Today's Devotional: The Booster Rocket  by Os Hillman After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. - Joshua 1:1-2 Today's Reading: Jude, Ezra 9-10 and Psalm 95

Are you saved?

Fight the good fight. Don't give up.

Watch your words,

          Don't use insulting words to condemn the devil
                                              or to speak to others.

Jude:

¹⁴It was Enoch, the seventh direct descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied this about them: "The Lord will come with many thousands of his holy angels ¹⁵to bring judgment on all, to condemn them all for the godless deeds they have performed and for all the terrible words that godless sinners have spoken against him!"
¹⁶These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they follow their own evil desires; they brag about themselves and flatter others in order to get their own way.

Warnings and Instructions

¹⁷But remember, my friends, what you were told in the past by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸They said to you, "When the last days come, people will appear who will make fun of you, people who follow their own godless desires." ¹⁹These are the people who cause divisions, who are controlled by their natural desires, who do not have the Spirit. ²⁰But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, ²¹and keep yourselves in the love of God, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life.
²²Show mercy toward those who have doubts; ²³save others by snatching them out of the fire; and to others show mercy mixed with fear, but hate their very clothes, stained by their sinful lusts.

Prayer of Praise

²⁴To him who is able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence-- ²⁵to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from all ages past, and now, and forever and ever! Amen.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! - 1 John 3:1a
"I have an important business meeting in the morning. Would you please set the alarm for 5:30 a.m.?" I said to my wife.
"Oh, that won't be necessary. Just tell the Lord what time you want to wake up. He does it for me all the time," my wife said.
I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Well, I'd feel more comfortable if we set the alarm."
"Okay, ye of little faith. But just to prove my point I am going to ask the Lord to wake us up just before 5:30."
The next morning I awoke before the alarm went off. I looked at the clock. It read 5:15. I looked at my wife, who had just awakened at the same time with an I-told-you-so smile.
Sometimes we wrongfully view God as someone we go to for only the "big things." The idea of "bothering God" for such a trivial matter seems foolish and presumptuous. However, when you were a child and had to get up in the morning for school, didn't your mom or dad come wake you up? They were your parents, and you could come to them with the most trivial concerns or requests. Why would our heavenly Father be any less approachable? Perhaps our problem is that we simply have not developed a level of intimacy with God so that we feel the freedom to approach Him at these daily, routine levels. We often operate with an unwritten code that says our needs must have a certain degree of importance or crisis before we come to God with them. This is not God's character towards us.
Does the Lord desire this level of intimacy with you and me? The apostle Paul exhorted us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV). There is never a caution to pray only about matters of greater importance.
Today, go to God with matters that you might view as trivial and would normally avoid bringing to God. Ask God to increase your level of intimacy with Him. You may even be able to get rid of your alarm clock.

Share TGIF With A Friend | Past Issues of TGIF

Frequently Asked Questions
Receive TGIF Christian Devotional

©2004 - 2008 Marketplace Leaders - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by the NetMinistry Website Platform

Psalm 91 Whoever goes to the LORD for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, ²can say to him, "You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust."
³He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases.
⁴He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care;
        his faithfulness will protect and defend you.
⁵You need not fear any dangers at night or sudden attacks during the day
⁶or the plagues that strike in the dark or the evils that kill in daylight.
⁷A thousand may fall dead beside you, ten thousand all around you, but you will not be harmed.
⁸You will look and see how the wicked are punished.
⁹You have made the LORD your defender, the Most High your protector,
¹⁰and so no disaster will strike you, no violence will come near your home.
¹¹God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go.
¹²They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.
¹³You will trample down lions and snakes, fierce lions and poisonous snakes.
¹⁴God says, "I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD.
¹⁵When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them.
I will rescue them and honor them.
¹⁶I will reward them with long life; I will save them."

Today's Devotional: Shoe Salesman Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26 Today's Reading: 1 John 3, 2 Chronicles 36 and Psalm 90

DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND LOVE OTHERS.

