Women’s DevotionalMay 2020

Dear Beloved,

May this devotional be a great blessing to you! We greet you in the unending love and amazing grace made available to all through our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. You are viewing the 4th Annual Edition of the NewDay Women’s Devotional, written by women for women. This seems to be the best edition yet!

Thank you to all who shared their devotional writing. We are blessed by mighty women of revelation and grace! The writings in this devotional drip of divine encounter and inspiration. This edition has a new Kingdom twist; some of our treasured ministry partners contributed too.

These are unprecedented times. Praise God, through Jesus we have an unprecedented Savior and Friend! As we traverse through this uncharted season, it is of the utmost importance that we meet with God face to face, like a friend. As we’ve prepared this devotional, a verse that has caught our eye is...

“Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God. Experience for yourself the joyous mercies He gives to all who turn to hide themselves in him.” (Psalm 34:8 TPT)

May you meet with our Heavenly Father with a heart of discovery and holy anticipation. It is His delight to meet with you, sharing Heaven’s revelation and resurrection empowerment. May you taste and see even more of God’s goodness and loving kindness. We love and appreciate you! Even better, Jesus deeply loves you. We welcome Holy Spirit to kindle your heart in the fire of His love. He is for you. NewDay Church is too!

Grace & Peace,Pastor Christopher and Cheslyn Mark

FIGHT WITH YOUR WORD

This charge I commit to you, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. (1 Timothy 1:18)

When in great trial, what is your reaction? Faith, fear, questioning God, anger…?When I face a trial, the first thing I do is ask God for a word to get me through, to stand on, believe in, trust for, FIGHT WITH!

I want to share from the word an example.Starting with Abraham, the Israelites were given a word, a PROMISE, of a great land that would be theirs someday, but it would be 400 years of affliction before they got it. The promise was reconfirmed to Joseph, then Moses when the 400 years were up. The people knew the promise. When it came to getting to their promised land, they were stopped by a sea. They faced certain death with the sea before them, or bondage again with the sea of enemies behind them.

The Israelites cried in fear “we were better off in bondage”. They forgot about the promise. They didn’t face up, they stared in fear at the problem.God told Moses, Ex 14:15-16, don’t cry to me, hold out your rod and part the sea. He did, and they walked to freedom. In trials, your word becomes your rod.

Lord, in my trial, help me to hear the word You have for me, spoken or written. Then I will raise my prophetic word, as the rod was raised over the sea, and fight with it. I will trust You and believe for the victory on the other side.

HOPE IN GOD’S PROMISES

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. (Hebrews 10:23)

During any time of hardship or crisis we know we have hope in Christ. God’s promises are irrevocable. There are so many of them in the Bible that we can take hold of to give us hope that we will get through and we will persevere.

We know He is absolutely trustworthy (Nu 23:19; Heb 6:13-18), unchanging (Ps 110:4; Mal 3:6-7; Jas 1:17-18), He has the power and will to fulfil His promises (Isa 55:11), and He is faithful in keeping all His promises (Jos 21:45; Jos 23:14-15; 1Ki 8:56; Ps 145:13).

So how do we keep the hope afloat? By digging into His word and seeing for ourselves what He has promised us and then declaring them. Romans 4:17 says that God speaks life to the dead and calls nonexistent things as though they existed. If you are feeling hopeless, find those scriptures that pertain to God’s promises and declare them out loud. His word does not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11) – it will accomplish what it was sent out to do!

Thank You God for hope! I declare that I am Your daughter and can stand on Your promises. No situation is too hopeless! I have and endless supply of hope through Christ Jesus My Lord!

The Promised Helper

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. (John 14:16)

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Israelites and the 40 years they spent in the wilderness. What has been especially reassuring to me is thinking about how God led His people in the wilderness. In our English vernacular, we tend to talk about the Israelites wandering through the wilderness.

