. “In as much as you have
done it unto one of the least of these – you’ve done it to Me.”

April 20










Isaiah 40:31 But those who
wait (praise, trust, serve, minister) 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.





Where is your strength?
Is it in people, your job or your family? Where would you go if any
of these fell apart or failed?





God must be your source, the
strength of your life. He’s the ONLY One who will never fail, never
disappoint you, never let you down. But there are some conditions.
In Deuteronomy 28:1-8 - Amplified - God tells us that “if you follow His
commands, obey His way of doing and being, He will bless you and guide you and
be ALL that you could ever need. He is trust worthy and He must be your
strength.





Prayer Thought:


“Lord, I purpose to trust you
with all my heart. I’ll try to not figure things out on my own - but in
all that I do I will acknowledge You, and You will fill every need, that’s your
promise. Thank You, Lord.”

April 21










Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors.





Bitterness and unforgiveness
frequently go together. There will be times when you think you can’t forgive
someone who has wronged you. Regardless of what you think, God will not
forgive you of the things that you have done, until you are willing to forgive.
No one with unforgiven sin can enter Heaven. Even if you were able
to claim that you have no sin, if you have not forgiven someone who has wronged
you, God will not cleanse your past, as seen in Matthew 6:14, 15, and Mark
11:25, 26. The word forgive means to cease to feel angry or resentful,
and no longer hold it against the person. The question should not be:
“Can I forgive the person, but am I willing to forgive?” When you are
willing to forgive the person who has wronged you, then the Lord will give you
the ability to forgive.





Prayer Thought


If you’ll forgive those who
have wronged you, God will forgive you when you need it. Because you can
choose, you can change! Nothing happens in your life until you make a
decision, see James 1:6-8.

April 22










Matthew 6:13 And do not lead
us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.....





Many Christians, in a time of
need or crisis, tend to become afraid, or panic. Remember: perfect love
casts out all fear, where there is love, fear cannot stay. God expects
you to depend upon the promises He has given you in the Bible. Start
quoting them, and the spirit of fear will be driven out by God’s power.
Remember He expects you to use the tools He has given you in His Word.
Psalm 11:1 puts it this way:





“In the Lord I put my trust;
how can you (dare) say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain?”





Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2. Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea; 3. though its waters roar and be troubled, though the
mountains shake with its swelling.





Prayer Thought


When everything around you
collapses, a life built on Christ stands! Do you think God has any
problems taking care of your needs?





April 23










John 15:7 If you abide in Me,
(make it your life-style) and My words abide in you, you will ask what you
desire, and it shall be done for you.





Living the teachings of the
Bible must become your life style, or second nature and not just when certain
people are watching. The cleansing by the Holy Spirit must take place on
a daily basis. Take time to read the Bible every day, and the evidence
will be visible when an emergency arises. If you have filled your spirit
with the promises of God, they will allow the Holy Spirit to operate through
you to overcome the problems. If you have only filled your mind with
casual reading of the Scripture, or a surface life-style, you will be
definitely affected by problems. Living the teachings of the Bible has
great rewards. You can bring your needs to God, and expect Him to meet
them, because you are depending upon God’s promises, and expecting Him to honor
His Word.





Prayer Thought


He is both a place to hide
and abide. Come in out of the storm and strife of life, regularly meet with
your Maker. You will be better equipped to face the world and do His
work, my Friend!





April 24










Psalm 16:11 You will show me
the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.





Joy is one of the attributes
of God, and is able to flow from Him to you, when you spend time in prayer.
God wants to overflow you with His joy, and cause it to spill out like an
artesian well, which keeps on bubbling over. David shows you that you are
filled with joy when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, and the secret
of this is found in a life of prayer.





Prayer should be viewed as
having a conversation with the Lord. When people talk with a good friend,
they think of a time of enjoyment. The Lord wants you to think of prayer
in the same way, and wants to have fellowship with you on a daily basis.
God takes pleasure in talking with you, and feels cheated or left out
when you don’t take time to be with Him.





Prayer Thought


Joy is the fruit of God’s
life within you. If it’s missing - where is the leak? You are only
one decision away from joy.





