JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Psalm 5:3) “O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer…”
Whether you dread mornings or cherish them, there’s no denying that “dawn” brings the chance for a new day, a fresh start, and perhaps even a reset.
There is an old proverb that says seven days with out prayer makes one weak… so for this 1st week of October, here are some quick, encouraging morning prayers that can help you get your focus in the right place as you begin each day.
We started on October 1st with “a prayer of gratitude” …
Day 2 October 2nd … we continued with “a prayer of belief”
Day 3 October 3rd we continued with a prayer of contentment…
Today… day 4, I want to continue with a prayer of “endurance in Christ.”
4. A Prayer of Endurance
Lord God, sometimes the tasks before me loom high and insurmountable, like a wall I cannot possibly scale.
I grow weary in my humanity trying to deal with things beyond my abilities.
So I ask your for your abilities from above, to help me, guide me and lead me in my weaknesses today.
Your word says I can do all things thru Christ whom strengthens me.
With Your supernatural power, my faith can move mountains, because it rests in you, the author and the finisher of all things.
Please grant me strength, endurance, health, and stamina today.
Help me with the strength I need as I look to you and devote all I do to You… Amen.
Each day this week we are going to continue with a specific prayer.
These are just a few prayers to start your day.
Whether you read these aloud or in your head, or whether they inspire you to offer your own words of gratitude, repentance, glory, and thanksgiving,
Know that God hears you and loves you.
Your words are never empty, but rather “a love offering” … proof of your confidence in Him and all that he has promised… from your heart to the Lord’s.
Good Day!
(Psalm 5:3) “O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer…”
Whether you dread mornings or cherish them, there’s no denying that “dawn” brings the chance for a new day, a fresh start, and perhaps even a reset.
There is an old proverb that says seven days with out prayer makes one weak… so for this 1st week of October, here are some quick, encouraging morning prayers that can help you get your focus in the right place as you begin your day.
For the next six days I want to lead you in a prayer each morning that will help to make each day stronger than before.
We started on October 1st with “a prayer of gratitude” … yesterday we continued with “a prayer of belief”
Today I want to continue with a prayer of contentment in Christ and His finished work of salvation for each of us.
3. A Prayer of Contentment
Father God, sometimes my heart yearns for things I don’t have yet I think I need, instead of cherishing the blessings you have already given me.
Today, I choose to relinquish all my wants and instead, rest in your love and your provision.
Father you are enough, and I trust you and your word that says you will never leave us or forsake us.
Thank you that I can trust in You and your promise; that I will never see the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging bread.
Thank you that all my needs are met according to your great riches in glory thru Jesus Christ my Lord.
Help me to “cast not away my confidence in you that has a great recompense of reward”, and to let faith in you and what you have promised in your word carry me thru this day... Amen.
Each day this week we are going to continue with a specific prayer.
These are just a short prayer at the beginning of each day to start your day and get your focus on the one who will open and close the necessary doors so that you can be more than a conqueror in life.
Whether you read these aloud or in your head, or whether they inspire you to offer your own words of gratitude, repentance, glory, and thanksgiving,
Know that God hears you and loves you.
Your words are never empty, but rather “a love offering” … proof of your confidence in Him and all that he has promised… from your heart to the Lord’s.
Good Day!
(Psalm 5:3) “O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer…”
As I said yesterday, whether you dread mornings or cherish them, there’s no denying that “dawn” brings the chance for a new day, a fresh start, and perhaps even a reset.
There is an old proverb that says “seven days with out prayer makes one weak”… so here are some quick, encouraging morning prayers that can help you get your focus in the right place as you begin your day.
We started this exercise on October 1st and for the next six days I want to lead you in a prayer each morning.
A prayer that will help to make each day stronger than before.
We started yesterday October 1st with a prayer of thanksgiving…
Today I want to continue with a prayer of affirmation or confession of faith or belief in Christ and His finished work of salvation for each of us.
Day 2 “A Prayer of Belief”
Lord, In this time of busy, hectic rushing about, with so many priorities clamouring for my attention, help me to push aside all the other voices I will hear during this day that are competing for my heart and mind.