They did anything but! Wandering suggests aimlessness – not knowing where to go. But the Israelites had God as their guide, and in a very obvious way – He was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the pillar moved, the Israelites packed up their camp and followed. This was not wandering – this was following their, and our, faithful God who led them out of captivity and into the promised land.

Now I doubt that any of you have seen a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire in recent days as we’ve been in this new wilderness together. But I want to assure you that God is still with us and still leading us. We don’t have those pillars, but we have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised another helper – the Holy Spirit who would be with us forever. He is guiding and directing our steps through this wilderness. He is making a way, and He is our comforter when life seems so overwhelming.

So I would encourage you to take some time today to be still and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. If you feel like you are wandering, let Him speak His direction to you. And if you feel overwhelmed, let Him be your comforter.

Parenting Partner

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

As single moms, there is a lot that gets asked of us. We are the sole support for our kids, not just financially but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes we focus too much on playing both parental roles that we forget to include the greatest Father Figure there ever could be. Psalm 127:3 says, “children are a gift from God, they are a reward from Him”. He has entrusted the most precious of His creations to our care, and already knows where we will fail, triumph, or stumble. He is already prepared to pick up what we have let fall through the cracks.

I declare that as of today, we are no longer single parents! God’s right beside us parenting our children with us, raising them in His way as promised in John 1: 12-13. The best parenting advice is between Genesis and Revelation, the Holy Bible.

THE WORD OF GOD AS A WEAPON

“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8-9)

I am the first to say that I try over and over to do things in my own strength. Over and over I have struggled until I hit a place where I blow up, and through pain I finally surrender and ask for help. This is not fun. In this verse the Lord COMMANDS Joshua, (and us) to be strong and courageous. What the heck dude? I am trying to be strong and I fail over and over. That’s because I try to do it apart from Him. I need to invite Him into the situation and ASK. Papa God does not command us to be strong or have courage without His help. That’s why in this verse the Lord gives us a weapon to build ourselves up and train us to know who we are, and whose we are, and that He is with us wherever we go.

“The Law shall not depart out of your mouth, and you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it.”

The word meditate in this passage actually means to utter, muse, ponder, declare and sing to yourself. He actually commanded Joshua to talk, declare, muse, and even sing about God’s Word. If you find yourself in need of encouragement, strength, healing, endurance, or freedom from fear use your

mouth! Use the Word of God as a weapon in your favor! Declare, sing, talk about, ponder about His word, His Law, and even your personal prophetic words.

Father God, thank You for never leaving us. Thank You for Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Lord, teach me to use Your word as a weapon. Teach me to come to You when I need help and encouragement. You are my courage. You are my strength. I take confidence in Who you are and that I am Yours! I am NOT afraid! I am NOT dismayed. I AM strong! I AM courageous! Amen

ONE DAY AT A TIME

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 18:24)

In 2009 my husband was deployed to Iraq for a year. Each day he was gone I would wonder if today would be the day the soldiers would come to the door to notify me of his death. What a horrible thing to worry about every day. Wouldn’t you agree? One day during the deployment an old song my mom used to listen to came to my mind. “One Day at a Time.” The chorus goes like this:

One day at a time, sweet JesusThat’s all I’m asking of You

Just give me the strength to do everydayWhat I have to do

Yesterday’s gone, sweet JesusAnd tomorrow may never be mine

Help me todayShow me the wayOne day at a time

I said, “Okay Lord! show me the way!” He said to me, “This is the day I have made so rejoice!” One way I learned how to rejoice was to thank Him every day for who He is in my life. I soon realized that as I focused on the person of Jesus, slowed down and took one day at a time my fear dissipated.

If you are wrestling with fear or worry, ask: “Jesus, what is preventing me from rejoicing in today?” When you hear what He says, say: “Lord, I choose to hand this to You, and as I do, what do You have for me in exchange?” Rejoice in that.