Today's Reading:
John 19.16b-42, 2 Chronicles 30 and Psalm 86

---

Today's Daily Devotional:
Discovering the Source of Problems

by Os Hillman

After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. - 2 Samuel 21:14b

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank  You that You are true to Your Word. Throughout history, You have made promises (covenants) with people and have been true to Your promises. Lord, today I look to You and praise You for the plans and thought, ideas and visions that You have given me. Thank You for speaking into my life and continuing to be faithful in all that You have done. If we ever wonder what You think about us, we should not lean on our own understanding, but let us be diligent to check Your Word to ensure that we get what You said. If we ever wonder what we need to do in a given situation, help us Lord to turn to You. Lord, Your Word says that if we humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from Heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Lord, we need You and we humble ourselves as we see all that is taking place in our country and around the world. May my brothers and sisters Christ around the world stand in the gap for their country today. May my brothers and sisters in Christ humble themselves, taking time to pray and seek Your face today. May my brothers and sisters in Christ pray for Your help in healing the political systems, healing the economies, and healing the people and freeing them from the bondage of sin. Lord, I lift this all up to You today in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son (our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), in the name of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Looking into what Truth is from a Biblical resource, we see:

• truth is characterized by both qualitative and quantitative aspects.
• truth is identified with personal veracity and historical factuality.
• truth is also a quality used to describe utterances that are from the Lord
• truth is the message of God that all of humanity has repressed ( Rom 1:18 ) and exchanged ( 1:25 ) for lie, in that they have directed their worship not to the Creator, but to the creation.
• it denotes that which is opposed to falsehood
• it means fidelity or truthfulness
• the doctrine of Christ
• Jesus is the way the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father, but through Him.

References:

• http://beta.biblestudytools.com/mybst/default.aspx?type=library&contentid=88036&category=REF
• http://beta.biblestudytools.com/mybst/default.aspx?type=library&contentid=91151&category=REF

Using Encarta:

Definition:

1. something factual: the thing that corresponds to fact or reality
If you tell the truth, you have nothing to fear.
spoke the truth

2. true quality: correspondence to fact or reality

3. true statement: a statement that corresponds to fact or reality
His story was a mixture of truths and untruths.

4. obvious fact: something that is so clearly true that it hardly needs to be stated

5. something generally believed: a statement that is generally believed to be true
a religious truth

6. honesty: honesty and sincerity
I can say in all truth that I never knew about his crimes.

7. conformity: adherence to a standard or law

8. loyalty: faithfulness to a person or a cause ( dated )

9. U.K. accuracy: accuracy of alignment, setting, position, or shape ( dated )

[ Old English trēowth "faithfulness" < trēow (see true)]

if truth be told used when expressing a surprising or unwelcome idea

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for the reading plans You have for me today. Lord, there are so many times in a day when people are asked about something and their response causes others to question it. Lord, help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit to help me in discerning truth from lies, facts from fiction. Lord, the truth of any given event, situation, statement should be testable against a standard. I know most people will tell it from their perception, however, like police officers who speak to the witnesses to ensure they get to the truth of the event, help us Lord to be looking for the truth.  Help us however not be interrogate others, but to ask clarifying questions so that they know we are interested in their story and not trying to persecute them. Lord, I know that there is one truth that I can stand firm on and that is that Jesus Christ was born a child, grew up to be a man, was crucified and buried, on the 3rd day he rose from the dead, he revealed himself to many people, he ascended into Heaven, and today he sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for me and all those who believe in Him. Lord, I love You and praise You, I thank You for having intervened in my life and having help me to correct my path in order that not only myself, but my family and friends may hear of Your great love and sacrifice that bridged the gap created by the original sin in the garden of Eden, so that we can come into relationship with the Most High God. Lord, I thank You and praise You, honor You and glorify You in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading: John 18.19-38a, 2 Chronicles 27-28 and Psalm 84

Today's Devotional: The Error of Positive Thinking

..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. - Zechariah 4:6

Longing for God's House

Psalm 84 How I love your Temple, LORD Almighty!
²How I want to be there!
I long to be in the LORD's Temple.
With my whole being I sing for joy
to the living God.
³Even the sparrows have built a nest,
and the swallows have their own home;
they keep their young near your altars,
LORD Almighty, my king and my God.
⁴How happy are those who live in your Temple,
always singing praise to you.
⁵How happy are those whose strength comes from you,
who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.
⁶As they pass through the dry valley of Baca,
it becomes a place of springs;
the autumn rain fills it with pools.
⁷They grow stronger as they go;
they will see the God of gods on Zion.
⁸Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty.
Listen, O God of Jacob!
⁹Bless our king, O God,
the king you have chosen.
¹⁰One day spent in your Temple
is better than a thousand anywhere else;
I would rather stand at the gate of the house of my God
than live in the homes of the wicked.
¹¹The LORD is our protector and glorious king,
blessing us with kindness and honor.
He does not refuse any good thing
to those who do what is right.
¹²LORD Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this day and for this great message. I thank You Lord the plans You have set in place for today and for the incredible work You have done in my life up until now. Lord, I thank You for blessing me with a family - not only for myself, but also so that my parents would be blessed with grandchildren. Lord, I thank You for a great job - not only for myself, but also for provision to my family and others who benefit from sponsorship and giving. Lord, I thank You for my home - not only for me, but also for my family and friends who are blessed by being able to come and have a time of relaxation and restoration as well as times of fellowship and worship of You. I thank You for blessing me with a job where I get to meet people from around the company - not only for me, but also so that I can shine for You with the possibility of sharing Jesus with them at a later date - and I thank You to date You have revealed to me many brothers and sisters in Christ through this. God You don't bless me just so that I can be blessed, because Your plans are bigger than my plans and much better. Thank You Lord for allowing me to be an instrument in Your plans and I ask for Your help in being a good steward of Your blessings. May You receive all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor, in Jesus' name.Amen.