April 25










Psalm 37:3 Trust in the
Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of
your heart. 5. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, And
He shall bring it to pass.





Private devotions must always
start with rejoicing and giving thanks to God. He has done many wonderful
things for you, but this is very small when compared to what He still wants to
do for you. God gave you the order for prayer, but many times it is
reversed. He wants you to first spend time in praise and thanksgiving, and then
bring your requests to Him. This is seen in the Lord’s prayer.
Jesus starts with praise and worship to the Father. Many only want to
bring their needs to Him, because they want to go on to something else.
He wants you to delight yourself in Him, then He will give the desires of
your heart.





Prayer Thought


Cultivate Thanksgiving!
Let every detail in your life - words, actions, whatever - be done in the
name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Colossians 3:16 - The Message.





April 26










Romans 8:26 Likewise
the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray
for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered.





On one of my trips to Africa,
I changed planes in England, and I found a quiet place to rest during the
lay-over. Suddenly seven heavily armed guards came and stood next to me.
I could see two more on the other side of the partition. They told
me that they had been notified that some terrorists were planning an attack on
the plane in the next area. During this time it was early in the morning
in Portland Oregon, and the Lord told my sister to pray for me. She was
told that if she did not pray, I would be killed that day. Her prayer not
only protected me, but the people in the next area as well. Be obedient
to the guidance of the Lord to pray, it might be a life or death situation.





Prayer Thought


Those led by the power of God -


cannot be stopped by the power of man.





April 27










1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7.
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.





When you humble yourself, you
will place yourself in a position for God to exalt you. Humility involves
placing your cares on Jesus. People who exalt themselves, stop God from
working in their lives. A lack of trust will make you feel that you have
to help the Lord and carry part of the load. God wants you to bring all
your cares, worries, problems and the things that concern you to Him, and to
leave them with Him, because He has the answer. Your cares still exist, but now
they become God’s responsibility. The moment you reach out through fear,
doubt or unbelief, you will find that God will give you back the problem.
When you allow God to handle the situation, He will work at the root of
the problem.





Prayer Thought


Turn it over to Jesus, and
you’ll smile the rest of the day. Your needs are never greater than God’s
supply.





April 28










Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O
God; attend to my prayer. 2. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when
my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.





You can come to the Lord
anytime, from any location. Some think God will only listen to their
prayer when they are in some religious meeting, in a certain position or facing
some direction. God is willing to listen to your prayer, regardless of
time, place or position. He is looking for people who want to have
fellowship with Him. See a picture in your mind that He is waiting for you to
call to Him through prayer. Some have disappointed Him because they were
too busy, or did not take the time He wanted with them. You lose out when
you don’t pray, because He wants to share His wisdom with you. Cultivate
a habit of coming to Him many times a day, with the idea that He is waiting for
your conversation with Him. Stay in an attitude of prayer all day.





Prayer Thought


Prayer changes things!
No! Prayer changes people, and people change things!





April 29










John 15:15 No longer do I
call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I
have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made
known to you.





Your chief aim is not to win
the lost, nor is it for you to have a successful life, but in the eyes of God,
your chief aim must be to have fellowship with Him. Although you are to have a
servant’s heart, God does not call you a servant. He wants to elevate
you, and has called you His friend. He yearns to have daily fellowship
with you, but how much fellowship have you had with Him during this past week?
Although our son and his wife were about 12,000 miles away from us at one
time, we had fellowship with them frequently by e-mails, mail, and telephone
calls. You can come to God anytime, without special equipment, because He
longs for you to have an intimate relationship with Him on a continual basis.





Prayer Thought


If you spend time in the
company of Jesus, nothing can hide the evidence. People can see what’s in
you when the squeeze is applied.

April 30










Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat came and
worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”





Jesus is not Lord in the lives of some believers,
because they have not made a total surrender to Him. They are “hearers” and not
“doers of the Word”. When you have completely made Him Lord of your life, it
will be seen through your prayer life as well as the quality time you spend
studying His Word. Many seem to be waiting to hear a strong voice saying, “I am
God, now hear this.” This attitude comes from the casual believer. God speaks
to you through His Word, as well as the Holy Spirit, and most of the time will
not speak to you in an audible voice. True worship, not only is putting Him in
first place, but obedience to His will and commandments as well. God is longing
for you to have quality fellowship with Him, which allows Him to impart divine
wisdom to you.