WORK HEARTILY FOR THE LORD

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

As we work tirelessly at home it can feel overwhelming and endless at times. Or to some maybe it just feels boring or lackluster. As I look at my home, I see dishes in the sink, laundry hampers piled up, children in need of snacks and homework focused direction. What if we viewed this work differently?

2 Chronicles 31:21 states, “And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”

Our mindset will change if we do EVERYTHING for the Lord. Our work as women and mothers is not for men or children, but for Him. ‘Heartily’ comes from the Greek phrase ek psuches, meaning “out of the soul.” Let’s allow our work to flow freely from us with passion, directly from our soul’s depths. The rewards we will receive will be from God.

Father, thank you for the gift of Motherhood and Womanhood. Thank you for the opportunity to serve my household for Your glory. Uplift my heart from the depths of my soul (ek psuches) to see my work is all for You. Pour out Your presence on me during every aspect of my day as I heartily perform my work to honor You. I love you. In Jesus name, Amen.

OBEDIENCE

“… Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.” (Jeremiah 11:4-5)

What is it to obey? As mothers we can easily answer this as we think of our expectations of our children. But what does obedience to God look like. Well, Old Testament obedience was strict and confusing. Of course there were the 10 Commandments, but if you have taken the time to read through Leviticus, yikes! Could you imagine? A dove for this, a lamb for that, grain for this and a bull for that!

The good news today is that we don’t need to be chained to the this’s and that’s because of the new covenant foretold in Jeremiah 31:33-34. This covenant was fulfilled when Jesus was glorified after the cross. We have each received Holy Spirit who convicts and does not condemn, nor require. Our obedience to Holy Spirit still has the same Old Testament outcome - a land filled with milk & honey. Only now, we have a constant nudger - Holy Spirit, reminding us right and wrong (Thank God, Leviticus is impossible to get through!). And when we concentrate on Jesus, no longer do we fear the consequences of disobedience, because we know we reside in the promised land, not because of our obedience, but because of Jesus. Hallelujah!

Lord, teach me Your principles and help me to rejoice in Your commands for Your ways are better than my ways, and Your thoughts are better than my thoughts. I praise You and thank You that You do not give up on me and that You have a future and a hope for me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

LOVE AND FEAR IN THE TIME OF COVID

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible, appearing over 365 times! How do we “Fear not” when we are surrounded by fear, confusion, misinformation and every conspiracy theory imaginable? By drawing closer to God and letting His Word remind us that fear is always a liar! We choose to soak in His word rather than scouring the web or listening to every conflicting news report.

God’s word exhorts us not to lean on our own understanding, but to rely on Him. If our hearts and minds are filled with His word and our mouths are filled with His praises, fear must flee! How can we love out into our communities when we are separated, confused and afraid? Not all of us are in a position to sew masks or deliver care packages. However, all of us are in a position to share hope and peace and God’s faithfulness, rather than fear, confusion and doubt.

The church has been called for such a time as this, to stand and spread hope and love to a frightened world. This is how Love casts out Fear!

Heavenly Father, I pray that Your wrap around presence would keep our eyes fixed on you. Give each of us the secure knowledge that YOU are in control. Let us be as sheep who know their Master’s voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen

DRY BONES

“The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.” (Ezekiel 37:1-2)

This scene is downright gruesome. Ezekiel finds himself in a horrifying situation, tiptoeing over and around decayed human remains. If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you’ve heard sermons preached on the verses that follow. The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones. God says He will cause muscles and flesh to form and breath to flow. And, they do. We read this passage and we hope that God will cause the “dry bones” in our lives to come alive. If we’re honest, though, many of us feel a bit nervous prophesying such humanly, impossible things. We want to believe, yet in the back of our minds there is trepidation. In my own life, this happens when I jump to the end of the story without experiencing the beginning.