Lord, I add to this prayer after today's reading that You help me to stay humble and not allow pride to get in my way. Help me I pray to be a servant leader who doesn't just take all the credit but actually steps in to help those he works with, steps up to take on the challenges You bring before me, but not allow a prideful heart in relationship to who I am or what I can do, for I know that I can do nothing without You and I don't want to go without You. Lord as in days of old, provide a cloud for me to follow during the day and a fire for me to follow at night, that I may continuously walk in Your light and Your love in all I say and do. I don't want to do something that will remove Your blessing, Your Spirit, Your presence from being with me. And Lord, I will give You all the praise and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading:

John 18.1-18, 2 Chronicles 26 and Psalm 83

Today's Devotional:

Why God Blesses by Os Hillman

And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel. - 1 Chronicles 14:2

Today's Reading: John 17, 2 Chronicles 25 and Psalm 82

Today's Devotional: A Tool for Miracles

With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. - Judges 6:21

Did you know that prior to Jesus' assent into heaven, He prayed for us?

²⁰"I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. ²¹I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. ²²I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: ²³I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.

²⁴"Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made. ²⁵Righteous Father! The world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you sent me. ²⁶I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be in them."

Unity

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and the plans You have for this week. Help my schedule to be Your schedule and my plans to be Your plans. Lord, help me to be in alignment with Your will, for I know Lord that Your ways are better than my ways, Your ways are greater than my ways, Your ways are higher than my ways. I dedicate myself, my family, my work to You so that You may work in and through us and receive all the praise and the honor and the glory, in Jesus' name I pray.

Lord, in Your Word today, I received the message of Unity. I first saw the unity between God the Father, and Jesus the Son. I then heard in Jesus' prayer that He desires that we have unity amongst believer as well as with You. Help Your people to realize this truth today. Lord, there are many denominations of the Christian faith, however, there is only one church with Jesus as the head. Lord, I pray for those who are Christian that they may join together in unity, trusting in You Lord, and allowing our communities around the world to be impacted by the incredible love that comes from our relationship with You. Lord, help us to be unified within our churches that we attend and to not allow division over small things, but that we will remain unified by the Holy Spirit who guides each of us. Let every vote be unanimous. Let every thing that comes up for a vote by the leadership (be from You) and receive a Yes. I ask this today in Jesus' name. Amen.

I look to You today Lord for help in making time to define order in my calendar.

May all I do and all I say bring praise, honor, and glory to You in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading: John 16.4b-33, 2 Chronicles 24 and Psalm 81

Today's Devotional: Calling by Name

Heavenly Father,
When I think about Your Love, how You picked me up, how You turned me around, how You set my feet on solid ground, it makes me want to shout Hallelujah! thank You, Jesus! For Lord when I see all that You have done with me and through me since I feel I truly started my relationship with you back at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001. I know You have directed my path even before that and have tried to call me, but I wasn't doing or listening. I am glad that You helped me to be able to realign and rearrange my life. I thank You for opening doors that I wouldn't have been able to open. I thank You for opportunities that I can only explain as God directed, God ordered, God given. In those first 3 months of 2001, You allowed me to come into a real, living, relationship with You, connected me with the Holy Spirit through a baptism in the Holy Spirit during a week of spiritual emphasis. You guided me steps of obedience which allowed my wife and I to get baptized in water and to become members of our church. And then to be able to participate in a Cleansing Stream class and retreat, removed baggage through Your power allowing me to walk even closer to You.

Thank You Lord, for it didn't stop there, it actually was just getting started. Lord, I pray that today You will receive all the praise, all the honor, all the glory, and all the praise, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Hope & Courage: Check out their site.