Prayer Thought


Jesus be the Lord of all the kingdoms of my heart;
every nook and cranny, every corner of my closet, - be the Lord of all.


May 1










Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God.





Anxiety is uneasy thoughts or fears concerning what may
happen. Anxiety or worry will come to you when you feel you can’t control the
situation you are facing. When it continues, it will cause you to panic and if
not taken care of, could eventually lead to depression





Anxiety will stop God’s joy from coming through to you.
Paul tells you not to be anxious, but some will say, “That’s easier said than
done.” With the help of the Lord, it becomes “easier done than said.” He tells
you to bring everything to Him by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving.
The more you spend quality time in prayer, the sooner you will see thoughts of
anxiety leave you.





Prayer Thought


The devil would have you continually crossing streams
that do not exist. The Lord is the source of all your increase.





May 2










2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 2. casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.





Many times when you start to pray you will think of
something that should have been done, or someone you should see at once.
Frequently you can have aimless thoughts that have nothing to do with your
prayer. These thoughts come from without and are due to the promptings of evil
spirits, and must be bound in the name of Jesus. Some people pray like a boy
who was pulling weeds. He had done such a bad job that he had to put a stick in
the ground to mark the spot where he stopped. Remember, Satan does not want
you to pray, and will distract you. Resist Him in Jesus name!





Prayer Thought


When you go to have tea and fellowship with your
dearest friend, you set aside all else and focus. Focus on your Friend, Jesus!


May 3










Psalm 66:18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
my Lord would not have listened. (New Living Translation)





When the Children of Israel first arrived at the
promised land, they were not allowed to enter because of five predominant sins.
These were:


1. Lust or covetousness.


2. Idolatry, which is not putting God
in first place.


3. Sexual immorality.


4. Tempting God.


5. Complaining.





Their complaining had destroyed their faith. In
many of the churches we find exactly the same list of sins today. If this list
stopped the Hebrews from having their desires met, it will stop your prayers
from being answered today. God deals with your prayer, not according to the
spirit and tone which you exhibit when you pray in public or private, but
according to the spirit you show daily. Ask the Lord to show you if there
is anything that will stop your prayers from being answered.





Prayer Thought


If Christians spent as much time praying as they do
grumbling, they’d soon have nothing to grumble about.





May 5










Romans 4:20 He did not waver at the promise of God
through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.





Some people don’t receive because they don’t pray.
Others don’t receive because they are doubting, or not really expecting an
answer. James 1:6-8 tells you to pray in faith and get rid of any doubt.
Doubt will always stop your faith from working. The above verse shows that
Abraham was fully convinced that God was able and would perform what He had
promised. To become fully convinced, you must completely depend on God’s
promises in His Word. God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), because He
honors divine faith. This means that if He met someone else’s need, He will
meet yours as well, when the conditions are met. Get rid of any doubt or
unbelief, or any other hindrance to the faith of God in your life. Study your
Bible, marking the promises in it He wants you to claim, because He has great
things for you.





Prayer Thought


When you trust and never doubt - then He’ll surely
bring you out. Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.


May 6










Acts 3:4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter
said, “Look at us.” 5. So he gave them his attention, expecting to
receive something from them. 6. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do
not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk.”





Charitable programs are very common in the church world
today, many Churches have feeding programs and other outreaches, but the Lord
wants you to do more than this. He wants to demon­strate His power through you
to meet people’s needs that are beyond your capability. Peter and John
had been with Jesus, and saw how He met the needs of the people. The Lord
expects you to accomplish the same things in your generation, so that you can
glorify your Heavenly Father through your actions. Many Christians rob God
of glory because they are not allowing the power of God to flow through
their words, see John 14:12-14.





Prayer Thought


Your words are seed. If you don’t like your harvest,
plant different seed.

May 7










1 Peter 2:24 Who Himself bore
our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live
for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.