In the prelude to Ezekiel 37:3-14, Ezekiel is held, carried, and led by the Lord. When I, like Ezekiel, relax into God’s arms, allowing Him to hold, carry and lead me, I feel my Papa’s biceps and the warmth of His arms around me. Faith naturally flows from this position of presence where it’s just God and me. I experience the power of His love for me. Seeing the miraculous isn’t about mustering up enough faith. It’s about faith naturally flowing as I rest in His love for me. Like Ezekiel, life comes to dry bones when I surrender in His presence.

Papa God, I don’t want to take a step without You. Thank You for always being with me. Thank You that when I surrender to Your love, I am assured that whatever You tell me to do

will happen. The impossible is possible and dry bones come to life. I love Your presence. I love You. Amen.

MY DAUGHTER

“O LORD God of hosts, restore us; cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” (Psalm 80:19)

Your face shines upon me--You Jesus are one with the Father and are the face of God; my creator, friend, and

lover of my soul. You make my heart and mind praise and sing. Your glory is alive in me. You have restored and

healed my traumatic memories. Seeing Your face of love makes me whole and I rejoice. You are my LORD and

my God. Glorious things are spoken of You--Oh deepest friend. You--my master gardener, make the garden of my

life beautiful, restored and saved. Forever I rest in Your loving heart.

My girl, You are delightful with Me. I love you. I love resting My eternal life truths upon your heart. I shine My face upon

you and ever before you, and beside you, and within you. My love is set upon your heart; like a rock too large to be moved. No circumstance can change how I love

you. You are my girl whom I created. I sing My love and glorious things over you. Keep your eyes fixed on My face.

I am continually restoring, continually saving, continually drawing others to see My face through you.

EXALT THE NAME OF JESUS

“Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. Because he trusts in thee Lord. Trust in the Lord, forever, for the Lord is the Rock eternal.” (Is. 26: 3-4)

I had a revelation a short time ago. I had found myself listening to all the updates on the Covid19 virus. There was so much news on Facebook or internet feed all focused on how many new cases of the virus there were, how many people tested positive, how many deaths, etc. One day, I felt that the Lord showed me that each time the name “corona virus” is spoken, it gives it more power. In my mind, it was like seeing a balloon being blown up bigger each time the virus was spoken of. That same thing occurs when we speak the name of Jesus. As we dwell on Him and speak His name – that power gets bigger and bigger in our lives and in the atmosphere. In Phillippians 2:10-11 – it says “-that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” So Father, today we pray that we would exalt the name of Jesus higher than our situation or circumstances and we have the power to overcome our circumstances and we can shine

as a light in the night as we declare the name of Jesus. Help us to be bold as we ought. In the name above every other name – JESUS! Amen

GRACE UPON GRACE

“For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. “ (John 1:16)

How amazing is God’s grace for His children. I come back to this verse often when I am feeling overwhelmed with life, with motherhood or raising little humans. God’s love for us is so great that He gives us grace upon grace upon grace… even when we mess up continually.

John 1:16 encourages me to show the same grace to my children, whom I love dearly, and to those I come in contact with every day. God’s grace overflows into our lives daily and His mercy and forgiveness never run out.

Dear heavenly father we pray that we learn to show ourselves, our children and others the same kind of grace that You so abundantly give us over and over. Thank You for this kind of love that You so freely give and your unwavering grace towards your children. May we learn to serve, love and grow in Your ways in Jesus name, Amen.

SEEING INTO THE INVISIBLE REALM

“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6: 16-17)

There are many things going on right now that we don’t understand that possibly makes us fearful. However, we have so much more available to us than what we can envision without help. What we see are the physical things that overwhelm us. They are real, that is true. We deal with them daily. It is our responsibility to be realistic, following through with our commitments, the things that we have been given to steward. The power that we have available to us is brilliant.

We have the power to see into what is not seen by the natural eye. We are sons and daughters of the KING. Therefore, we have the privilege of having the mind and foresight of a king. We see what our Father God shows us is taking place in the realm outside of the natural. We open our minds eye to see that which is in the invisible realm of invisible victorious warfare. To believe the impossible we must remember who we are and whose we are. Then taking up the true authority given to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, boldly see beyond what we know.