Things to remember:

Life is experienced in the journey, not the destination.

It's not about the miles, it's about the message.

Today's Reading:
John 14.1-14, 2 Chronicles 20.1-21.1 and Psalm 78.56-72

Today's Devotional:
Unless the Lord Goes With Us by Os Hillman

Then Moses said to him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." - Exodus 33:15

Today's Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and all that You have prepared. I thank You Lord that You go before me and are watching my back so that Your will and Your plans can be accomplished. Help me Lord to plan and use my time wisely. Help me to be a good steward of my time and my resources in ways that exemplify and exalt You. There are many things in this life that will try to distract me and many things that will try to take us away from the path You have called me to. Help me to persevere. Help me to focus. Help me to be faithful. Help me to be patient. Help me to become more like You my Lord. And Lord, with all of my heart, all of my mind, and all of my strength, I will give You all the praise, all the glory, all the honor, and all my worship, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Additional Verse:

Matthew 7:13:

The New Living Translation:

7:13

"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell ^F50 is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way.

7:14

But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

The New King James Version:

7:13

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

7:14

Because ^F32 narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Today's Reading: John 13.21-38, 2 Chronicles 19 and Psalm 78.38-55

And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples." - John 13:34

Have we really been prepared fully? Are we ready yet? What additional testing and purification does God need in and through us?

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
(Matthew 26.31-35; Mark 14.27-31; Luke 22.31-34)

³⁶"Where are you going, Lord?" Simon Peter asked him.
"You cannot follow me now where I am going," answered Jesus; "but later you will follow me."
³⁷"Lord, why can't I follow you now?" asked Peter. "I am ready to die for you!"
³⁸Jesus answered, "Are you really ready to die for me? I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say three times that you do not know me.

God has granted you authority over certain areas. How are you taking care of them? Are you being honest in your handling of them?

Jehoshaphat's Reforms

⁴Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. ⁵He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah ⁶and instructed them: "Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the LORD, and he is with you when you pass sentence. ⁷Honor the LORD and act carefully, because the LORD our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes."
⁸In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the LORD or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city. ⁹He gave them the following instructions: "You must perform your duties in reverence for the LORD, faithfully obeying him in everything you do. ¹⁰Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the LORD. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the LORD's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty. ¹¹Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Be courageous and carry out these instructions, and may the LORD be on the side of the right!"

Today's Devotional: The Spiritual Realm by Os Hillman

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. - 1 Corinthians 14:15

How real is the spiritual realm? My lawyer friend from Nigeria tells a personal story of how he was preparing for an important case. He knew that he must be prepared to argue five separate points. He was to appear before his country's supreme court, so it was a very important case.

As he neared the time in which he was to go to court, he began to pray about how he was to argue the case. He spent much time in legal preparation and intercessory prayer. As he went to court, the Spirit spoke to him and said, "Do not argue point one, point two, point three, or point four. Only argue point five." Imagine my friend's struggle of faith. If he were reading this wrong, the shame and professional fallout would be devastating.

The time had come to present the case before the judge when my friend said, "Judge, I wish to withdraw points one through four. I wish to argue only point five."

The opposing counsel stood up and objected. "Your honor, he cannot do that!"

"Objection overruled, counsel," said the judge.

My friend went on to present his case around point five only, and then sat down. When the opposing counsel stood to present his case, he stood speechless for 12 minutes. He could not get a word out of his mouth. He finally mumbled a few words and complained to the judge that he was going to have to yield. It seems that the opposing counsel had prepared to argue only points one through four, but failed to prepare for point five. The judge ruled in favor of my friend.

The unseen Lord wants to help us in the physical realm of our work life. We must acknowledge His presence and tap into this incredible resource He has given to each of us. Seek Him today and ask Him to reveal His perfect plan for you this day.