Instead, let the truth of the great “I Am” wash over me.
Help me cling to you as my only source of rescue and refuge.
Help me know in every ounce of my being that you are my Lord and my Saviour, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
Help me have the same humility and passion as the father in (Mark 9:23-24) who begged Jesus to
heal his son, crying out “I do believe… help me overcome my unbelief!”
In you I trust, and in you I place my hope, now and forever,
In you I trust, and in you I place my hope, now and forever,
Amen.
Each day this week we are going to continue with a specific prayer.
These are just a few prayers to start your day but to help you touch base with the only sure hope and security mankind has in this world.
Whether you read these aloud or in your head, or whether they inspire you to offer your own words of gratitude, repentance, glory, and thanksgiving,
Know that God hears you and loves you.
Your words are never empty, but rather “a love offering” … proof of your confidence in Him and all that he has promised… from your heart to the Lord’s.
Good Day!
Each day this week we are going to continue with a specific prayer.
These are just a few prayers to start your day but to help you touch base with the only sure hope and security mankind has in this world.
Whether you read these aloud or in your head, or whether they inspire you to offer your own words of gratitude, repentance, glory, and thanksgiving,
Know that God hears you and loves you.
Your words are never empty, but rather “a love offering” … proof of your confidence in Him and all that he has promised… from your heart to the Lord’s.
Good Day!
(Psalm 5:3) “O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer…”
Whether you dread mornings or cherish them, there’s no denying that “dawn” brings the chance for a new day, a fresh start, and perhaps even a reset.
Like springtime, the sun’s rays cast a glimmer of hope and renewal, even on the foggiest, gloomiest, and rainiest of mornings.
(Lamentations 3:22-23) reminds us “the Lord’s mercies never fail and are restored with every rising sun”… while (Psalm 30:5) says that “while weeping stays for the night, joy comes in the morning”.
Life style coaches often advise people embarking on a lifestyle change to start their day with a “positive, affirming routine”.
Whether that’s meditation, a workout routine, or a healthy breakfast; starting the day “right” leads to a strong noon, and that momentum carries through until nightfall.
Similarly, starting your day in prayer, by bowing heart, mind, and soul to the Lord of the universe, can propel your day from being “ho-hum” to “positively sparking” with the fire of the Holy Spirit welling up within you.
On this first day of October I want to start its first week with a commitment to prayer.
There is an old proverb that says "seven days with out prayer makes one weak"… so for the next seven days, here are some quick, encouraging morning prayers that can help you get your focus in the right place as you begin your day.
For the next seven days I want to lead you in a prayer each morning that will help to make each day stronger than before.
1. A Prayer of Gratitude
Heavenly Father, thank You for who you are!
You made the heavens and the earth, the land and the sea, the fish that swim in the waters and the creatures that crawl upon the shores, and you made me.
Your Word says I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
That I am the apple of your eye; and that you have great favour for me!
Help me, Lord, not to take any of this for granted.
I know that I do not deserve the blessings you choose to bestow upon me, yet You trust me with them anyway.
You do this because you love me, because you are perfect and good, and because your ways are infinitely higher than my own.
Thank you, Father God, for breath in my lungs and the warmth of the sun on my skin.
Thank you for my salvation; for the forgiveness and justification I experience because of the gift of your son, Jesus Christ.
Help me to hold this gratitude in my heart all day long, to overflow with the joy of it as I share it with others in all that I think, say, and do.
In your holy and precious name I pray, Amen.
Good Day!
(1st Thessalonians 5:18) "In everything give thanks… for this is the will of God...for you."
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking had a brilliant mind.
He has been compared by some to Albert Einstein.
But unfortunately he had a rare degenerative disease called "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis", or "ALS", for short.
The disease left him virtually paralyzed.
But he learned to use a computer with the tips of his fingers and was able to communicate his calculations and thoughts.
Now before he became ill, he described his life as a “pointless existence.”
He drank too much and did very little work.
But after discovering that he had only a few years to live, life suddenly took on an urgency and a new meaning.
And he was actually happier than he was before.
He explained the paradox this way: “When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really "appreciates everything" that one has".