Every form of sickness or
disease known to man was included in the curse of the law. Christ came and
redeemed you from this curse which included every disease of the past or
future, as seen in Galatians 3:13, 14, 29. Jesus paid for your atonement,
which includes much more than salvation. Six of the things that are
available, are seen in Isaiah 53. Remember no blessing of the atonement
will fail until salvation fails.





1. The Messiah paid
for your Salvation through His death on the cross, Isaiah 53:5,6.


2. You are given a new
nature, verses 5, 6.


3. Your healing, verse
4.


4. Pain, verse 4.



5. Your Peace, verse
5.


6. You were redeemed
from the curse of the law.





Start applying God’s
provisions for healing today.





Prayer Thought


Remember, take advantage of
everything God planned for you. No matter what the problem you face, -
God holds the key!

May 8










James 5:14 Is anyone among
you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15. And the prayer of
faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has
committed sins, he will be forgiven.





The first requirement for
divine healing is a right relationship with the Lord. Hindrances, such as
sin, will always stop the power of God from working in your life, see Matthew
6:14,15. The next requirement is faith. Without divine faith you receive
nothing from the Lord, see Hebrews 11:6. Why does James tell you to call
for the elders of the Church? Having a spirit of unity with united
prayer, will overcome any satanic opposition to your healing. Being
anointed with oil, and expecting God to heal you are very important. Even
in your everyday world, the Lord is expecting you to pray for a person with a
need who comes to you.





Prayer Thought


Whether for healing of the
body, the mind or the spirit, nothing is too difficult for the One who made
you. Ask Him - He’ll listen.

May 9










Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.





Angels are protecting you,
and the more promises of God you use, the more ammunition you give them to work
with. Always use the promises of God with divine faith, because the
angels are not permitted to help you when you speak with words of doubt, fear
or unbelief. Whenever you quote Scripture, which is already established
in Heaven, you inflict pain on the enemies forces. Be directed by the
Holy Spirit, Who knows what the will of God is. Many times you may have
quoted Scripture which started the angels to come to your rescue, but then you
began planting seeds of doubt, fear and unbelief, which immediately stopped the
angelic forces from completing their task. When your words are contrary
to faith, they will always stop the angels from bringing the answers to
you.





Prayer Thought


Remember, words are seeds;
whatever you plant you will reap. What kind of a harvest do you want?
We often get what we don’t want, - plant good seed.

May 11










Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all
ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit
salvation?





God shows no partiality (Acts
10:34), and does not send His angels to help only a special few. They are
available to help all of His beloved who are depending on God’s faith in them.
God is expecting you to first use the tool you already have which is divine
faith, to meet your needs as well as the needs of those around you. The
second tool is quoting the promises in the Bible. When necessary, God will use
angels to meet the needs of those you are believing for. There are
Christians who have more faith in them-selves than they have in God. I’m
sure the angels must be shocked at the spirit of unbelief that abounds in many
Christians. Now is the time to raise your level of faith, and expect God
to honor His Word and help those whom you are praying for. He is more
willing to help you and your loved ones, than you have faith that He will.





Prayer Thought


Change what you hear, what
you see and say - it will change the quality of your life.

May 12










Psalm 103:20 Bless the Lord,
you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of
His Word. 21. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do
His pleasure.





Angels bring to pass what you
say, they are God’s messengers. It is very necessary for you to guard
your words on a consistent basis. Speaking things that will work against you is
like planting negative seed, - faith is a positive not negative confession.
Say things you are expecting to receive from God, because you are
trusting in His promises. Your life must be in line with the Word and will of
God. Angels do not care if your country is in a depression or recession.
They are ministering spirits who are sent to meet your needs on the basis
of God’s resources and not the resources of things surrounding you.
Problems are going to come, but God want’s to demonstrate His power
through you to overcome any adverse situations.





Prayer Thought


What God gives to you, nobody
can take away, what you withhold from God, none of you can keep.





May 13










John 16:33 These things I
have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.





Peace does not come because
of the absence of trouble. God’s peace is available to you regardless of the
problems around you, because it has been placed in your spirit. This
reservoir of peace is able to be released to help you in the midst of any
trouble, even though the people around you are unable to cope. Many Christians
never tap into this peace because they are placing their focus on things that
are affecting the world, instead of the promises of God. Romans 12:1-2 tells
you that you are to present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God. You are not to be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. The transformed mind enables
you to overcome the problems.