Today's Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for the new opportunities that come with it. You have taken me from where I was in the world of Build (a nobody) and transformed me and gave me wisdom and favor about how to proceed which has transformed my landscape. Lord, You have brought me into contact with people I would have had to wait years to get to know. Lord, You have opened doors that would have taken years for me to even find, never mind walk through. Lord, You have provided wisdom around who to meet, around what to say and do, and where to go. Lord, You are awesome and I think to Your Word where You tell us that if we will follow after You, that You will guide our steps. Lord, I watch days when I wonder how I can make it, and You reschedule them. You make a way where there doesn't seem to be a way. Lord, there are days when I wonder what should I do, who should I meet, where should I go, but You know in advance the plans You have for me and have prepared a path that if I am will to follow after You, You will show me the steps I need to make. Help me Lord to keep my eyes on You. Lord, give me faith like David who stepped out was able to take on the big challenge of Goliath. Lord, give me faith like Peter who stepped out and was able to walk on water. Lord, give me faith to remember all that You have done so far so that I can press in and press on with the next steps of the plan You have for me, plans to give me a hope and a future. Lord, You have brought a new group of people into my life and I pray that You will help me to be the leader they need and desire. Help me to have the wisdom and discernment to take on the right challenges that are from You and not those that will inflate my ego or the ego of those I work with. Help me as I lead a team, as I lead a group, as I lead a discipline to be humble and allow the truth to be my sword. I praise You Lord for this incredible new day and for Your ability to prioritize all the busy-ness of life. I will honor and glorify and exalt You today and always, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading: John 12.27-50, 2 Chronicles 16-17 and Psalm 78.1-20

Today's Devotional: Spiritual Warfare

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesians 6:12

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this weekend and the time alone with my wife. I thank You for having taken care of and protected our children through the hands of our friends. Lord, as I get ready for this new work week and new day, I pray that You will be the one who receives the praise, honor, and glory for the things I do and that my focus would not be on receiving the praises of men that take away from what You have directed me to do, but that what I do will be in alignment with the things that You have planned for me. God, help me to be a light for You. Help me to shine brightly (shine through me my Lord) so that others will be drawn to You. God, I know that You have plans for each of us, and I know Lord that You have also given us freewill. Help me to do and be all that You desire. Lord, I will give You all the praise and all the glory and all the honor in Jesus' name. Amen.

Spiritual Warfare

Os Hillman

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesians 6:12

My wife walked out of the airport restroom. She looked as if she was going to throw up. We were about to go through the airport checkpoint when we paused.
"I feel awful. It came on suddenly. I don't know if I should go," she said.

We were going on an overnight trip to meet with a workplace ministry about a possible joint venture project. It was important for me to have her there. But she was feeling so badly and would probably be miserable traveling in her condition.
"You may be right. Perhaps you should not go."

We were both disappointed. We began to transfer my clothing into my bag. We prayed together and I proceeded to the gate. I was disappointed, perplexed, and a bit angry.

"Lord, I don't know about this. If this is not of Your hand, I pray against it in Jesus' name. I pray for Angie's healing right now and I bind this spirit of infirmity."
I got to the gate about ten minutes later. As I was waiting to check in, I looked up and there was Angie.

"I'm going. I kept asking if I should go and a voice said, 'No.' I changed my mind three times. But I finally decided that I am not dead and I should be going on this trip."

We got on the plane and within a few minutes, the symptoms of illness were completely gone. The symptoms were a counterfeit. She was fine the rest of the trip. It was critical for her to participate with me because it became a major turning point in my own spiritual pilgrimage. She needed to experience what I was going to experience.

There is the spiritual and there is the physical. The spiritual involves two forces. One is good. One is evil. We must realize that the spiritual is more real than the physical. Satan has his agents in the world to thwart God's purposes. We need to recognize when these are at work. Pray that you might have spiritual eyes and ears to discern these forces today in your work.

Related Articles · More Articles

Dying for Lack of Knowledge

The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. - 1 Chronicles 13:10

The Necessity of the Desert

..."I have become an alien in a foreign land." - Exodus 2:22

Significance

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. - Psalm 90:17

©2004 - 2008 Marketplace Leaders - All Rights Reserved.