When you’re told that you only have a "limited time" left to live, it transforms your whole perspective on living.
Things you overlook suddenly become meaningful… the laughter of children, a sunrise or sunset, the love of friends and family, or just a walk in the park.
I have noticed that some of the most miserable people in the world are those who believe that life “owes” them.
They’re never happy, because they never believe they get what they deserve.”
We are living in a world today where much of society lives with a sense of "entitlement".
"I have a right", or its all about "my rights", or "I deserve better" or.... and on and on it goes.
The sad part of this, is that these people are repeatedley "never happy" no matter what comes their way they always want more and always expect more.
The apostle Paul was in prison with no hope of getting out when he wrote, “In everything give thanks… for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
What was he saying?
Simply this… instead of competing, comparing, and complaining… focus on the good things God has given you, enjoy them, and develop an attitude of gratitude.
(Philippians 4:8). Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praise worthy…think about such things.
Today, lets be thankful for the air we breath, the health we have, the food we eat, the love of family and friends, the bed we sleep in and the roof over our heads.
It may not be the biggest and the best… but its more than what two thirds of the worlds population has.
Today… be thankful!!!
Good Day!
(Nehemiah 8:10) “The Joy of The Lord is my strength”
Joy is that uncontainable, unexplainable feeling of delight that is written all over our faces.
Joy can lead to spontaneous dancing or skipping, and might even cause us to high-five everyone around us.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”
For many, it is that quality of Christian life that makes you feel a “godly contentment” in everything you do, say, think, and feel.
However, for some, finding joy is that one element of life that always seems just out of their reach –…something they are constantly pursuing, but always coming up empty.
Trials and hardships in life can make it especially challenging to find joy in life, but the Bible gives us the confidence that joy is possible and achievable even in the darkest of times.
This is because joy isn’t based on our happiness, but in our “relationship with and our trust in God”.
As stated earlier from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, joy is an emotion brought on by success, good fortune or even the knowledge that something you have been hoping for will be yours.
Many might see that definition and think that happiness is synonymous with joy, which can be true in some sense,
However there are marked differences between joy and happiness.
Happiness is defined as a “state of well-being and contentment.
It may include a pleasurable or satisfying experience and can sometimes be associated with the feeling you get when something desired is gained, then you are truly happy.
“If I just get that job; if I just win the lottery; if I just marry the right person and start a family, I will be happy.”
Once you get what you have been hoping and praying for, then the feeling will begin and everything around you becomes easier to get through.
However, joy is an emotion that can be experienced while waiting for that long-awaited prayer to be answered, or when all chaos is happening around you.
Joy carries an inner sense of peace and contentment inside of you in all circumstances, even when you don’t know what is around the next bend.
Happiness has a set point where it begins; usually with “fulfilled” expectations.
Joy can happen at any time and can still be felt even when what you thought would make you happy does not.
If you are struggling keeping your inner joy alive and it seems impossible to be joyful in the current situation you are in, the Bible has some words of wisdom to help you forward.
Several verses in the Bible contain the subject of joy, and peace is associated with them to clarify that when you have joy, peace is right there with it.
(Romans 15:13) “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7) “Go and eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works”.
Confident joy comes with knowing that God approves of your obedience to His will, which can be viewed as eternal joy that only comes from God.
(Proverbs 10:28) “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing”.
(1st Peter 1:8-9) “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls”.
The bible has great encouragement concerning joy even in the face of trials tests, sufferings and discouragement.
There are several verses encouraging as to be joyful, or to have joy even in the face of sadness.
(James 1:2-3) “Consider it joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”
(Psalm 27:6) “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord,”
With the verses listed above, it seems that joy is possible even when facing the trials of life.
Yet many question, wonder and ask “how can you have joy when you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, facing a personal health crisis, or even enduring the nationwide trials in recent years”.
The answer is you can be joyful in painful circumstances because unlike happiness, joy is found in God and not your wants and needs being fulfilled.
In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah says that joy from the Lord brings strength: “Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Joy is possible because difficult situations encourage us to draw closer to the Lord for strength, hope, and guidance on how to proceed forward.
Trusting Him brings joy.