Prayer Thought


Let His peace surround you,
infuse you, strengthen you, envelope you so that nothing can shake you.
Just as in the “eye” of the storm, you are kept in His Peace!

May 14










Philippians 1:28 And not in
any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition,
but to you of salvation, and that from God.





You can’t rely on past
victories. You can use past victories to be encouraged that God does not
fail, and will do many more new things for you, but you must get fresh
instructions for each new situation. Stay in contact with the Holy Spirit
on a continual basis, so He will be able to guide you for your current
needs. Your past failures and successes do not count. Realize that
God wants you to go on to something new for your life, and has not delivered
you into the hands of the enemy. He has delivered the enemy into your
hands. Quote the promises of God, and believe that God will honor His
Word. The more you use the promises of God in every situation, the more
you will see victory in your life. Each new victory will become a new
testimony.





Prayer Thought


“Because You are fighting for
me, Lord, I will hold my peace and remain at rest, knowing that the victory is
mine, Exodus 14:14. “To avoid deception, seek God’s direction.”





May 15










Proverbs 12:21 No grave
trouble will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with
evil.





God is willing to entrust the
power and the authority of the use of the name of Jesus into your hands.
This gives you a lot to praise Him about. You need to spend more time
praising Him and giving Him thanks for all He has done for you. You also
need to praise Him for what He is going to do in your life. You may hear
of many problems coming to others, but if your confidence is in the authority
of the Name of Jesus, you can come against those situations through the
authority of His name. Jesus wants to demonstrate His power to the world
in a great way, because this brings great honor to God the Father. He
wants to work through people who are willing to allow Him to use them, and are
willing to allow the Father to receive all of the glory and credit.
Expect the Lord to help you see the fulfilment of the above verse.





Prayer Thought


How can I do less than give
Him my best, and live for Him completely, after all He’s done for me?





May 16










1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not
think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened to you.





Stress is normal, and is
needed in your life to motivate you toward further action in a given area.
Problems develop when stress becomes excessive, or is allowed to become
overwhelming, and out of control. Make your problems, stepping stones,
instead of stumbling blocks. The Lord created you to have a relationship
with other people, but stress increases when there is conflict at the same
time. Many Christians don’t realize that the name of Jesus will release
bondages, if they will only depend upon His Word. There will be times
when problems come because you are doing what’s right. It will seem that
Satan is launching an all out attack against you, even though you are in the
center of the will of the Lord. Go to Him in prayer and thanksgiving, and He will
direct you.





Prayer Thought


Whenever you’re troubled and
lost in despair - bundle up your troubles and go to God in prayer.

May 17





OVERCOMING


TEMPTATION




1 Corinthians 10:13 No
temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to
bear it.





Satan does not have any new
plan or trick in his book to tempt you. Every one of his plans have been
tried on other Christians before. Each time the promises of God were
applied against the temptations, Satan found that his tricks would not work, -
the power of the Word of God is stronger. When you’re tempted, you will
always find that God provides a way out so that you can stand and resist the
temptation. God has planned for you to succeed and not to fail. He
is confident that this can be done as long as you are applying the promises
that are in the Bible to your life. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you, James 4:7.





Prayer Thought


The name of the Lord is - A
strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved. “You
will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.”





May 18










Romans 8:1 There is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.





There are Christians who are
continually living in defeat, do not have victory in their lives, and seem to
think that the enemy is always after them. Their attitude appears to be
that the devil has been chasing them all week, and they are losing the battle.
They may feel he is constantly reminding them of some past failure.
The power of guilt is a terrible thing, and will make you feel as if you
are walking in a fog. The enemy will frequently use this method to keep
you in defeat. God has given you a guarantee that you don’t have to be
bound by a spirit of condemnation. He wants to give you lasting peace
that will not be controlled by the circumstances around you. He tells you
in Hebrews 10:17 “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Tell
the accuser to leave you alone.





