Archive for the ‘devotional’ Category

Today’s Devotional

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Supernatural Safety

“All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord.” The familiar old African-American spiritual lullaby is not for children only. The song has it right. God’s promise to command his angels to guard and be watchful over you is true for adults as well as little ones.

To guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:11b

Ponder just what it means that angels, perhaps a whole regiment of them, have received a Class A command from the ultimate Commander in Chief, God Himself, to be a guard for you…yes, you! What an incredible guarantee from the Lord! It invokes a strong sense of safety even in the darkest hours and most dangerous places.

Many a battle-weary soldier can tell of supernatural interventions – unexplainable protection – that happened to them. Returning missionaries often revisit similar accounts of preservation when in the company of unknown companions who disappeared as soon as the vulnerability was over.

While thanking the Father on this Armed Forces Day for the angels He has placed in your life, pray for the men and women serving at risk, in the face of uncertain threats and in precarious places, to sense the presence of the heavenly soldiers being ever watchful over them under the command of the Lord God Almighty.

Today’s Devotional

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Foolish Security

Just because God promises to send His angels to protect you doesn’t mean you can throw caution to the wind. If you act against His will or jump headfirst into foolish circumstances without prayerfully consulting the Lord, don’t expect Him to bail you out. The school of hard-knocks is the Almighty’s training tool, just as a good parent corrects disobedience by allowing a willful child to fail miserably for his or her own good.

For he will command his angels concerning you.

Psalm 91:11a

In the coming days of hardship, joblessness, the higher cost of living, or even civil unrest, you must keep your head and pray for wisdom in every circumstance. God’s protection and provision are promises for the wise, for those who have invested their time and energy in studying and obeying God’s Word.

Satan tried to deceive the Lord Jesus into doing something foolish by quoting today’s verse when he suggested that the Lord cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Pray that Americans will not be senselessly lulled into a false sense of security in government or its leaders, but that they will be discerning in all their ways. And then ask the Lord to send His ministering spirits to America’s men and women in combat.

Today’s Devotional

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Good Company

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”(Isaiah 53:4) If you are plagued by suffering and it seems like all your friends and acquaintances are silent and seemingly without compassion, you are not the first, nor will you be the last to feel so utterly abandoned. Consider David’s plight; “My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.” (Psalm 38:11)

No plague [shall] come near your tent.

Psalm 91:9b

Friend, take comfort in knowing that your Lord Jesus Christ understands all too well what you are experiencing. Look to Him, “The founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God…him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)

If it’s true that misery loves company, intercede for the hurting in this nation, that the God of comfort will be the companion they seek and keep. Pray that Americans will look to the suffering Savior for the forgiveness of sins, and that He will give them hearts of repentance.

Today’s Devotional

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Building Permit

If you’ve ever read today’s scripture, or similar verses, at a time in your life when you felt overcome by evil, your faith may have suffered for it. But it might help you to understand that many such verses in the Psalms often describe the future kingdom of Christ’s rule, when they will literally be fulfilled.

No evil shall be allowed to befall you.

Psalm 91:10a

Nonetheless, this psalm is a comfort for the child of God in any age, for no harm will come to those who belong to the Lord – unless He permits it. Yet just as God allowed the devil to have his way with Job for a brief period of time, or with Peter in Luke 22:31, He allows some sifting for your good, too. Still, you may rest assured that the promises of Psalm 91 are real, even when they don’t look or feel that way. Likewise, as Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail, He is interceding, protecting and building yours to withstand all kinds of evil (Romans 8:34).

In this light, pray today’s promise for the Christian church in America…that no evil will be allowed to befall her, but that she will be strengthened through any sifting the Lord permits, and continue to grow in knowledge and grace.

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 12:20-28

B.K. – Your Prayer Team writing staff

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Today’s Devotional

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

America Bless God

The term Most High indicates God’s sovereign rule over the entire universe. Because He is in control of all circumstances, you can take confidence in the psalmist’s testimony. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8)

The Most High, who is my refuge.

Psalm 91:9b

There must be is a reason the psalms are sprinkled with the term refuge. Could it be that God wants you to remember where to run when times are hard? Too often, Americans take for granted life in this land of plenty. But if, or when, its resources run out, will you be among the first to whine, “There is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.” Or will you declare, “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living’.” (Psalm 142:4-5)

Intercede today for the land you love, that her people will seek refuge in the Most High God, whose ways are higher than the heavens. Pray that America will bless God – not the other way around – and seek to glorify Him.

Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 4:5-9

B.K. – Your Prayer Team writing staff

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Today’s Devotional

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Daily Shadow

Everyone needs to feel safe, even the mightiest warrior. Those in active combat will tell you that when faced with danger, the inevitable surge of adrenaline, along with intense training, will take over when common sense would otherwise tell him to flee. God designed this physical safeguard into the human body for its protection. Yet, once the immediate danger passes – and the psyche begins to process the incomprehensible aftermath – fear, doubt and the reality set in. But if that soldier has dwelled daily in the Almighty’s shadow, he will experience the additional security of knowing he is under the umbrella of God’s protection.

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place.

Psalm 91:9a

How about you? When was the last time an adrenaline rush saved you from near disaster? After it passed, did you react the way Peter did when his rush sent him galloping across rough seas to be with his Lord, only to immediately sink once he realized the law of physics could not support him? There is a physical world and there is the supernatural dwelling place of the Lord. One is temporal, one eternal.

Focus your prayers today on the American military man or woman, that he or she will find security and strength in the safety of Lord’s dwelling place.

Recommended Reading: Matthew 14:22-33

B.K. – Your Prayer Team writing staff

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Today’s Devotional

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

Team Players

Some people like to be spectators, sitting on the bleachers cheering for the team. Some prefer to play the game, enjoying the challenge, the action, the glory. But no one would want to participate in God’s wrath against ungodliness. Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.

Psalm 91:8

Jesus took the wrath of God on his own body so you don’t have to. Romans 3:23-24 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” And verse 31 adds, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

Jesus said you obey the entire law by loving God and others (Matthew 22:37-40). In love, be an active participant. Don’t watch from the sidelines; jump in yourself. Help those in need, encourage fellow Christians, and spend time in worship and prayer. As you pray, intercede for your leaders and fellow citizens to be team players in doing God’s will.

Today’s Devotional

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

Nestled in God’s Arms

Is it possible to live in a protective bubble, virtually immune to the troubles of the world? You may think so when you read Psalm 91. Yet you know David, the writer of most of the Psalms, had many troubles in life. However, his life ending testimony in I Kings 1:29 was, “The Lord…has redeemed my soul out of every adversity.”

But it will not come near you.

Psalm 91:7b

So what can you do so at the end of your days you can echo David’s words? James 4:7-8 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Snuggle up to your Lord by praying, reading the Bible, and quieting yourself in His presence. Develop your spiritual sense of hearing and your taste for the things of God.

Ask the Heavenly Father for protection. Even though dangers are real and threatening, it doesn’t have to come near you, as long as by faith you are wrapped in His arms. Submit yourself to God, and He will lift you up. And pray for the United States, its leaders, and the troops to be secure and at peace during these troublesome times.

Today’s Devotional

Friday, May 13th, 2011

The Safest Place to Be

Several summers ago, Melody’s 13-year-old daughter selected Jordan as her first destination choice with a summer missions group. Weeks later, a bus blew up in Israel, just across the Jordan River. Could Melody trust the group’s decision to proceed with the mission?

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand.

Psalm 91:7a

One night, Melody’s neighbor showed up at her front door. The neighbor’s abusive husband had threatened her and she needed to use Melody’s phone to call the police. It was then Melody realized even home could be dangerous. The safest place would be in the center of God’s will, no matter the location. She meditated on Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” She and her husband allowed her daughter to go to Jordan…and it turned out to be a positive, life-changing experience that she still treasures today.

As the world’s turmoil and violence escalates, determine to follow God wherever He leads. Place your trust in Him to keep you and your family safe. Then pray for peace in your nation and for the safety of your military.

Recommended Reading: II Samuel 22:29-37

C.P. – Your Prayer Team writing staff

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Today’s Devotional

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

In Broad Daylight

Fear can be healthy. Like any emotion, it’s a signal. Joy signals things are fine. Love signals a harmony in relationships. Fear signals danger, alerting you to threatening circumstance, and motivating you to take appropriate action. You get into trouble when the information prompting the fear is faulty, or if you let fear consume or control you.

Nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Psalm 91:6b

But the same is true concerning peace. You can have a faulty sense of well-being, thinking things are fine, unaware of the danger. You may even go throughout your busy day skipping your prayer time…simply because you don’t feel threatened. It’s easy to do. Question is: Should you be afraid?

The apostle Peter says, “Be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. Resist him. Stand firm. Have faith.” Lions aren’t always nocturnal. They roar in the day when you least expect it. Be attentive in prayer for the nation, its leaders and troops, even when things are going well. Intercede for the safety of the country and those serving it. And rest in the Lord, knowing He hears and answers your prayers…and is committed to your protection from destruction.