Trusting in God takes the stress of having to deal with the problems and circumstance that are causing your negative emotions.
Joy doesn’t have to resemble jumping up and down as you go through hard times, but it can look like a quiet confidence and peace, and hope that things will get better, or even remembering that you aren’t alone in this struggle.
It can be a quiet confidence that God is with you and brings people into your life to help comfort you.
Your prayers may not be answered as you would hope, or maybe a painful curveball has entered your life that seems to have knocked the wind out of you.
But joy, not happiness, reminds you to stay encouraged and know this situation will turn out for good to the glory of God, as Paul encourages in (Romans 8:28) “for all things work together for good to those who love the Lord”.
Following is my prayer to the Father in heaven for you.
You can can use it today to help you retain, restore and even develop a deeper joy in your life while going through good and bad times.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being with us as we go through the tough situations of life today.
We know, as you said in Your Word, that just because we are Christ followers, doesn’t mean we are exempt from struggle.
However, instead of letting situations take the joy that we could have, I pray that we instead, renew our joy by trusting Your way and Your path ahead for us.
Help us look for and find joy in everything we experience, knowing that as we experience the good You promise to bring to this situation, our inner joy will begin to grow and impact not only ourselves but those around us.
Thank you for being with us in these troubling times and help us be a carrier of Your peace to the world around us, through being joyful in all situations.
In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
Many may see that happiness and joy go hand in hand, but God’s Word reveals that having “joy in the Lord”, is what keeps you going through struggles and hardships.
Joy connects with peace while in a painful situation, remembering that God knows everything ahead and uses every situation for our good as we are called to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
So, even when we don’t know how “tough circumstances” will get better, and with tears streaming down our faces, let us pray for God’s joy to come into our lives to strengthen us for each breath, each step, and each day ahead.
“The joy of the Lord is our strength”.
Good day!
(Isaiah 55:12) "You shall go out with joy."
Did you know that you "can choose" to be joyful?
In spite of circumstances around you, you can choose to put a smile on your face and face the day with joyful purpose.
Generally speaking, there are three kinds of people:
1) Those who feel bad about feeling good.
They believe we’re not supposed to be happy, just responsible.
2) Those who rain on your parade because your joy bothers them.
Often these folks have been hurt by life and anger simmers just beneath the surface.
3) Those who lift your spirit and breathe life into you.
But doesn’t the Bible teach us that believers are supposed to be different from nonbelievers?
Yes, but not "negatively different… we are to be “positive”, thats what makes us “peculiar"!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Piety implies aspects of reverence, external action, and religiosity, any of which may be well-intended or used in a showy, inappropriate manner.
Proper piety is that God is glorified when we live our lives with peace, contentment hope and expectation, not looking like you just sucked a lemon, go around looking sad and sober… or dress in sack cloth to look spiritual.
Peter says we will be “a peculiar people called forth to show (and share) the praises of Him who has delivered us out of darkness unto His marvellous light” (1st Peter 2:9)
We are to be witnesses of His love, His strength, and His joy.
In fact the bible says that joy is a gift given to the children of God.
(Nehemiah 8:10 Says “the joy of the Lord is our strength”.
Nehemiah encourages Gods people stop grieving and instead celebrate the goodness of God, because divine joy gives inner strength and resilience.
And unless you commit yourself to walking "in the joy of the Lord", all you’ll ever be a witness of is "Sad Sack Living" and negativity… and no one wants to be a part of that.
Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).
If you’re thinking, “That’s easy for Paul to say… he doesn’t have my problems” think again!
When Paul wrote those words, he was in prison with no chance of getting out.
For him, "joy was a decision", "not a reaction" to circumstances.
You ask, “How could Paul be joyful in prison?”
It’s because he understood that true joy comes from devoting yourself to something bigger than your own interests.
True joy calls for three things:
a) making a conscious choice to focus on God’s goodness every single day.
b) reaching out to bless others every chance you get.
c) understanding that joy produces strength, which explains why your joy is the devil’s primary target.
When you lose your joy, you lose your strength and he wins… so today wipe that frown off your face, put a smile in its place and choose to be joyful!
Good Day!