Christian Daily Devotionals

by Sylvia Gunter
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Listen to the unfailing Word of God in Psalm 32:7.

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

And in Psalm 42:8.

"By day the LORD directs his [covenant] love, at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life."

Be blessed to know that the God of your life sings over you as a mother soothes and comforts a fearful baby. In his arms, he surrounds you with songs of deliverance as you are led through the enemy's strongholds of fear and anxiety to a place of safety, assurance, and confidence in him. In any trouble, you can sing under the wings of the Most High in harmony with his songs of deliverance.

Your Father secured his covenant with you in his only Son. He can never forget his covenant promises to you. He has written your days in his book of the covenant, the Lamb's book. Listen to how The Message expresses Malachi 3:16-17. "Then those whose lives honored GOD got together and talked it over. GOD saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in GOD's presence, and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored GOD's name. GOD-of-Angel-Armies said, 'They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them.' "

Beloved one, receive this promise. You can tell others of your confidence in his name and his faithfulness. Your name is ever before him in heaven on a scroll of remembrance. He acts on your behalf, just because you are his. He cannot deny his own special treasure. He will rescue you as a compassionate father spares an obedient child.

All spiritual warfare is about the majesty and supremacy of God being revealed. Live in the power and authority of his spiritual victory as GOD-of-Angel-Armies. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). You have abiding safety in the Commander of the armies of heaven. His love covers you completely, his defense of you is invulnerable and never ceases. He is your defended place. Run to him as your secret place of intimacy where he sings over you. His nearness is your good. You have undisturbed safety and fearlessness as you settle down and make your home in him. He prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies.

Believe and receive his unfailing perfect covenant love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Take this deep into your spirit and life-experience. You have his faithful promises that you are secure in his protecting presence. You can rest totally depending on the character of God. Be blessed to trust in the All-sufficient One who is enough. Be blessed to see what God is doing in your trouble that is a stepping stone to more of Jesus. Jesus is your shield of faith. In him nothing can destroy your joy, your hope, your relationships, your witness, or God's purposes. And the God of peace will soon crush satan under his feet.

Be blessed in the name of the one who will never forsake you, as he says to you:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:10-13

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.    Deuteronomy 31:6-8

Be blessed in the name of the God of your life. (Psalm 42:8).

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/07/08/sg_no-fear/

By Katherine Kehler
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“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.�  Proverbs 4:23

What a delight it was to drive into our yard after a three-week ministry trip. My eyes drank in the colorful, beautiful flower beds and I gave my inward approval. They had been well looked after. They were alive and vibrant with color, a wonderful contrast to the lush green lawn surrounding them.  I was content. Working in our flower garden, watching them grow, planting and pruning has always been therapeutic for me. The artist in me finds expression in gardening.

Even before unpacking, I walked around the garden, checking the flowers. I noticed two specimens that didn’t look healthy.  Their stems and leaves were drooping and the flowers weren't developing like they should have.

On closer observation, I noticed their stems were covered with aphids. These aphids were sucking the life out of the plants.  One flower, the nasturtium, had black aphids–easy to notice against the green stem.  The other flower, the dahlia, also had black aphids and had I not looked real close, I would not have noticed them on the black stem. I needed to rid these plants of their life-sucking problems so they could again become healthy.

Upon reflection, I thought to myself: our hearts are like that.  Sometimes we feel so listless, we don’t seem to be growing.  It could very well be that we have sin in our  hearts. David noted in Psalm 32: 3-4 , “When I kept silent  (about my sin), my bones wasted away . . .  My spirit strength was sapped.�

Taking a lesson from the aphids, I concluded that sometimes sins are easy to determine: yelling or snapping at the children, our spouse or slow drivers, stealing small things from work, lying, gossiping. These are like the black aphids on the green stems of the Nastursiums–easily visible.

However, some sins that drain us of Life are not so outwardly noticeable.  Sins like disobedience to the Lord's prompting, critical attitudes that are not voiced but are festering in our hearts, impure thoughts, lack of love, lack of prayer, bitterness, withholding information. These sins (closet sins) are more like the black aphids on the black stems of the dahlias.  Not seen by others, but draining the Life out of us.

Take a moment to check your heart today. Do you have sins in your life (noticeable and secret) that need to be confessed? I encourage you to do so right now. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.� When you have done that--ask the Holy Spirit to take control again and empower you to lead a life of joy, peace and love.

Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit, Your Word.. Thank you for convicting us of sin, and then forgiving our sin and empowering us to live a life of joy, peace and love. Help us guard our hearts.  In Jesus  Name, Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/07/06/kk_aphids/

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