Daily Devotionals

1 John 1:7 reads, "The blood of Jesus Christ...cleanses us from all sin."   Going to church, doing your best, and subscribing to fuzzy notions about God won't get you into heaven. Here's the testimony of those already in heaven: 'To him who loves us...freed us from...

Psalm 128:3 reads, "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house."   The Psalmist writes: "Blessed are all who fear [respect, honor and obey] the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit [rewards] of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be...

1 Peter 3:7 reads, "Husbands...live with your wives, and treat them with respect."   You must get to know your wife and respect her needs. When God made woman, He made her to be a receiver and responder. He made her a little softer, a little warmer, a little more...

1 Corinthians 15:22 reads, "In Adam all die."   The Bible says, "In Adam all die." Why Adam? He was called to be the head of the first family, therefore he was responsible for what happened in the home. As people, husbands and wives are equal under God. But in...

Exodus 34:23 reads, "All your males are to appear before the Lord."   God said, "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord...For I will drive out nations before you...enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land" (Exodus 34:23-24)....

1 Corinthians 11:3 reads, "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman."   Paul writes, "I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ." There is an order to how...

Genesis 3:6 reads, "She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."   In Genesis, before Eve was created God warned Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit, and it was his responsibility to communicate that to his wife. Clearly, he didn't do a very good job. As a...

Ephesians 1:11 reads, "He makes everything work out according to his plan."   The Bible says, "The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right" (Psalm 84:11). Sometimes we pray for a certain thing, believing it's good for us. But God, who has a...

Acts 2:8 reads, "How is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?"   On the day the church was birthed, we read: "All of [the apostles] were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were...

Proverbs 12:15 reads, "A wise man listens to advice."   When you "don't know what you don't know," you're vulnerable to making mistakes. You may know a lot, but you don't know all there is to know. So you should always seek and be open to good input. Professional...

Isaiah 44:3 reads, "I will pour my...blessing on your children."   Parent, here's a Bible promise you can stand on: "I will pour my Spirit into your descendants and my blessing on your children." Your kids should be able to take up where you left off! Your ceiling...

Genesis 37:19-20 reads, "Look, this dreamer is coming!...let us...kill him."   When Joseph dreamed big dreams, how did his brothers respond? "Let us...kill him." Sometimes those closest to you will resent your dream the most, yet with God's help you can still fulfill...

Joshua 1:9 reads, "Be strong and courageous."   When it came time for Joshua to take the place of Moses, God said to him, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." And today God is...

2 Samuel 9:7 reads, "I will surely show you kindness."   In Bible times, when a new king ascended to the throne, he usually killed or banished every member of the old king's family. So here's the story. Jonathan, King Saul's son, and David, whom Saul hated, were close...

James 1:4 reads, "So that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything."   James writes: "Be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will...

Proverbs 24:17 reads, "Don't rejoice when your enemies fall."   In life you'll make foes as well as friends. It can't be avoided; it just comes with the territory. The issue isn't will you make enemies, the issue is how will you treat them? Our friends bring out the...

John 15:9 reads, "Make yourselves at home in my love."   When someone says, "Make yourself at home," it means you're welcome and accepted. And that's what Jesus means when He says, "Make yourselves at home in my love." You never have been and never will be loved by...

James 5:11 reads, "We praise the ones who endured the most."   Observe these six things about persistence:   1) You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.   2) The first two letters in the word goal are "go."   3) Some people dream of...

Acts 20:23 reads, "The Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me."   About 75% of believers now live in Third World countries, often in anti-Christian environments. Xu Yonghai is one of them. He worked to see the legalization of house churches in...

Psalm 143:10 reads, "Teach me do to your will."   As you look back on your life, the thing that will bring you the greatest joy is knowing you've done the will of God. But in order for that to happen, you must really want to do God's will. Jesus said, "If anyone is...

Ephesians 5:17 reads, "Understand what the Lord's will is."   When you know you're in the center of God's will for your life, you have peace in spite of adverse circumstances. You have confidence to go to God at any time, knowing that He'll provide what you need. You...

Proverbs 11:30 reads, "He who wins souls is wise."   The Bible says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (John 2:15). But some of us act like loving the Lord more requires loving those...

Matthew 7:25 reads, "It had its foundation on the rock."   Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...The winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it...

Psalm 73:2 reads, "I came so close to the edge."   If you'd met Asaph, who wrote some of the psalms, you'd probably have thought he hadn't a care in the world. But you'd have been wrong: "I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping and I was almost...

Acts 20:24 reads, "My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord."   To miss out on your assignment in life is to miss out on why God put you on earth. You're gifted and called by God, and you need to take it seriously....

James 3:2 reads, "We all stumble in many ways."   When you sin, God's Spirit will convict you of your need to repent and change your ways. But until you get your glorified body in heaven, you're always going to deal with sin. The apostle James wrote, "We all stumble...

Mark 9:34 reads, "They had been arguing about which of them was the greatest."   When Jesus asked His disciples, "'What were you arguing about along the way?' They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer...He said, 'If you...

Proverbs 23:15 reads, "My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice."   Fatherless children are 100 - 200% more likely to experience emotional and behavioral problems...twice as likely to use drugs and alcohol...more likely to become sexually active at an...

Proverbs 3:1 reads, "My son...let your heart keep my commands."   If you're a dad, God expects you to be the leader in your family. That means:   1) You must want to lead.   Without good leadership, the chances are your kids are headed for a life of trouble. Former...

Proverbs 1:8 reads, "Hear the instruction of your father."   One day a man went into a barbershop and noticed a young man sweeping the floor. After talking to him, he learned that the boy had no dad in his life. "Son," the man asked, "Who do you want to be like when...