Daily Devotionals

Hebrews 13:6 reads, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid."   Let's look at two more common fears:   1) Fear of not being good enough.   It's not about being as good as others; it's about being yourself! Stop comparing yourself to other people and instead spend...

Psalm 112:7 reads, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."   Let's take a look at some of our most common fears and how we can overcome them.   Fear of failure.   This is the most common fear of all, and it keeps us from...

Job 11:18 reads, "You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety."   Famous people throughout history have suffered from phobias. Napoleon was crippled by ailurophobia, an irrational fear of cats. Queen Elizabeth I was...

2 Timothy 3:15 reads, "From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures."   There's a story about a woman who came to her pastor and said, "How early should I start the spiritual training of my child?" The pastor asked, "How old is the child?" She answered, "Five." He...

Psalm 1:2 reads, "On his law he meditates day and night."   Butterflies cover more ground, but bees gather more honey. That's because the butterfly just flies over the flowers, whereas the bee lands on each one and stays there long enough to extract the nectar. That's...

Ecclesiastes 11:1 reads, "Be generous and someday you will be rewarded."   The Dead Sea has such high mineral concentrations that even non-swimmers can stay afloat in it. The only problem is the smell. Because it has no outlets, any fresh water that comes in quickly...

Isaiah 5:20 reads, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil."   Did you know that God Himself gets angry? The Bible says, "The Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice" (1 Kings...

Ephesians 4:26 reads, "Be angry, and do not sin."   There's a right way and a wrong way to handle your anger. Moses handled his anger the wrong way and it cost him the Promised Land. Jesus handled His anger the right way, and those who took advantage of the poor were...

1 Thessalonians 4:3 reads, "It is God's will that you should...avoid sexual immorality."   When God created Adam and Eve, He told them to "multiply and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28). That helps explain why sex is one of our strongest drives. But it can also...

Judges 3:31 reads, "Shamgar...saved Israel."   If Shamgar had focused on the fact that he was going up against six hundred Philistines, he would probably have given up before he even started. Understand this: Satan will try to discourage and defeat you by making you...

Judges 5:6 reads, "In the days of Shamgar."   When Shamgar picked up his oxgoad and slew six hundred Philistines, he made a decision that if he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting (Judges 3:31). And that's the key to deliverance, whether it's from...

Judges 3:31 reads, "Shamgar...struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad."   Shamgar is mentioned only twice in Scripture, and his story takes up three lines and two verses. But his impact was amazing. And it's a challenge to all those who think, "God would...

Hebrews 9:26 reads, "He offered himself once and for all."   There were many pieces of furniture in the tabernacle, and each served a different purpose. But there wasn't a single seat. Do you know why? Because the priest's work was never finished! The people sinned...

Colossians 4:2 reads, "Devote yourselves to prayer."   In 1964, Communist Simba rebels besieged the town of Bunia in Zaire. They arrested and executed many citizens. A pastor by the name of Zebedayo Idu was one of their victims. They sentenced him to death before a...

Psalm 89:16 reads, "In Your name they rejoice all day long."   Yes, segments of our culture have grown hostile to the Christian faith. But the popularity of faith-based films has caught Hollywood by surprise during the last few years.   Meanwhile, popular Bible...

Nehemiah 8:10 reads, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."   When Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of the Lord is your strength," God's people were rebuilding Jerusalem after returning from seventy years of captivity in Babylon. They were surrounded, outnumbered, and...

John 15:11 reads, "That My joy may remain in you."   Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." If you think things are bad today, consider the world Jesus and His disciples lived and ministered in....

Isaiah 52:11 reads, "Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord."   One day a man was getting his windshield washed at a filling station. When the attendant finished, the man said, "That's a terrible job. Redo my windshield - it's as dirty as when you started." So...

Acts 9:15 reads, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name."   Saul of Tarsus was the last person on earth you'd ever have expected to become a Christian, much less the author of half the New Testament. Describing his life before he met Christ, he wrote,...

Psalm 103:3 reads, "Who forgives all your iniquities."   The Psalmist wrote, "Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases." Notice which comes first: The consciousness that all your sins are forgiven precedes the healing of all your diseases. Note...

1 Corinthians 9:22 reads, "I try to find common ground with everyone."   For any relationship to work, we must accept each other's differences. Within our family we must respect each other's unique perspectives. We don't need to agree on every issue, but we must...

Romans 12:8 reads, "If it is leadership, let him govern diligently."   How will you know you have the gift of "leadership"? Because you'll know where God wants you to go, and be able to show others the value of going with you. There are many talented people who never...

2 Timothy 4:2 reads, "Correct, rebuke and encourage."   When you crave acceptance and approval, you end up being controlled by those you're supposed to lead. Paul recognized this. That's why he instructed Titus: 'Teach...and encourage your people...correcting them...

2 Corinthians 7:4 reads, "I have great confidence in you."   When people feel "used" they begin to drop out, but when they feel appreciated they'll follow you anywhere. Paul, one of the finest leaders of all time, told the Corinthian believers, "I have great...

Exodus 18:18 reads, "You cannot handle it alone."   President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." Bottom...

Psalm 32:5 reads, "I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.' And you forgave me!"   When you deliberately sin, you're rebelling against God's rule in your life - and you'll feel bad about it. And feeling bad is evidence that you truly are a redeemed...

Revelation 2:4 reads, "You don't love me...as you did at first!"   Love is like a fire - when it's not fueled, it goes out. That's what happened to the Christians in the church at Ephesus. In earlier years Paul wrote these words to them: "Grace be with all those who...

1 John 5:14 reads, "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."   The story is told of three men marooned on a desert island with little hope of being rescued. One day they were walking around the island when one of them picked up an old, tarnished lamp....

Isaiah 12:2 reads, "God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid."   How much of a factor is fear in your life? Go ahead, take the fear test. Circle the number that best corresponds to how you feel.   1)1 don't remember the last time I was really afraid. 2) I...

Proverbs 1:5 reads, "Let the wise listen and add to their learning."   In order to keep growing, you must understand three principles:   1) You grow to the extent you give.   By giving out, you create more room to grow on the inside. So give until it hurts, and keep...