It is in 2 Kings 6: 16-17 where we have our eyes opened. Read the entire account of 2 King 6:8 - 23 and be encouraged. You do not have to muster up courage within yourself. But ask that God would

open the eyes of your heart to see beyond into the invisible realm. Be encouraged that you are not alone. You are indeed surrounded by God’s angel armies. You just be there with Him, trusting, listening, moving in obedience and love.

Father, Most Powerful One, I release over each one reading this today, the power to see into the invisible realm. Show them exactly who is surrounding, protecting and fighting for them. Show them that they are not alone, but rather they are strong to walk through without even a hint of smoke on them. Help them know that the best place to be is so close to you that they live and breathe with You in perfect harmony of movement. When You tell them to stay, they stay. When You tell them to move, they move. Amen.

A MOM’S HUG LASTS LONG AFTER SHE LETS GO….

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. “ ( Psalm 22:6)

The opening words of Psalm 22 are quoted by Jesus as He agonized on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v. 1) As the prophetic psalm continues, He declares Himself to be a worm! Do curious Bible passages intrigue you as they do me? If so, consider this amazing story written by God Himself:

The Crimson Worm [coccus ilicis] is a very special worm that looks more like a grub than a worm. When it is time to have babies (which she does only one time in her life), the female Crimson Worm finds the trunk of a tree, a wooden fencepost or a stick. She then attaches her body to that wood and produces a hard crimson shell and encases herself. She is so strongly and permanently stuck to the wood that the shell can never be removed without tearing her body completely apart and killing her.

Once attached, the female Crimson Worm lays her eggs underneath her body and the protective shell. When the baby worms (or larvae) hatch, they stay underneath the shell. Not only does the mother’s body give protection for her babies, but it also provides them with food – the babies feed on the living body of the mother!

After just a few days, when the larvae grow to the point that they are able to care for themselves, the mother dies. As she dies, she oozes a crimson scarlet red dye which not only stains the wood she is attached to, but also her young children. They are

colored scarlet red for the rest of their lives.After three days, the dead mother Crimson Worm’s body loses its crimson color and turns into a white wax which falls to the ground like snow. Consider some parallels to Jesus’ sacrifice for us:

• Though born with legs, she loses the use of them when she attaches herself to the tree.

• In order for her young to live, she must die.• The larvae are protected by her shell.• She becomes their food.• The babies take on her color forever.• Upon death, she is turned white as snow.

Lord, words fail me, but Your Word is victorious in every circumstance. Thank you for pointing to the sacrificial intentions You fixed, by Your own authority, long before the foundation of the world. You died that we may live. Selah.

HOLY SPIRIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I am so thankful that our God is all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere! Nothing slips by His sight or His hand. He is full of love and compassion and works all things together for our good. We know this right? So how do we balance that when tough things happen in life? The things that we go through that don’t feel like it’s for our good?

We stand on that Truth and we ask “why”. Not in a “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?” But “Why Daddy? I believe that You are working this situation out and it will be for my good. You are here with me in this trial, protecting me and guiding me. Mold me and shape me more into Your image through this.”

The next time you find yourself in a trial pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show You what He is doing in it. Ask Jesus to show you where He is in it. Thank God for using it.

Papa, I thank You for giving me Your Word to stand on. I know it is Truth and it trumps any fact that tries to come against it. Thank You for never leaving me nor forsaking me. I want to see You in every situation in my life. Give me eyes to see You

and a heart to trust You more. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

THANK YOU MOM

“Many women do noble things but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised. Honor her for all her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gates.” (Proverbs 31: 29 – 31)

Today it seems like everything points to the best makeup, best clothes, shoes, anything money can buy. Today busy mothers might not have the time to get dressed up or do their makeup. They are busy taking care of their kids, cooking cleaning, and working. Let me tell you something: God still loves you, your husband still loves you, your kids love you. Children don’t love their mother for her beauty, but for her loving and caring heart. We see that love through everything you do. Through every frustration and every hard time, we still see the love you pour out to us. So I say thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for us.