Prayer Thought


The devil cannot gain a
foothold in any area of your life that the Holy Spirit controls. The
Christian who wields the Sword of the Spirit, yields no ground to Satan.





May 19










2 Corinthians 10:4 For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds, 5. casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ.





Most spiritual warfare takes
place in the mind. Recognize the difference between thoughts that come
from God, your own thoughts, and the thoughts that come from the demonic
spirits. You must take immediate control over these thoughts when they
don’t agree with the Word of God, or the messages that God has already given
you. The satanic thoughts will frequently come in a subtle way. You might
be in an attitude of prayer when they will attack with all kinds of ideas to
make you think of things you need to do right away. Resist them in the
Name of Jesus, and ask the Lord to direct your praying.





Prayer Thought


Satan would sift you and
destroy you, - God would send you problems to grow you! Adversity doesn’t
make you weak or strong, it only reveals who you are.





May 20










Matthew 5:44 But I say to
you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.





Satan uses unforgiveness as a
tool to keep many Christians from having an effective spiritual life.
Their prayer life, as well as the power of God working through them,
becomes totally ineffective as long as they maintain this wedge between
themselves and the Lord. Satan blinds the eyes of many Christians to feel
that it is impossible to forgive the person who has offended them. The
question should not be: “Can you forgive the person, but are you willing to
forgive the person?” As soon as you are willing, you can ask the Lord to
enable you to forgive, and He will give you a forgiving spirit. Now
forgiving comes without any conditions. The next step is for the Lord to
give you the desire to pray for those who have offended you.





Prayer Thought


Luke 6:45. It’s who you are
not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into
true words and deeds, v. 44. You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy
tree - the health of the apples tells the health of the tree. The
Message.





May 21










2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.





Strongholds are patterns of
thinking and feeling that attempt to take control of your life to try to cause
you to lose focus. They are not demonic spirits, but can be controlled by
them when you are not submitting to God in every area of your life. If
strongholds were demonic spirits, you could use your authority from God, and cast
them out permanently, which would end the problem. See yourself as having the
righteousness of God, instead of being influenced by what people think of you,
or of what you may have done in the past. Come to Him in faith, so that
He can come to you in grace, which is the favor of God. It’s available to
all who believe, will help you overcome strongholds, and produce soundness of
mind, body and spirit.





Prayer Thought


Your feelings can come and
go, yet God’s love for you remains the same, no matter what - for He’s not a
feeling, He is the Great I Am!





May 22










Romans 5:17 For if by the one
man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through
the One, Jesus Christ.





Why is there no condemnation
for your past sins when you come to God for forgiveness? You need to
understand what has taken place, so that you can be free of condemnation which
comes from the enemy. Since he is tempting you to condemn yourself, you
need to resist this temptation, because 1 John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” You maintain this cleansing as long as you continue to be a
doer of what the Bible teaches. The more you study the Word, the more you
will see this take place in your life. Guidance from the Holy Spirit will
come as you maintain prayer life.





Prayer Thought


Just as one person did it
wrong and got us all in trouble with sin and death, another Person did it right
and got us out of it - He got us into Life! The Message - Romans 5:17.





May 23










Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the
heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.





Many people open the door to
demonic control in their minds by becoming fearful, and allowing worry to
control them, subsequently disobeying God’s command. He has told you over
eighty times in the Bible not to worry. Regardless of how strong you are
in the Lord, you will find that you will walk out of the protection He has for
you, when you continue to worry or be afraid. Walking out of God’s
protection will cause Satan to magnify the need to worry. Fear will start
to be built in your mind, which will later affect your spirit. Next you
may realize that you are bound by a spirit of fear. Remember, “To trust
is not to worry, and to worry is not to trust.” Fear is faith - it is a
settled conviction that something bad is going to happen. It is releasing
the divine faith in you to cause the bad thing to happen.





Prayer Thought


Worrying is like a habit, a
trick of the enemy. Bad habits, like mushrooms grow overnight, and are
hard to get rid of. Good habits, like oak trees, grow slow and strong.





May 24










Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am
afraid, I will trust in You.