Today's Reading: John 11.1-27, 2 Chronicles 10-11 and Psalm 75

Today's Devotional: Significance by Os Hillman

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. - Psalm 90:17

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You for the scheduling You do within my day in order for me to have time to get done all that You have in store for me. Lord, I look to You each morning for strength and for wisdom. If You don't come with me, I don't want to go. If You want me to do something, then I want to do it. Lord, help me to have the faith and courage I need to believe and act. I remember that day at the gym when You spoke and gave me the ultimatum related to the board of directors for our homeowners association - you will be president or you will be nothing. It surprised me as I felt at the time I was too young, too new, too ... but You had a plan bigger than my plan, You can take the weak and use them to lead the strong, You can make a way when there doesn't seem to be a way. I grabbed onto that day and decided in my heart and put my words into actions as I went up to the board meeting where the presidency was to be determined. I remember prior to that some of the board members who were going to step down because of family issues was considering staying on to ensure one extra vote, but I told her to go and take care of her family, for if God wants me to be President then He will open the door and make it happen. At the meeting I was nominated along with one other man, He seemed to know the new members better than I, however, when the votes were counted, God's will provided. Being president for a season was interesting and I realized that God had put me there for such a day and such a time as that. The issues that came up, the tasks that needed to happen, and the wisdom God provided enabled me to hire the right staff, make the right administrative decisions, and find the right accounting company to work with in order for the association to be able to better itself while also helping the board to be headed in the right direction. Lord, You are awesome. I realize that whatever comes my way that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I realize that if it is Your will, that I should grab onto it and hold on tight for the exciting road ahead being provided by Your plans and Your wisdom. Help me Lord to never forget that day. Help me Lord to always remember how much You care for me and that You have the power and the promise to take someone like make and bring me into a position of authority where I can lean on You for wisdom and direction and find great success and plans that will keep me moving forward for the glory of Your kingdom all the days of my life. Help me to be humble throughout for it is not in my strength but in Your strength that I am able to keep up the race, fight the good fight, through patience, perseverance, and passion. Lord, I give You all the praise and all the glory and all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading: John 10.1-21, 2 Chronicles 8 and Psalm 73
Today's Devotional: Moving With the Cloud
Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. - Numbers 9:21b

Are you needing to make a decision? Are you needing to move forward with something? How are you going to know what to do? Have you heard from God? Has He sent messengers to affirm what He has spoken to you?

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and I thank You that You love me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ that I could be saved. I thank You that You gave me eyes to see that it is more than just a ritual where I just go through the motions, but that it is about a living relationship with You. I thank You that You are a part of each and everyday and that You provide guideposts for me to ensure that I not only follow after You, but also take on the right challenges. Lord, as I considered back a year ago what was next I felt You prompting me to step up or get ready for a new change. You empowered me to speak it out to my manager. You have been giving me signs of thing I should do to prepare and then with a recent report at work, You again reinforced Your decision and direction by providing a messenger at church who spoke words specifically about this decision without them having know from me about this direction. Lord, You not only speak a direction to me, You also have provided reinforcement through others that it is the right decision. Lord, please help me to know the right things to do with reinforcement and repetition of the message through Your saints. I hear Your voice and will follow You. I praise You for Jesus came that I may have life - life in all its fullness. Help me to avoid the snares of the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I thank You for this new day, for Your Word and the devotional that You scheduled for today and will give you all the praise and all the honor and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Parable of the Shepherd

John 10 Jesus said, "I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. ⁴When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. ⁵They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice."
⁶Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

⁷So Jesus said again, "I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life--life in all its fullness.
¹¹"I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. ¹²When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. ^14-15I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. ¹⁶There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

Do you realize how much God loves you? Do you realize what He has done and the length He was/is willing to go to have you spend eternity with Him?

¹⁷"The Father loves me because I am willing to give up my life, in order that I may receive it back again. ¹⁸No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father has commanded me to do."

Psalm 73:

²¹When my thoughts were bitter
and my feelings were hurt,
²²I was as stupid as an animal;
I did not understand you.
²³Yet I always stay close to you,
and you hold me by the hand.
²⁴You guide me with your instruction
and at the end you will receive me with honor.
²⁵What else do I have in heaven but you?
Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?
²⁶My mind and my body may grow weak,
but God is my strength;
he is all I ever need.
²⁷Those who abandon you will certainly perish;
you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.
²⁸But as for me, how wonderful to be near God,
to find protection with the Sovereign LORD
and to proclaim all that he has done!

Moving With the Cloud

by Os Hillman

Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. - Numbers 9:21b

Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your "house" in order, only to have to pick up the stakes and move. Your ability to plan is totally gone. But even greater is the temptation to move when the cloud did not move because you felt it was time to move. For the Israelites, perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible. Perhaps the bugs were a problem. Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud did not move.

It is still the same today. We are not to move unless the Holy Spirit instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's "cloud" in our life. It is a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not. The pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act. But if we act, we may move into a place where the presence of God may not be. Hence, the rub. The Christian workplace believer must learn to move when God says move; it is a sign of complete surrender and dependence on God's Spirit to direct our steps.

Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said stand still? He will show you.

The Day of the LORD Is Coming

Malachi 4 The LORD Almighty says, "The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them. ²But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall. ³On the day when I act, you will overcome the wicked, and they will be like dust under your feet.
⁴"Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the laws and commands which I gave him at Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to obey.
⁵"But before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes, I will send you the prophet Elijah. ⁶He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country."