Father, I thank you for this time together where we sit and can be still. I thank you for the gentle ways you remind me that I am enough. Let my works today represent Your goodness. Let the words I speak be uplifting and encouraging. In moments where doubt arises in my value, effort and talents, may this verse come over my spirit and remind me that You see me far more precious than any gem and that I am fully and completely yours. To You be all the honor and glory. AMEN.

FIGHT FROM VICTORY

“You surround me with songs of victory.” (Psalms 32:7)

There has never been a battle that the Lord has not won. 2 Chronicles 20:15 says, “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” When we fight our spiritual battles with Jesus, we are joining with victory. When we have Him on our side, it’s like we are predestined to win.

King Jehoshaphat and his people were fighting an unfair foe. They sought the Lord, trusting in Him and faced their enemy with worshippers leading the charge. They reached out in battle with victorious worship choruses on their lips. God sent confusion into the enemy’s camp as they turned against themselves. The victory was won by worship.

Worship is a powerful weapon of warfare. Today we fight a defeated foe. Our enemy can be taken down by a melody. Though our enemy is nothing compared to the victory found in Jesus it’s easy to become entangled in the world’s trappings of half truths and full on snares.

Sometimes you have to sing yourself into the truth. You sing whatever it is, find that anthem, that victorious chorus, that scripture verse, grab it and keep on signing it. Perhaps it’s singing, “I am a Child of God,” over and over and over again.

Every single battle that the Lord has fought He has come out of that battle victoriously. Hallelujah! I challenge you to activate your faith today, play your favorite worship song on repeat and fight from victory.

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE BRIDE

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)

The Bride has made herself ready. Does this mean there are things we should be doing? This makes me think of the wise virgins that were “ready” and had their lamps full of oil (Matthew 25:1-4). If the oil signifies Holy Spirit, then I need to be full of Holy Spirit to be ready. I need to know Him fully, be with Him every moment of every day…to become one with Him.

To develop this relationship, I started by putting a Bible on the passenger seat of my car to remind me that He is there. Then I turned off the radio and “we” sang songs together, talked, laughed, loved together. As His presence became “normal”, I realized He was with me wherever I went. Even though I was still in the driver’s seat, He was doing the driving! Now, we do everything together!

I encourage you to take time today to make yourself ready. Spend time with Him listening, mind and soul focused on Him. In His Presence His love changes us, enabling us to love compassionately – ourselves and others. Commune with your Groom-to-be. It is your turn to become one with Him.

Father, thank You for the gift of Holy Spirit. I want to always be ready for whatever You have in store for me. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

THE HOPE OF CHRIST

“Teach me Your way, Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.” (Psalm 86:11)

My life has changed so much over the years. I am thankful I am not alone as God’s word assures me: “I will never leave you or forsake you”. As I look back at the losses in my life, I am thankful that Jesus was by my side, holding my hand, holding back fear and doubt. If loneliness should creep in I look to Psalm 57:8-10 and fill my mouth with praise, “Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

I look at this time in our country and see all the fear going around and I know God has a bigger plan for His people. As we show our love to those around us, helping and giving to each other, we demonstrate God’s love to a world filled with uncertainty. We bring them hope.

I encourage you today to demonstrate the power of God’s love through action. It can be through helping a stranger, showing compassion and mercy to those who wrong us, or serving someone while expecting nothing in return. Share the hope of Christ through word and deed.

Father, I pray for a strengthening and rebirth of Your people and this nation. Help us to demonstrate Your love through our actions so we may see heaven come down to earth. We bless all who run our country, that they have You to lead them. I

pray health be restored, people go back to work, wealth be regained, and peace be to all. Let Your mercies and glory fall down like rain and restore our souls, making us new again. In Jesus Name. Amen.