Faith and fear are developed
exactly alike. Both are developed from hearing something. Faith
comes from hearing God’s Word, or the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Fear
comes from hearing Satan’s voice. Faith and fear are both released by
words and actions. The one kind will always stop the other from working.
You can NOT have great faith and great fear at the same time. Faith
leaves when fear enters. Fear will also leave when faith enters.
Satan can’t force you to do anything. His main tool is deception.
He gives you a suggestion - you make it a choice. Satan is always
helpless without deception, which produces fear. Remember fear is a
temptation from the enemy, and the problem comes when we act on it.
Overcome fear by filling your spirit with the promises of God, depending
upon them to raise your level of faith. James 4:7 tells you resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. God wants to help you, if you will let Him.





Prayer Thought


The same sun that hardens the
clay - softens wax - it depends on the response.





May 25










Zechariah 4:6 .... “Not by
might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.





What hinders you from hearing
the voice of God? It is not that you don’t want to listen, but you may be
frequently focused on too many other things. You can become so involved
with service for God, that you don’t hear from Him. Your daily activities
can be-come distractions, which can become louder in your spirit than the voice
of the Lord. It is imperative that you cultivate an awareness of His
voice, so that the things you are doing at the time, will not drown out His
message to you. The Holy Spirit wants to guide you, which is done through
your spirit. The cares, attractions, or distractions that come from this world,
can clog up the paths of communication between the Holy Spirit and yourself.
Remain in an attitude of prayer as you go about the days activities,
allowing the Holy Spirit to direct you as the need arises.





Prayer Thought


Mine! This miraculous
morning! Surrendered in trust to my care. It came bearing only this
warning, “Fragile! Handle with prayer. - E. C. Beyer.





May 26










Romans 8:14 For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.





The majority of Christians
are guided by their senses, or other sources rather than by the Holy Spirit.
Some have the attitude: “If it feels good, do it.” They will depend
on what their friends say, or the news media, rather than depend on the Word of
God, or the direction of the Holy Spirit. Often people will hear bad news
from their doctor and feel that there is no hope. The Holy Spirit wants
to tell you that He is able to cause changes to take place in your life,
regardless of how hopeless the situation looks. Don’t allow a spirit of
fear to control you, failing to look at the promises of God, then the Holy
Spirit is unable to do anything for you. Sometimes the Holy Spirit may want you
to change a habit, or lifestyle so that you will be better able to hear and
obey His instructions. Remember He is sent by God to help you.





Prayer Thought


No test or temptation that
comes your way is beyond what others have had to face. All you need
to remember is that God will never let you down! The Message.





May 27










Psalm 19:14 Let the words of
my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my
strength and my redeemer.





It is extremely important
that you are completely sincere when you ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.
God wants to protect you from many disappointments, but can only do so
when you want to remain in the center of His will. What should you do if
what you have asked for turned out to be out of the will of God? The
first thing is repentance. Ask God to forgive you, and then ask Him how
you should pray to change the problem. He can take the shattered pieces
of a broken vessel and make them new again. The problem did not come
overnight, so be patient while you and the Lord work on the process of
correcting the problems. Spend more time in praising Him that the answer
is on the way. Continue to expect complete victory over the situation.





Prayer Thought


Trust God from the bottom of
your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for
God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep
you on track. Proverbs 3:5,6 - The Message.





May 28










Romans 8:37 Yet in all these
things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.





What does Paul mean when he
states “We are more than conquerors?” A conqueror obtains peace with
conditions, whereas when the phrase “more than conquerors is used”, the victor
makes peace with no conditions. You are on the wining side, but the satanic
forces don’t want you to know or take advantage of the authority you have.
They do not want you to know that you are taking Jesus’ place here.
Jesus is the Head and you are part of the body, and the Holy Spirit wants
to work through you. He wants you to triumph over the works of the devil,
which are disease, poverty, sin and bad habits. You must quote the Word
of God, or Scripture to be an over-comer. Find verses that come against
the problems you are having, and expect God to honor His promises when you
quote the Scriptures and apply them, remaining in His will.





Prayer Thought


Don’t give up! Always
expect the best - always. Don’t expect the worst - ever. Expect a
miracle. Your attitude is what counts. By your prayerful expectancy you
are deciding that God can do things through you!